And then there were two…
The NFL coaching carousel is starting to wrap up as another domino has fallen. The Atlanta Falcons have just signed Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to be their next head coach. This is coming merely one day after news broke that Jim Harbaugh would be the next top man for the Los Angeles Chargers, and following news that former Seahawks coach Dave Canales would be taking the Carolina Panthers job.
Falcons plan to hire Rams’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach, per sources. pic.twitter.com/qlz3PbgEtJ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024
With the Chargers and Falcons now securing their new head coaches, this only leaves the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders as the only teams in the league still looking for one. It is hard to gauge how much of an impact of Atlanta signing Morris is for Seattle, but it does directly affect them. Morris was scheduled to interview for the job on Friday, but now he obviously will no longer be doing so.
Raheem Morris was about to head to Seattle for his interview Friday, but he never went. The Falcons job heated up.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 25, 2024
While Jim Harbaugh, Dave Canales and Raheem Morris are off the table, there are still a litany of quality options for Seattle to choose from. It seems as if the Seahawks are going to take their “pick of the liter” approach, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes they will remain patient.
The last two head coach openings of this cycle are the Seahawks and Commanders. Neither team is expected to hire anyone until next week, after Sunday’s conference championship games, per league sources.
Available coaches for the final two available spots include Bill Belichick,…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024
One name that is really catching my eye is the legendary Bill Belichick. As Ian Rapoport mentioned, the Falcons were really the only team who showed interest in the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach. With Atlanta going with Morris, this option is now off Belichick’s table… and I’m not sure what other ones there might be.
Regarding Bill Belichick: The Seahawks and Commanders are the final two vacant jobs. Washington has had no interest in pursuing Belichick and appear focused on Ben Johnson. Seattle hasn't requested to interview Belichick.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 25, 2024
If Schefter is right, and the Seahawks are going to wait until next week, it seems as if they are keyed in on one of two options:
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald. These two are easily the top ticket coordinators, and would make the most sense why Seattle is waiting patiently.
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