Seahawks, Patriots Among Potential Maxx Crosby Suitors?

With the new league year approaching, Maxx Crosby‘s uncertain future remains a major storyline around the NFL. The star edge rusher is still in place with the Raiders for now, but teams are aware of the possibility of a trade.

During the latest edition of the Breer Report (video link), Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted Crosby could still be willing to continue his Raiders tenure. In place with the team since being drafted in 2019, Crosby has repeatedly indicated a preference for spending his entire career with one team (although he has not shot down the latest round of trade speculation). Owner Mark Davis, meanwhile, has remained consistent in his messaging about wanting to keep the five-time Pro Bowler in the fold.

As Breer notes, Crosby and Davis continue to have a strong relationship. He adds Crosby and new head coach Klint Kubiak have already met briefly, with their initial encounter going well. Since then, Kubiak promoted Rob Leonard to the role of defensive coordinator. Leonard previously worked as Vegas’ defensive line coach and run-game coordinator, making him a familiar face for Crosby in particular. It will be interesting to see if that makes a difference in the 28-year-old’s stance or the team’s willingness to accept anything less than a blockbuster trade price to consider moving on.

Any team in the NFL would of course be upgraded with Crosby in the fold. Breer identifies the Seahawks and Patriots as being among the teams which have an interest on this front (although the list of potential suitors who have reached out is much longer). Both Seattle and New England are in a strong position with respect to projected 2026 cap space. Each team could see changes along the edge this offseason, though.

Boye Mafe is set to see his Seahawks rookie contract expire in March, and he is not high on the team’s priority list in terms of retaining members of its Super Bowl-winning roster. K’Lavon Chaisson, meanwhile, is also a pending free agent. The former first-rounder thrived during his debut New England campaign, posting a career-high 7.5 sacks during the regular season. Chaisson added another three sacks in the playoffs, and at the age of 26 he is set to cash in during free agency.

In the event Seattle and/or New England lose those pass rushers on the open market, a Crosby acquisition would make even more sense. Both teams have a first-round pick, although the Patriots have 11 total selections in 2025’s draft compared to the Seahawks’ four. Whether or not either of the Super Bowl participants make a strong Crosby push will be worth monitoring over the coming weeks.

Raiders Add Travis Smith, Rick Dennison To Coaching Staff

The Raiders hired Travis Smith to be their defensive line coach under new head coach Klint Kubiak, per a team announcement.

Smith is returning to Las Vegas after three years in Chicago (defensive line coach) and one in Tennessee (defensive run game coordinator). He was announced as the Titans’ senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist on Robert Saleh‘s staff, but is instead opting to reunite with the Raiders, for whom he coached from 2012 to 2021. He served in a variety of roles on the defensive side of the ball and worked closely with Maxx Crosby at the beginning of his career.

Also joining Kubiak’s staff is Rick Dennison, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Dennison, 67, has spent the last three decades coaching in the NFL, primarily working with offensive linemen with coordinator stints in Denver, Houston, and Buffalo. He and Kubiak have worked together since 2016, Dennison’s last year as the Broncos’ OC and Kubiak’s first as an offensive assistant.

The two then overlapped in Minnesota from 2019 to 2021, after which Dennison stepped away from coaching. He returned to the NFL in 2024 to join Kubiak’s offensive staff in New Orleans as a senior assistant and followed him to Seattle last year. Dennison then served as the Seahawks’ run game coordinator/senior offensive advisor in 2025 and will now join the Raiders in a yet-to-be announced role.

Kubiak is still looking to fill the quarterbacks coach position on his staff, and Vikings asst. OC/asst. QBs coach Jordan Traylor is a candidate for the job, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He previously worked under Kubiak in New Orleans in 2024, on the same staff as Dennison and now-Raiders OC Andrew Janocko.

Seahawks To Hire Brian Fleury As OC

The Seahawks considered a number of internal candidates to fill the offensive coordinator position. Instead, they will go outside the organization to replace Klint Kubiak.

Seattle is hiring Brian Fleury to handle OC duties, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Fleury has been in place with the 49ers since 2019, but he will now move within the NFC West. This will be his first offensive coordinator opportunity.

The Seahawks seemed to be in position to promote an in-house staffer to the role of OC this offseason. Indeed, four candidates from within the organization recently conducted an interview. A small number of coaches from outside Seattle were mentioned as names to watch as the team’s search unfolded. One of those was Fleury, who met with the Seahawks yesterday. Things clearly went well, and an agreement has now been reached.

