Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald during a press conference.
The Seattle Seahawks are expanding their offensive coordinator search outside the building, withNFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting the team will interview Arizona Cardinals pass game specialist Connor Senger for the vacancy.
That’s notable becauseearlier reporting indicated Seattle was preparing to start the process by taking a “hard look internally,” lining up interviews with multiple in-house candidates.
Seahawks to Interview Cardinals Assistant Connor Senger for Offensive Coordinator
Rapoport reported the Seahawks will interview Senger for their offensive coordinator position, adding that Senger is 30, recently interviewed for the Bears’ OC opening, and that Arizona would like to retain him if possible.
Pro Football Talk also described Senger as Seattle’s “first external candidate” identified in the process, underscoring that this isn’t just a box-check; it’s a real data point about how the Seahawks are choosing to run the search.
Seattle’s OC opening came after Klint Kubiak left for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job earlier this week, creating a quick-turn vacancy at a time when many teams are also filling staff roles and assistants are in high demand.
Why This Interview Matters: It Cuts Against the “Internal First” Expectation
What makes the Senger interview pop isn’t just the name; it’s the shift in direction.
Earlier reports had Seattle starting with internal options, including four in-house candidates: quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, pass-game coordinator Jake Peetz, run-game specialist Justin Outten, and tight ends coach Mack Brown.
So even if the Seahawks still ultimately promote from within, bringing in Senger signals at least one of these things is true:
They’re widening the lens to compare Seattle’s internal ideas vs. outside concepts before making a call.
They’re protecting against assistant-coach attrition (if Las Vegas — or other teams — pull at Seattle staff).
They want a younger, modern pass-game voice in the room as they shape the next version of the offense.
That’s the dramatic angle here: it’s not “Seattle is hiring Senger,” it’s “Seattle is not limiting itself to the internal track.”
What We Know About Senger’s Rising Profile
Senger has drawn interest around the league in recent weeks. Rapoport noted he interviewed for the Bears’ OC job recently, and Pro Football Talk separately reported Chicago had requested an interview with him as part of that search.
The Seahawks’ interest also comes with an obvious wrinkle: Arizona wants to keep him. That doesn’t mean Seattle can’t hire him, but it does frame this as a competitive market for a young assistant whose stock is clearly rising.
One more thing to watch: if Seattle is making Senger an early external interview, it can sometimes be a sign the team is mapping out two tracks at once: one internal (fast, continuity) and one external (fresh perspective), then comparing finalists.
What Happens Next in Seattle’s OC Search
The next few days will tell you whether the Seahawks are simply doing diligence, or if they’re truly pivoting.
Here are the key “next steps” angles to monitor:
Do more external names surface after Senger, or is he the lone outside interview?
Does the internal group remain intact through the week, or do any assistants leave the building for other jobs?
Does Seattle prioritize speed (to stabilize the staff) or take longer to explore multiple directions?
For now, the clean takeaway is this: Seattle’s search is not locked into an internal promotion, even if that was the early expectation.