Seahawks Request Interview With Saints OC Klint Kubiak

Actively pursuing a number of candidates to replace Ryan Grubb, the Seahawks hope to have a shot to chat with a former Kyle Shanahan pupil.

Aug 25, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak during the warmups before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Already lined up for two interviews for their vacant offensive coordinator position, the Seattle Seahawks hope to add New Orleans Saints assistant Klint Kubiak to that list to succeed dismissed play caller Ryan Grubb.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks submitted a request to the Saints for permission to interview Kubiak, who remains under contract in the same position. Since New Orleans currently is in the process of interviewing head coaching candidates, it's possible the organization will let him speak with other teams and leave if another opportunity presents itself.

The son of Super Bowl winning coach Gary Kubiak, the 37-year old Kubiak already has 11 seasons of NFL experience on his resume, starting his coaching career with the Vikings as an offensive quality control coach in 2013. He reunited with his father on the Broncos staff in 2016, spending three seasons with the organization as an assistant before returning to Minnesota as a quarterback coach.

Kubiak earned his first chance as an NFL offensive coordinator with the Vikings in 2021 and the team finished a respectable 14th in scoring offense thanks to a potent aerial attack that ranked ninth in passing touchdowns. But with the dismissal of then-coach Mike Zimmer, he wasn't retained on Kevin O'Connell's staff and rejoined the Broncos as a quarterbacks coach and passing coordinator.

Hitting the market again after Denver fired coach Nathaniel Hackett, Kubiak received offers from multiple teams and opted to sign on as passing game coordinator for the 49ers, teaming up with coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco wound up reaching the Super Bowl with him in that role, and quickly after the conclusion of the season, New Orleans hired him as the new offensive coordinator.

With Kubiak at the helm, the Saints started the season red-hot, scoring 91 points in back-to-back wins over the Panthers and Cowboys. But from that point on, the team was ravaged by injuries, including quarterback Derek Carr missing seven games with multiple ailments, receiver Chris Olave suffering a severe concussion, Rashid Shaheed going down after six games with a torn meniscus., and multiple offensive linemen missing extended time.

Thanks to the litany of injuries, New Orleans bottomed out offensively, scoring under 20 points per game and ranking 24th in total points scored. The team did manage to finish 14th in rushing and when Carr was healthy, the passing game performed fairly well, as he threw 15 touchdowns compared to just five picks in 10 games.

Considering what Kubiak did with Kirk Cousins in 2021 and a healthy Carr last season before he lost nearly all of his top receivers to injury, pairing him with Geno Smith in Seattle would be an interesting quarterback/coordinator connection. His background coming from his father's coaching tree as well as working with Shanahan would also ensure that he would stick with the run game, something coach Mike Macdonald will be looking for in a replacement for Grubb.

If the Saints grant permission to speak with Kubiak, he will join Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Bears interim coach Thomas Brown as the reported candidates in the mix for the Seahawks offensive coordinator job. Per multiple reports, Fraley will meet with the team on Friday and Brown on Saturday.

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