Fleury has been coaching since 2005, and he worked in a number of capacities during his college career. Stints as a defensive and special teams coordinator preceded Fleury’s rise to the ranks of NFL staffs. The former undrafted free agent quarterback had brief tenures with the Bills and Browns prior to arriving in San Francisco.

After one season working on the defensive side of the ball, Fleury became an offensive quality control coach for the 49ers. That was followed by a four-year run as the team’s tight ends coach. In 2025, the title of run-game coordinator was added, an indication of Fleury’s importance to Kyle Shanahan‘s staff. The 49ers will now need to seek out a replacement late in the 2026 hiring cycle.

For the Seahawks, meanwhile, the status of their internal OC candidates will be worth watching closely. Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko was among the coaches who loomed as a promotion candidate, but he has been heavily linked to the Raiders since Kubiak’s departure. At this point, a Janocko move to Vegas to fill that team’s OC position is expected.

Seattle enjoyed a stellar showing on defense en route to winning the Super Bowl this season. The team’s offense played a notable role as well, with quarterback Sam Darnold thriving on his new team and wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba taking home Offensive Player of the Year honors. Needless to say, expectations will be very high for Fleury during his first year as an NFL coordinator. He will be tasked with handling play-calling duties in 2026.

Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is a final look at how Seattle’s process played out:

2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 2-16-26 (1:10pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Drew Petzing)

  • Nathaniel Hackett, quarterbacks coach (Dolphins): Hired

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Zac Robinson)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Todd Monken)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Joe Brady)

  • Pete Carmichael Jr., senior offensive assistant (Broncos): Hire expected

Chicago Bears (Out: Declan Doyle)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Tommy Rees)

Denver Broncos (Out: Joe Lombardi)

  • Ronald Curry, quarterbacks coach (Bills): Interviewed
  • Brian Johnson, pass-game coordinator (Commanders): Interviewed
  • Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Promoted

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Greg Olson)

  • Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach (Seahawks): Hired
  • Frisman Jackson, wide receivers coach (Seahawks): To interview

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

New York Jets (Out: Tanner Engstrand)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Arthur Smith)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Klint Kubiak)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Zach Orr)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Bobby Babich)

  • Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Hired

Cleveland Browns (Out: Jim Schwartz)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Patrick Graham)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Anthony Weaver)

  • Sean Duggan, former linebackers coach (Packers): Hired
  • Clint Hurtt, defensive line coach (Eagles): Interviewed

New England Patriots (Out: Terrell Williams)

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Teryl Austin)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Robert Saleh)

  • Gus Bradley, assistant head coach (49ers): Interviewed
  • Raheem Morris, former head coach (Falcons): Hired
  • Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator (Browns): Rumored candidate
  • Joe Woods, defensive backs coach (Raiders): Interviewed

Tennessee Titans (Out: Dennard Wilson)

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

Raiders To Conduct OC Interview With Andrew Janocko

Once the Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as their new head coach, attention turned to the possibility of other Seahawks staffers following him to Seattle. Andrew Janocko is among them.

Not long after Kubiak’s hire, Janocko was identified as the favorite for Vegas’ offensive coordinator position. As Kubiak and the Raiders evaluate their OC options, Janocko will – to no surprise – receive a look. An interview has been arranged for today in Vegas, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Janocko and Kubiak worked together in Minnesota and New Orleans prior to their joint Seattle stint during the 2025 season. A hire on this front would certainly not come as a shock as a result. Of course, the potential for an OC position with the Seahawks loomed as well in this case. With that having changed earlier this afternoon, though, a hire with the Raiders would be expected by many. Per Schefter, Janocko is indeed now in line to be hired as Vegas’ OC.

The Seahawks were thought to prefer an internal promotion to fill the OC vacancy. Janocko was one of four in-house staffers who interviewed for the position recently, and he presumably remained in the running until today. Seattle also spoke with Jake Peetz, Justin Outten and Mack Brown as internal candidates before reaching an agreement with Brian Fleury.

The Raiders’ approach on offense will be a major storyline around the league. Improvements in many areas will be needed as the team seeks to rebound from a 3-14 campaign in 2025. That is widely presumed to include the addition of quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in April’s draft. Kubiak himself will obviously be a central figure in Vegas’ efforts to take needed steps forward on offense, but his OC hire will be critical as well. Particularly if a familiar face in the form of Janocko is brought in, expectations could be raised in relatively short order.

Kubiak has been busy on several fronts within the first few days of his initial head coaching opportunity. The Raiders already have their DC (Rob Leonard) and special teams coordinator (Joe DeCamillis) in place. Bringing in Janocko would/will fill another notable vacancy on the sidelines.

