Seahawks Promote Justin Outten, Hire Thomas Hammock As RBs Coach
Seahawks assistant coach Justin Outten missed out on the team’s offensive coordinator job, but he will still get a promotion after his success in 2025.
Formerly Seattle’s run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach, Outten is set to become the team’s run game coordinator, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, a title bump that is likely to come with a pay raise. It seems to be well-deserved, as the Seahawks ranked third in rushing yards, second in rushing touchdowns, and first in yards per attempt last year, his first on the coaching staff.
Continued success at that level will likely make Outten an offensive coordinator candidate in future hiring cycles. His previous play-calling experience as the Broncos’ OC in 2022 went poorly, but Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson seemed to be more foundational problems with that team. Outten also has served under a number of notable head coaches, including Dan Quinn, Mike LaFleur, and Mike Vrabel, in addition to his current boss, Mike Macdonald. His strong coaching network may help him garner more interest for OC jobs and fill his staff if he lands one.
The Seahawks are also hiring Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock as their running backs coach, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Hammock will replace Kennedy Polamalu, who suddenly left the team before the playoffs. Outten, along with offensive assistant Michael Byrne, filled Polamalu’s role in the interim. Hammock will now take on the full-time gig after receiving interest from multiple NFL teams, and he will do so as the highest paid RBs coach in the league.
Hammock, 44, was a star running back at NIU before a medical condition forced him to retire after his senior year. He immediately went into coaching, starting as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin. He then served as the RBs coach at his alma mater and Minnesota before returning to Wisconsin in 2011. Hammock then got his first NFL job as the Ravens’ RBs coach, a position he held from 2013 until 2018, when a head coaching offer from NIU drew him back into the college ranks.
Though the Seahawks hope to keep Kenneth Walker, they are not expected to use the franchise tag on him. If he leaves Seattle this offseason Outten and Hammock would be tasked with getting Zach Charbonnet ready for a lead back role in 2026.
Rashid Shaheed ‘Would Love’ To Re-Sign With Seahawks
As the Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, Klint Kubiak coached Rashid Shaheed during an injury-limited season for the wide receiver. Kubiak left to take the same job with the Seahawks last year, but he and Shaheed reunited at the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Then 6-2 and seeking a field-stretching receiver/returner, the Seahawks sent a 2026 fourth- and fifth-round pick to the Saints for the speedy Shaheed.
Shaheed, who never caught more than 46 passes in a season from 2022-24, had already totaled 44 through nine games when the Seahawks acquired him. With 499 yards, he was also on pace to surpass the career-best 719 he notched in 2013. However, Shaheed’s offensive production dipped as a member of the Seahawks, with whom he caught 15 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns in six regular-season games.
While Shaheed joined the Seahawks with a pair of touchdown catches, he didn’t add to that total after the trade. But the 6-foot, 180-pounder made up for it with three return TDs, including a crucial 58-yard runback against the NFC West rival Rams in Week 16.
The Seahawks trailed 30-14 when Shaheed lined up to catch the punt. His return set the wheels in motion on a furious comeback that led to a 38-37 win. It also played a major role in Seattle securing a division title. The Seahawks, who improved to 12-3 that night, finished 14-3 to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Shaheed did not make a huge impact as a receiver during a three-game postseason in which he caught three of 10 targets for 78 yards. However, he set the tone in taking the opening kickoff to the house in a 41-6 blowout of the 49ers in the divisional round. That began a triumphant Seattle playoff run which culminated in a 29-13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX.
Thanks to his blend of offensive and special teams skills, the 27-year-old Shaheed is on track to earn a significant raise in free agency next month. Kubiak is now gone, having taken the Raiders’ head coaching job, but Shaheed told NFL Network that he wants to “run it back” with the reigning champions (via Eric Edholm of NFL.com).
“Conversations are definitely going to be heating up towards March,” Shaheed said. “But you know, I would love to come back. I loved my experience here, I’m loving the Pacific Northwest, and obviously the organization is second to none.”
With a little under $62MM in salary cap space (via OverTheCap), the Seahawks have ample breathing room as free agency approaches. That could increase the odds of re-signing Shaheed, though general manager John Schneider also has decisions to make on several other important free agents-to-be.
Super Bowl MVP-winning running back Kenneth Walker III joins Shaheed as a high-profile offensive contributor without a contract. On the other side of the ball, key defensive backs Coby Bryant, Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen are all unsigned. The Seahawks are unlikely to retain all five of those players, which could lead to Shaheed exiting for a pay raise someplace else.
