The Seahawks have fired Ryan Grubb as their play caller after one season.
Coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Seattle’s decision to fire the former University of Washington offensive coordinator came Monday morning. It was the day after the Seahawks’ finished their 2024 season without a playoff berth but with 10 wins thanks to a 30-25 victory at the Los Angeles Rams in the last game.
Macdonald made the decision with general manager John Schneider’s support to fire the Seahawks’ first offensive coordinator hired with no NFL coaching experience in almost 30 years — since former Washington State University offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski was Seattle’s OC on its 1995-98 teams.
“I felt like the direction our offense was going was different than the vision I had for our team,” Macdonald said on his weekly day-after show on KIRO-AM radio. “I felt like it was a necessary decision, at this point.”
Macdonald and Schneider hired Grubb less than 12 months ago, about two weeks after Seattle hired the 37-year-old Macdonald to be the NFL’s youngest head coach. That was after Grubb initially had gone with head coach Kalen DeBoer from the Washington Huskies’ run to the national championship game in January 2024 to the University of Alabama. Macdonald heralded the arrival of Grubb in February 2024 as the Seahawks adding a play caller who is “open-minded” with a “growth mindset.”
Grubb’s Seahawks threw the ball, a ton. The team spent most of the season leading the league in pass attempts. Smith broke two of his own team records for passing in a season, yards (4,320) and completion rate (70.4%). But Grubb’s Seahawks didn’t run the ball enough, or consistently, for the rugged mentality Macdonald wanted on offense.
Grubb’s nadir came in Seattle’s galling loss to the three-win New York Giants, at home. Lead back Kenneth Walker, a 1,000-yard rusher two seasons ago, got just five carries in that game. Grubb apologized, then often still didn’t run.
The Seahawks finished 28th in the 32-team NFL in rushing offense, at just over 95 yards per game. They were 29th in rush attempts.
Seahawks players were unaware when they landed late last night from their season finale in California then reported Monday morning to their facility for a team meeting that their offensive coordinator was about to be fired.
“I just learned about it, like, 20 minutes ago,” right tackle Abe Lucas said in the hallway outside the locker room just after 10 a.m.
“It’s a business. I mean, it is the nature of the business. Nobody’s exempt from it. I’m certainly not exempt from it.
“I have no ill will, no ill feelings toward Grubb. I like Grubb. I know he’s going to be successful, whatever it is he decides to do. I mean, there is a reason he was hired here in the first place. He’s very good at what he does.”
The team’s decision on the future of quarterback Geno Smith is now tied to the Seahawks’ choice for its next offensive coordinator. Smith’s contract ends following the 2025 season.
The team has a $16 million bonus due to Smith on March 16 for 2025, so a decision on his future will be coming between now and then.
Macdonald said Monday on KIRO-AM when asked if Smith is going to be the Seahawks’ quarterback for the 2025 season: “I’ve got no reason to say no. So, I guess: Yes.”