Seahawks Interviewing 49ers TEs Coach Brian Fleury For OC Job

The Seahawks are expected to make an internal promotion to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy, but they are still taking a look at some other coaches around the league.

Among them is 49ers tight ends coach/run game coordinator Brian Fleury, who is interviewing for the job on Saturday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Fleury has spent the last seven years in San Francisco, beginning as a defensive quality control coach in 2019. He moved to the offensive side of the ball in 2020 in another QC role before a promotion to tight ends coach two years later.

49ers tight end George Kittle has made the Pro Bowl for five straight years working with Fleury with All-Pro recognition in three of those seasons. The team’s other tight ends have not had as big of an impact, though Jake Tonges stepped up for 22 catches for 209 yards during Kittle’s five game absence this past season.

Prior to joining the 49ers, Fleury served in a variety of roles with the Dolphins, Browns, and Bills, along with stints with multiple college programs. He came up on the defensive side of the ball, which he briefly continued in San Francisco before starting his work with tight ends.

Here are the rest of the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator candidates:

  • John Benton, offensive line coach (Seahawks): Rumored candidate
  • Mack Brown, tight ends coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Hank Fraley, offensive line coach (Lions): Rumored candidate
  • Brian Fleury, tight ends coach (49ers): Interviewing on 2/14
  • Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Mike Kafka, former interim head coach (Giants): Rumored candidate
  • Justin Outten, run-game specialist (Seahawks): To interview
  • Jake Peetz, pass-game coordinator (Seahawks): To interview

Former Ravens DC Zach Orr Reunites With Mike Macdonald In Seattle

A pair of former Ravens staffers landed in Seattle today, reuniting them with former defensive coordinator and current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. For the second time in a row, Baltimore will watch their former defensive coordinator join the Seahawks as Macdonald is hiring Zach Orr to serve as inside linebackers coach in Seattle, per Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS.

Orr’s history in Baltimore was a complicated one. An undrafted linebacker out of North Texas, Orr started as a player for the Ravens, spending his first two years as a core special teamer before stepping in as a starter in Year 3, leading the team with 133 total tackles, and earning second-team All-Pro honors alongside fellow starter C.J. Mosley. His All-Pro season ended with an injury that led to a congenital neck/spine condition diagnosis that would force him to retire from playing.

Orr immediately turned to coaching after coming to terms with the end of his playing career. In 2017, the Ravens hired him as a defensive analyst 12 days after he settled into retirement. Orr left in 2021 for an outside linebackers coaching position under Urban Meyer in Jacksonville, and when that didn’t work out, he returned to Baltimore as an inside linebackers coach for two years before succeeding Macdonald as defensive coordinator.

Orr’s defenses in Baltimore were streaky. In his first year as a coordinator, the Ravens defense ranked 25th in points allowed, 27th in yards allowed, and dead last in passing yards allowed through 10 weeks of play. Taking another look at his personnel, Orr made some adjustments and, with some key contributors stepping up, Baltimore fielded the NFL’s best defense across all three of those categories for the last six weeks of the season. The improvement was enough to see them finish the year ranked as the ninth-best scoring defense and the 10th-best total defense.

Similar struggles plagued the Ravens defense in 2025, but unlike in Orr’s first year, there was no major turnaround. While the team found some footing partway into the year, that footing was inconsistent as they finished the season ranked 18th in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed. The 30th-ranked pass defense was an especially offensive black eye for a secondary that rostered All-Pros in Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey alongside recent first-round picks Nate Wiggins and Malaki Starks.

After the Ravens fired former head coach John Harbaugh, Orr interviewed for defensive coordinator jobs with the Chargers and Cowboys. Though they didn’t off him the DC job, the Cowboys kept in contact with Orr enough that he had an offer to fill the same inside linebackers coaching job in Dallas, per Hill. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders had also requested to interview Orr for their open DC position, but Orr chose the option to reunite with Macdonald over the job in Dallas or the interview with Las Vegas. Macdonald had wanted to bring Orr as his DC when he first left for the head coaching job in Seattle, but the Ravens prevented that from occurring by promoting Orr themselves. Now, Macdonald gets his man, and Orr gets to continue developing as a coach in his system.

Joining Orr in the move to Seattle will be former Ravens director of strategy/assistant quarterbacks coach Daniel Stern. The Ravens hired someone to fill Stern’s position when it seemed he might follow Todd Monken to Cleveland, but instead, Stern will defect to the team’s former defensive coordinator, according to Schefter.

