TOP STORIES
Top Story
Meet Brian Fleury, Your New Offensive Coordinator (He Already Knows Sam Darnold, So That’s Nice)
It’s a new offensive coordinator hire for the third year in a row in Seattle, which is either a sign of healthy ambition or a deeply cursed rotation, depending on your perspective. Brian Fleury, former San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach, Kyle Shanahan disciple, and apparently a very good conversationalist, was formally introduced Thursday at VMAC alongside head coach Mike Macdonald.
The good news: Fleury already has a working relationship with Sam Darnold from their time together in San Francisco, and he’s not here to blow up what Klint Kubiak built. He’s here to add a few new recipes to a kitchen that just won a Super Bowl. The man is smart enough to know you don’t rearrange the furniture in a house that already won. Also, there are only 13 non-head-coach play-calling jobs in the NFL. Fleury knows exactly how lucky he is, and he said so out loud, which we respect.
Head coach Mike Macdonald framed the hire as “alignment,” which in coach-speak means “we actually agree on stuff,” which is apparently not as common as you’d think. Fleury’s task: keep Darnold upright, keep JSN fed, and please, please don’t get creative on 4th-and-1 near the goal line.
SOURCES →
Oof
Jeff Bezos Is NOT Buying the Seahawks. Seattle’s Richest Native Son Has Left the Building.
Keep Reading ↓
To be clear, no reason was given. Maybe he’s busy with rockets. Maybe he just doesn’t want to deal with the NFC West. Maybe he’s still mad about how the Commanders thing went down and is sitting this one out on principle. We don’t know. What we do know is that the field of potential buyers just got a lot less fun to speculate about, and someone needs to step up and be the charismatic tech billionaire we deserve. Steve Ballmer, your screaming is needed.
SOURCES →
Free Agency Fear
Riq Woolen Posted a Will Smith GIF and Now Everyone Is Spiraling
Keep Reading ↓
To be fair, the tea leaves are real. Adam Schefter has already reported that the Seahawks are unlikely to franchise tag Kenneth Walker III — the Super Bowl MVP, just so we’re clear — and the team has 16 unrestricted and restricted free agents to manage with the new league year starting March 11. They’ve got $62 million in cap space (sixth-most in the NFL), which sounds like a lot until you remember they also need to extend Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon. Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah named two Day 2 CB options to replace Woolen in the draft. It’s a lot. Take a deep breath. The Combine starts Monday.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The 2026 NFL Combine kicks off February 23 in Indianapolis. The Seahawks pick 30th overall, so start memorizing the names of physical cornerbacks who play well in man coverage. You’re going to need them. Field Gulls
The Seahawks signed defensive end Jalan Gaines to the roster this week. Jalan Gaines is not a household name yet, but neither was Nick Emmanwori until he became the best safety on the planet. We’re watching. Seahawks.com
Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed said he’s “absolutely” interested in re-signing with Seattle. His snap share dropped after the midseason trade from New Orleans, but the man made plays when it mattered and downed a punt on New England’s two-yard line in the Super Bowl. Respect the gunner. Heavy.com
The Seahawks’ 2026 schedule opponents are set: NFC East, AFC West, plus crossover games vs. Carolina, Chicago, and the usual NFC West punishment. Full schedule with dates drops this spring. Start budgeting for tickets now. Seahawks.com
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Rams are reportedly trying to thread the needle between going “all in” and “building for the future” this offseason, which is coaching-staff speak for “we have no idea what we’re doing but Sean McVay looks great in a quarter-zip.” No major moves to report. The zip remains quarter’d.
NINERS
Your new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury spent seven years with the Niners under Kyle Shanahan before bolting to Seattle for the championship vibes. The 49ers’ response has been total radio silence, which is the sound of an organization that has watched its coaching tree produce a Super Bowl champion for someone else. Again. Kyle Shanahan remains extremely unbothered, reportedly.
CARDINALS
Arizona is reportedly naming Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, which is a sentence that made Jets fans physically ill when they read it. The Cardinals are very committed to this bit. We applaud the commitment. We do not fear the result.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Brian Fleury is Seattle’s third offensive coordinator in three years. Can you name all three in order?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Shane Waldron (2021–2023) → Klint Kubiak (2024–2025, won the Super Bowl then left for the Raiders head coaching job) → Brian Fleury (2026–present). Three OCs in three years. One Lombardi Trophy. The math works.
THE MAILBAG
If Bezos won’t buy the team, who’s the dream owner?
— Deflated in Denny Triangle
Dear Deflated: Honestly? We’ve been workshopping this. Steve Ballmer would bring energy but might accidentally fire the head coach mid-press conference out of excitement. Bill Gates would install a productivity dashboard in every locker. Howard Schultz would move the team to Oklahoma City “for strategic growth reasons” and we’d have to go to jail. The correct answer, and we say this with complete sincerity, is a passionate local ownership group that bleeds Seahawks blue and green, doesn’t have a yacht named after themselves, and has never once said the phrase “multiple revenue streams” at a press conference. Call us idealists.
Got a take? A question? A bone to pick?
Send us your hot takes, burning questions, or confessions about owning a 49ers jersey you keep in a box. No judgment. (A little judgment.)
See you tomorrow. — The Rooster