The only negative aspect of being the No. 1 team in the NFC is that the rest of the league will try to emulate what you do. As such, they might look to lure some of the assistant coaches to their own teams, sometimes even offering them promotions. That's likely going to be the case with the Seattle Seahawks.
Seahawks' offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been one of the hottest commodities in the league this season. He's been tied to multiple head coaching positions since the start of the campaign, but he's not the only assistant coach who could be leaving Mike Macdonald's staff pretty soon.
According to a report by ESPN's Washington Commanders reporter John Keim, Dan Quinn has set his sights on Seahawks defensive backs/pass game coordinator Karl Scott. Of course, losing him would be a huge blow.
The Commanders want to steal Karl Scott from the Seattle Seahawks
"Washington interviewed Seattle DB coach/pass game coordinator Karl Scott per me and Brady Henderson for their defensive coordinator opening. He's the only one they've interviewed without prior DC experience," Keim wrote on X.
Scott has been a coach since 2007, when he joined Delta State as a graduate assistant. He climbed the ladder in college, even helping the Alabama Crimson Tide win a national championship. Then, the Minnesota Vikings gave him his first job in the league, serving as their defensive backs coach in 2021.
He's been with the Seahawks since 2022, and his job can't go unnoticed, especially this season. With him at the helm, the Seahawks gave the tenth-fewest passing yards per game (193.9) and the fewest points per game (17.2). They also ranked first in third-down conversion percentage allowed (32.1 percent).
Per Team Rankings, the Seahawks forced 13.2 incomplete passes per game, the sixth-highest figure in the league. They also allowed the eighth-lowest completion percentage (62.5 percent), forced the fifth-most interceptions per game (1.1), and had the seventh-best opponent interception thrown percentage in the entire league (3.00 percent).
The Seahawks also had the fifth-most interceptions this season (18).
Winning teams often have to pay a price. They know that retaining their coaching staff will be challenging, especially for those who aren't the top assistant coaches, since they can't even stop other teams from reaching out to them.
Scott has been a quick riser in the league, and he's certainly earned the right to be promoted and run his own defense. That's not going to happen in Seattle for as long as Aden Durde is the defensive coordinator, and even if that were the case, Coach Macdonald would probably keep calling plays on defense. As such, he may have no choice but to leave if the opportunity presents itself.