Mike Macdonald's second season in Seattle will feature a new offensive coordinator.
The Seahawks fired OC Ryan Grubb on Monday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported, per sources informed of the situation.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the move later Monday during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
"It's really as simple as, I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision I had for our team, and I felt like it was a necessary decision at this point," Macdonald said. "Ryan's a heck of a football coach. We did some really great things on offense this year. Geno [Smith] had a bunch of career highs throwing the ball, and we did some really cool situational stuff, I know [Jaxon Smith-Njigba] had a great year. So we did a lot of great things, it's just that my vision for our offense just ultimately was different from where I thought Ryan thought it was going. So we respect the heck out of him, we wish him the best.
"These are tough decisions to make. These are really tough decisions to make, but the team comes first, and I just felt like it was best for the team. ... I think we just needed to go in a different direction, and that's why we ultimately made the move."
Grubb spent 2022-23 as offensive coordinator at the University of Washington under former coach Kalen DeBoer. He was initially expected to travel to Alabama with DeBoer before changing gears and joining the Seahawks. After Grubb's prolific offense helped Washington reach the College Football Playoff national title game in 2023, with Michael Penix Jr. and a trio of NFL receivers, he signed in Seattle with high expectations.
However, from the jump, the Seahawks could never form a cohesive offense, looking off-balance for much of the season. The issues in the middle of the offensive line caused some of the issues, but it was clear that Macdonald preferred a more pronounced running game than Grubb employed.
Smith attempted 587 passes, fourth-most in the NFL, completing 407, tied for second-most, and was one of six quarterbacks to pass for 4,000-plus yards (4,320; third). However, the QB was well behind other top signal-callers in passing TDs (21) and threw 15 interceptions (third-most).
Grubb admitted early in October that he needed to stick with the running game, but it never fully took hold. Injuries to Kenneth Walker III and blocking concerns didn't aid the rushing attack.
Given Macdonald's history under the Harbaugh Brothers, he'll likely search for an offensive coordinator who will ardently stick with the ground game in 2025.
