Every year, the weeks immediately after the conclusion of the NFL’s regular season are rife with rumors. Non-playoff teams begin shedding failed coaches like dead skin and look to start afresh. Coordinators from successful teams are always high on their wish lists.
A lot of coordinators get interviews for head coaching jobs in January. Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is one of the hottest of those candidates this year.
The Atlanta Falcons have already requested an interview, and at least one mainstream sports site makes Kubiak the favorite to land the job. Though he never coached for the Falcons, they got a very good look at his work when he served as offensive coordinator for Atlanta’s NFC South rival New Orleans Saints club in 2024.
Klint Kubiak might not be the only asset the Seattle Seahawks are losing this offseason
Kubiak fits the profile of the coach most teams seem to want these days. He is young – he’ll turn 39 next month – but already has extensive NFL experience with several successful organizations. He is considered an innovative offensive mind.
He coached quarterbacks before ascending to coordinator - a classic trajectory. He has clearly worked wonders in Seattle, overseeing a move from 18th in scoring in 2024 up to third in the league this season.
If Kubiak leaves, it will obviously leave a hole. And that hole might be bigger than fans initially think.
It is not uncommon for a coach to bring several assistants with him to a new head coaching gig. There is usually a promotion involved.
For instance, when Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took the head coaching job in Chicago, he brought along Antwaan Randle El and J.T. Barrett. Randle El moved up from wide receivers coach to assistant head coach, while Barrett moved up from assistant quarterbacks coach in Detroit to quarterbacks coach with the Bears.
Kubiak might try to lure Rick Dennison, who came to Seattle along with Kubiak to serve as run game coordinator. He had been a senior offensive assistant when Kubiak was the offensive coordinator in New Orleans in 2024.
It doesn’t seem like a big stretch to imagine him taking over as offensive coordinator in Atlanta, or perhaps assuming some other role that would allow him to serve as one of Kubiak’s primary advisors on offense.
One of the other key additions to the Seahawks’ staff this past season was quarterbacks' coach Andrew Janocko. His time with Kubiak dates back to their days together in Minnesota from 2019-2021, and like Dennison, he was with Kubiak in New Orleans in 2024.
Janocko, who is 37 and making a similar climb up the coaching ladder, took a parallel position with the Seahawks last year and may be primed to step into a coordinator role in 2026.
There certainly could be other coaches as well who have formed a relationship with Kubiak over the years. Offensive line coach John Benton, who has worked wonders with Seattle’s young linemen this year, also has a history with Kubiak.
His assistant line coach, Justin Outten, who also serves as a run game specialist, was the offensive coordinator in Denver when Kubiak was the Broncos’ passing game coordinator in 2022. Outten got his start in professional coaching with the Falcons back in 2016.
Kubiak’s reach could extend beyond coaches. He might be interested in offering contracts to pending free agents like Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jones as well.
The bottom line is that if Kubiak were to leave, others could join him. It’s highly unlikely that all the names mentioned above would follow him to Atlanta, but Mike Macdonald and John Schneider should be prepared for some losses. Fortunately, they both seem to be one step ahead of most of the league. They no doubt have contingency plans already in place.