Raiders Add Travis Smith, Rick Dennison To Coaching Staff
FEBRUARY 19: The Raiders confirmed on Thursday that Dennison’s title will be offensive line coach, to little surprise.
FEBRUARY 16: 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 Franchise Officially For Sale
Ten days after they won their second Super Bowl championship, the Seahawks announced that they are up for sale.
“The Estate of Paul G. Allen today announced it has commenced a formal sale process for the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise, consistent with Allen’s directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all Estate proceeds to philanthropy,” the team stated. “The Estate has selected investment bank Allen & Company and law firm Latham & Watkins to lead the sale process, which is estimated to continue through the 2026 off-season. NFL owners must then ratify a final purchase agreement.”
The Seahawks have enjoyed stable ownership since Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, purchased the franchise for $200MM in 1997. Allen passed away in 2018, but the team has stayed in his family since then.
Jody Allen, Allen’s sister, has taken control over the past eight years. Rumors of a potential sale have persisted for a few years, most recently before the Super Bowl, making Wednesday’s announcement unsurprising.
Allen’s goal was for his sister to eventually sell the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and donate the proceeds to charity. Jody Allen sold the Blazers for approximately $4.2 billion last August. The wheels are now in motion to offload the Seahawks at a significantly higher price tag.
Josh Harris bought the Commanders for a record $6.05 billion in 2023, but the Seahawks figure to blow past that number. They could cost anywhere from $9 billion to $11 billion. Recent reports indicated Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post and founder of Amazon, is not expected to vie for the Seahawks. Regardless, with the NFL pushing for a Seahawks sale sooner than later, bidders will begin lining up in short order.
2026 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
We are now in Year 34 of the franchise tag, a retention tool that came about during the same offseason in which full-fledged free agency spawned. The NFL salary cap is rising at a rate allowing teams to hammer out more extensions than in previous periods. That has helped dilute free agency talent pools. This led to a 2025 landscape in which only two players — Tee Higgins and Trey Smith — received the franchise tag. The cap, which stood at $279.2MM in 2025, is expected to rise beyond $301MM this year.
This year’s free agent class looks to feature only one tag lock, but a handful of players make sense as candidates to be kept off the market. An antiquated NFL system regarding positional classifications also affects this year’s free agency crop, as a couple of high-end UFAs-to-be (Tyler Linderbaum, Devin Lloyd) would likely be kept off the market if the league modernized how it sorted positions with regards to tag prices.
Teams who use the franchise or transition tag have until July 15 to complete an extension; otherwise, negotiations cannot restart until after the 2026 season. The transition tag does not bring any compensation back for an unmatched offer sheet, but the two-first-rounder component associated with a franchise tag has not been especially relevant in ages. Although offer sheets have come out in previous eras (Sean Gilbert and Dan Wilkinson signed unmatched offers in the 1990s), clubs avoid these in fear of an unmatched proposal requiring two first-round picks to be sent to the tagging team.
The tag window opens at 3pm CT today. With clubs having until 3pm CT on March 3 to apply tags, here is who may be cuffed:
Likely tag recipients
George Pickens, WR (Cowboys)
Projected tag cost: $28.82MM
The Cowboys have regularly turned to the tag over the past decade. They cuffed DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018 and ’19 before locking down Dak Prescott in 2020 and ’21. The latter Prescott tag was procedural, as the quarterback used the threat of a lofty second tag number hitting Dallas’ cap sheet as leverage toward a player-friendly extension — one that laid the groundwork for his 2024 player-friendly extension. The Cowboys then kept Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard (’23) off the market. After two years without unholstering their tag, the Cowboys appear all set to prevent Pickens from reaching free agency.
Acquiring Pickens in a May 2025 trade with the Steelers — which featured a 2026 third-round pick as the top asset going back to Pittsburgh –Dallas reaped immediate benefits from that swap. Pickens, 24, smashed his career-high receiving mark with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That booked the former second-round pick his first Pro Bowl honor; more impressively, Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro. The mercurial ex-Steeler WR1 was more than 300 receiving yards clear of CeeDee Lamb for the Cowboys’ receiving lead; even though Lamb missed three games, Pickens’ per-game average (84.1) better Lamb’s (76.9).
