SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday hired former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to the same position.
The son of former NFL quarterback and head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak, 37, has two previous OC stints on his résumé, having held that role with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and the Saints this past season.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald conducted a three-week search to replace Ryan Grubb, who was fired after one season. The Seahawks had second, in-person interviews with at least two other candidates -- Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Vikings assistant OC/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski.
The Seahawks are banking on Kubiak's strong reputation and philosophical alignment with Macdonald more than his recent results.
The Saints' offense in 2024 ranked 24th in scoring (19.4 points per game) and 21st in yards (320.1 per game) as injuries sidelined several key players, including quarterback Derek Carr (seven games), wide receivers Chris Olave (nine) and Rashid Shaheed (11), center Erik McCoy (10), and tight end Taysom Hill (nine).
The Vikings' offense in 2021 ranked 14th in scoring (23.4 points per game) and 12th in yards (362.8 per game).
Grubb was fired in large part because the Seahawks did not run the ball as often or as well as Macdonald preferred. Neither the 2021 Vikings (17th) nor the 2024 Saints (14th) had top-10 rushing offenses, though Minnesota was 11th in designed rush rate under Kubiak while New Orleans was 14th.
Kubiak also called plays for the Denver Broncos in the second half of the 2022 season after head coach Nathaniel Hackett relinquished those duties.
Kubiak moved on after one season in each of his previous OC stints in the wake of head coaching changes. He landed in Denver in 2022 as the Broncos' passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, then spent 2023 with the San Francisco 49ers as their pass game coordinator.
In picking Kubiak, Macdonald didn't stick to his roots and pluck from the Harbaugh tree, but he did hire someone from another well-known coaching family.
As a player, Gary Kubiak backed up John Elway in Denver. He then coached the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl 50 after serving as the Houston Texans' head coach. Klint Kubiak's younger brother Klay was recently promoted by Kyle Shanahan to offensive coordinator in San Francisco, meaning the two siblings will now match wits in the NFC West.
Unlike Klay, Klint Kubiak will be calling plays in Seattle. He takes over an offense that finished 21st in scoring (20.0) and 14th in yards (332.2) last season while relying too much on quarterback Geno Smith in the absence of a consistent run game. In firing Grubb, Macdonald cited a lack of alignment on how they wanted the offense to operate, with much of the disconnect centered around the run game.
In addition to Kubiak, Fraley and Udinski, the Seahawks are known to have interviewed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, Baltimore Ravens run game coordinator Travis Switzer, former NFL quarterback and OC Byron Leftwich as well as former Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown.
With their coordinator in place, the next big question for the Seahawks' offense is the future of Smith. The 34-year-old quarterback is seeking an extension as he enters the final year of his contract, and it's not a given that the two sides will be able to agree to one.
Information from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was used in this story.