Lastly, Baltimore finalized their new coaching staff under head coach Jesse Minter yesterday. We have covered nearly every staff change in previous posts on the site, but the Ravens‘ announcement provided a few new details. First, initially thought to be hired as director of football logistics and defensive consultant, respectively, Christina DeRuyter and Rick Minter‘s titles have been reported to be chief of staff to the head coach and football analyst. The team’s announcement also broke news of the promotion of Andrew Rogan to a role as defensive quality control coach. Rogan had joined the team in 2021 as a player personnel assistant and was promoted to coaching/scouting analyst in 2023. He’ll now transfer fully over to the coaching side of the staff.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/13/26

There were two reserve/futures deals signed in the NFL today:

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

  • DE Jalan Gaines

After the Seahawks announced 15 reserve/futures deals yesterday, two members of their practice squad from last year found deals today. Gaines, a rookie who signed as an undrafted free agent with Seattle out of Illinois State, will remain with the team for the offseason. Jackon, an undrafted rookie who spent the summer in Denver before making his way to Seattle after failing to make the 53-man roster, finds his third NFL home within a calendar year as he heads to New York.

Seahawks Blocked Raiders’ Justin Outten Interview Request

The Seahawks could not block offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak from taking the Raiders’ head coaching job, but they are attempting to keep some of his assistants in Seattle.

The Raiders requested to interview Justin Outten – currently the Seahawks’ run game specialist/assistant offensive line coach – for a run game coordinator role in Las Vegas. That would represent a lateral move, so the Seahawks were able to block the interview, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Outten is among the Seahawks’ candidates to replace Kubiak, so the team understandably does not want him to leave until they complete their offensive coordinator hiring process. If they go in a different direction, the Seahawks could release Outten to pursue a job in Las Vegas, as the Ravens did with some of their assistants after officially hiring Jesse Minter. However, Seattle seems headed for an internal promotion to fill their OC vacancy, in which case the new hire may want to keep as much of Kubiak’s staff intact as possible.

Seahawks defensive backs coach/pass game specialist Karl Scott is also staying in Seattle, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He interviewed for the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator vacancy and was among the initial candidates to serve as Kubiak’s DC. The Raiders did not submit an official interview request for Scott, and he has now pre-empted such a meeting with his decision. Scott will likely be in the mix for defensive coordinator jobs next year.

Seahawks To Interview Cardinals’ Connor Senger For Offensive Coordinator

Klint Kubiak was only the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator for one season, but he made a huge impact during a Super Bowl-winning campaign. Kubiak’s success led to a promotion to the Raiders’ head coaching job, leaving the Seahawks to search for a new offensive leader.

Seattle may poach from an NFC West rival’s staff for Kubiak’s successor, having identified Cardinals pass-game specialist Connor Senger as a candidate. The Seahawks will interview Senger, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Senger was previously an OC possibility for the Bears, but they ultimately promoted Press Taylor to replace the departed Declan Doyle. He also caught the attention of the Bills and Packers when they were looking for quarterbacks coaches. Buffalo (Bo Hardegree) and Green Bay (Luke Getsy) have since filled those vacancies with more experienced names.

Still just 30 years old, Senger is a former college QB (Wisconsin from 2013-14, Wisconsin-Oshkosh from 2015-16) and coach whose NFL career began in Arizona in 2022. Senger started on a coaching fellowship, but he has gradually climbed up the ladder. He was an offensive quality control coach in 2023 and an assistant QBs coach in ’24, a year in which Kyler Murray enjoyed a bounce-back season.

A foot injury limited Murray to five games in 2025, but Senger still helped guide a passing game that was statistically above average. The Cardinals finished seventh in the league in passing despite backup signal-caller Jacoby Brissett starting 12 games. Their QBs tossed 29 touchdowns against 11 picks and ranked 13th in traditional passer rating (92.5). Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. fell well short of expectations in Year 2, but fellow wideout Michael Wilson had a breakout third season. Meanwhile, with 126 receptions, 1,239 yards and 11 TDs, Trey McBride was easily the league’s most productive tight end.

During Kubiak’s lone year at the controls, the Seahawks ranked third in scoring and eighth in total offense. Kubiak’s successor will inherit a title-winning group that boasts a quality QB in Sam Darnold and an all-world receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, among other pieces. Running back Kenneth Walker III is nearing free agency on the heels of winning Super Bowl MVP, but the Seahawks are unlikely to let him get away this offseason.

Retaining Walker would be an obvious plus for Seattle’s next OC, whether it’s Senger or someone else. Here’s where the Seahawks’ search stands in the early going:

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