A tag surfaced on the radar here in mid-November, and momentum has steadily built for Pickens to follow in Dez Bryant‘s footsteps as a Cowboy wideout being kept off the market. It will take a near-Saints-level odyssey for the Cowboys to create sufficient cap space for a Pickens tag and reasonable spending room; they are projected to be more than $30MM (per OverTheCap) north of the 2026 salary ceiling, but enough smoke has emerged here — after Pickens fit the tag profile upon arrival — to make it safe to expect this outcome.
The Steelers shipped out Pickens in part because of reliability concerns, but the 6-foot-3 playmaker outperformed — with a considerable QB upgrade in Prescott — his previous work. With Lamb tied to a $34MM-per-year deal and Prescott on an NFL-record $60MM-AAV extension, the Cowboys are far from certain to extend Pickens. A tag-and-trade play has surfaced as a possibility, but with negotiations not having begun as of early February, expect the Cowboys to use the tag to at least buy themselves more time on their ultra-talented WR2.
On tag radar:
Breece Hall, RB (Jets)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
The Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick for Hall at the deadline, but the Jets held onto their starting running back after having asked for at least a third-rounder. Hall denied a report he was seeking a New York exit — after the blockbuster deals involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — but he could have a chance to explore his value on the open market soon. The Jets, however, have spoken highly of the 1,000-yard rusher. The tag has surfaced as a possibility.
Hall, 24, is more than two years younger than Etienne. He will thus command more in free agency. The former second-round pick is also more than three years removed from the ACL tear that sidetracked his rookie season. The Jets waited on a Hall extension, keeping him on his rookie contract while giving Gardner and Garrett Wilson big-ticket deals, but Aaron Glenn has spoken highly of the Iowa State alum.
Gang Green wants to retain Hall. The easiest way for that to happen would be to extend his negotiating window via the tag. A $12MM-per-year offer could await the fifth-year player, making a tag logical. If the Jets were to place the transition tag on Hall, it would cost them a projected $11.73MM. They would receive no compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet, thus allowing another team to dictate the contract structure a la the Packers’ Kyle Fuller offer sheet in 2018.
The Jets saw Hall sidekick Braelon Allen miss much of the season, but the former Joe Douglas-era fourth-round pick remains signed through 2027. Allen gives the Jets some protection against a Hall exit, with a mid-round 2027 compensatory pick possible as well. But Hall is a dynamic RB that will be an attractive FA commodity if unattached come March 9. The Jets have a big decision to make over the next two weeks.
Trey Hendrickson, DE (Bengals)
Projected tag cost: $34.8MM
The defensive end tag is projected to come in at $27.32MM, but because Hendrickson was attached to a $29MM salary (following a late-summer raise), he is the rare tag candidate to whom the 120% rule would apply. As PFR’s glossary indicates, “the amount of the one-year offer is determined by a formula that includes the salary cap figures and the non-exclusive franchise salaries at the player’s position for the previous five years. Alternately, the amount of the one-year offer can be 120% of the player’s previous salary, if that amount is greater.” In Hendrickson’s case, it would be.
NFC Staff Updates: Vikings, Seahawks, Commanders, Falcons, Packers
The Vikings lost multiple position coaches this offseason, with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio taking the Steelers’ offensive coordinator job while offensive line coach Chris Kuper accepting the same position in Philadelphia. Last week, the team finalized their replacements for those coaches, per a team announcement.
Angelichio will be succeeded by Ryan Cordell, who spent the last four years as the Vikings’ game management coordinator/passing game specialist. He will continue in his new game management role as he transitions to his new job working with Minnesota’s tight ends. That group is currently led by T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver with second-year players Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims set to return in 2026.
To fill Kuper’s role, the Vikings promoted assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter, which in turn opened up his position. Longtime college coach Derek Warehime will fill that vacancy after three years at Coastal Carolina (OL coach/run game coordinator) and three at New Mexico (offensive coordinator/tight ends coach).
Here’s a look at other staff changes from around the NFC:
- Seahawks offensive line coach John Benton will be staying in Seattle in 2026, according to FOX13’s Curtis Crabtree. Benton interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator job after Klint Kubiak‘s departure, but was passed over in favor of Brian Fleury. Coaches in Benton’s position may sometimes search for greener pastures with a team that offers a better chance at a future OC gig, but it is hard to argue with his decision to remain with the Super Bowl champs.
- LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen was reportedly set to take a job on the Commanders’ defensive staff under new DC Daronte Jones, he has reversed course. Lane Kiffin and the Tigers convinced Olsen to stay in Baton Rouge, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
- Wisconsin wide receivers coach Jordan Reid is expected to take the Falcons’ assistant quarterback job, according to Zenitz. Reid previously served as the WRs coach at Western Michigan; before that, he had internships with the Panthers and the Vikings.
- The Packers are also drawing from the college ranks. Former Auburn general manager and LSU director of player personnel Will Redmond is set to join Green Bay’s front office in a personnel role (via Zenitz).
Seahawks Looking To Extend Jaxon Smith-Njigba
To the surprise of nobody, the Seahawks are hoping to sign Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the long haul. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is hoping to extend their star wideout this offseason.
[RELATED: Seahawks Unlikely To Tag Kenneth Walker]
We learned earlier today that the Seahawks weren’t expected to franchise tag running back Kenneth Walker. Part of the reason for that decision was the team’s desire to re-sign a number of their impending free agents, and Schefter also noted the organization’s intention to sign JSN to a long-term pact.
While the former first-round pick topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, he emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players in 2025. Smith-Njigba earned Offensive Player of the Year honors after hauling in 119 receptions for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He added another 17 catches for 199 yards and two scores in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl championship.
The Seahawks will surely pick up Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option this offseason, meaning the WR will be attached to his rookie contract for two more seasons. Still, the Seahawks may look to extend the star receiver before his demands hit record levels. A number of WRs reset the market last offseason, topped by Ja’Marr Chase‘s $40.25MM average annual value.
JSN could eventually top that number with continued league-leading production, and at the very least, he’ll make a push for a top-four spot at the position. Puka Nacua‘s extension talks with the Rams could also inform JSN’s earnings; Nacua is entering the final season of his contract and should also push for a position-leading deal.
At the very least, Smith-Njigba should command a contract that rivals Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM AAV or CeeDee Lamb‘s $34MM AAV. Considering JSN’s production in 2025, that could end up representing some significant savings for the Seahawks.
Seahawks Unlikely To Tag Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker is one of the top pending free agents at the running back position. A mutual interest exists in this case for a new Seahawks deal to be worked out, while the franchise tag looms as a stopgap option. 
The window for teams to apply franchise or transition tags opens today. The Seahawks could be a team to watch with respect to Walker on that front, but it appears as though nothing is imminent. Seattle is “unlikely” to use either tag on the Super Bowl MVP, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
[RELATED: Seahawks Among Potential Maxx Crosby Suitors?]
The franchise tag is projected to cost $14.53MM for running backs in 2026. That figure for transition tags is $11.73MM. Both one-year totals would be guaranteed in full in the event the tag were to be used and Walker were to play on the tender in 2026. Tagged players have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal, but the window for applying the tag will close one week before the start of the legal tampering period in March.
A report from last week indicated the Seahawks were likely to keep Walker in the fold for at least next season, either through the tag or a new contract. The running back market is currently topped by Saquon Barkley, and he is one of three backs with an average annual value of $15MM or more (a list which could grow if Bijan Robinson and/or Jahmyr Gibbs sign extensions this spring). Walker, 25, has shown an ability to operate as a lead back and thrived during the postseason; nevertheless, he does not have the resume of the league’s highest-paid players at the position.
That could land the former second-rounder in the group of backs attached to a deal averaging between $10MM and $14MM per year. Seattle also has Zach Charbonnet in place for 2026, but his status for the start of next year is uncertain as he recovers from an ACL tear. Walker will continue to be leaned on heavily in the event he finds himself in the Emerald City next season.
As Schefter notes, the Seahawks have a number of other priorities on the roster leading up to free agency. Retaining as many key members of their Super Bowl core, along with attempting to work out extensions with several ascending players, is a central goal at this point of the offseason. How that affects Walker will be interesting to monitor.
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.
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:
- John Benton, offensive line coach (Seahawks): Rumored candidate
- Mack Brown, tight ends coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 2/13
- Brian Fleury, tight end coach (49ers): Hired
- Hank Fraley, offensive line coach (Lions): Rumored candidate
- Andrew Janocko, quarterbacks coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 2/12
- Mike Kafka, former interim head coach (Giants): Rumored candidate
- Justin Outten, run-game specialist (Seahawks): Interviewed 2/13
- Jake Peetz, pass-game coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed 2/12
- Connor Senger, pass-game specialist (Cardinals): Interviewed