The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl playing high-level football on both sides of the ball. Sustaining that standard, however, requires difficult decisions — and few are more important than replacing Klint Kubiak at offensive coordinator.
In this piece, we’ll lay out both sides of the argument: why there are reasons to believe in Brian Fleury — and why skepticism is fair.
The context behind the hire
It was not an ideal hiring cycle for teams in search of an experienced play-caller. The “good problem” of advancing to the Super
Bowl limited Seattle’s window to pursue some of the top names on the market. Coaches such as Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel, and even Arthur Smith — who had previously been linked to Seattle before the Ryan Grubb hire — were effectively out of reach.
As a result, the Seahawks were always likely to turn to a candidate without established play-calling experience in their search for a new offensive coordinator.
The case against Brian Fleury
The most obvious concern is Fleury’s lack of proven experience as a primary play-caller. While head coach Mike Macdonald said during Fleury’s introductory press conference that play-calling can be “overrated,” that statement deserves scrutiny.
Sequencing plays, making real-time adjustments, managing tempo, and handling high-leverage moments are skills typically refined through repetition. Seattle has already dealt with recent offensive inconsistency under both Ryan Grubb and Shane Waldron. Waldron, in particular, is a cautionary tale: a respected offensive mind whose results as a coordinator didn’t match expectations — especially when compared to his work in a more specialized role such as Passing Game Coordinator.
Another concern is production. Fleury carried the title of Run Game Coordinator last season in San Francisco. Here are the 49ers’ yards per carry and rushing touchdowns in recent years:
- 2025: 3.8 YPC, 15 TDs
- 2024: 4.7 YPC, 17 TDs
- 2023: 4.8 YPC, 27 TDs
- 2022: 4.7 YPC, 20 TDs
- 2021: 4.3 YPC, 22 TDs
- 2020: 4.3 YPC, 19 TDs
- 2019: 4.6 YPC, 23 TDs
- 2018: 4.5 YPC, 7 TDs
- 2017: 4.1 YPC, 15 TDs
According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Fleury had involvement in the run game even before officially receiving the RGC title, though details about the extent of that role remain unclear.
As tight ends coach, Fleury worked with George Kittle, but the job was more about sustaining elite production than developing raw talent. Outside of Kittle, the results were modest. A third-round investment in Cameron Latu did not yield significant returns, and Luke Farrell never became a meaningful offensive factor. Perhaps the only spark was Jake Tonges, who emerged from obscurity to score five touchdowns last season.
The case for Brian Fleury
The strongest argument in favor of Fleury is continuity.
In theory, his hire preserves the offensive identity rooted in the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, as installed by Klint Kubiak. The wide-zone foundation, heavy under-center play-action, pre-snap motion, and multi-tight end usage demand timing, cohesion, and repetition. Changing systems now would risk stalling offensive momentum.
Fleury’s background coaching tight ends is especially relevant in this structure. The position is central to the Shanahan-style system, and his involvement in both the run and pass games suggests a more holistic view of offensive design.
The use of 12 personnel (one RB, two TEs) is structural. It balances the run and pass, forces defenses into base packages, and opens intermediate windows off play-action. For a roster still seeking consistency in pass protection, this approach can help mask offensive line deficiencies. Fleury will also have the opportunity to work with the upside of Elijah Arroyo, a player who could thrive in this framework.
Another intriguing element is Fleury’s defensive background. He previously coached linebackers and edge defenders and served in quality control roles. That perspective may enhance his ability to anticipate defensive adjustments and counter accordingly.
He is widely regarded as an intelligent coach. Earlier in his career, he worked in research roles with the Miami Dolphins (2016–2018), adding an analytical layer to his profile. Two years ago, longtime NFL columnist Peter King highlighted Fleury as a rising name to watch:
“Brian Fleury, 43, tight ends coach, San Francisco. Unknown outside the Niners, valued highly inside the building as the run-game authority trusted by Kyle Shanahan. You get points with Shanahan for knowing the complete game, and Fleury has been a linebackers coach, director of football research, quality control coach and assistant position coach in his NFL years. Shanahan will not want to lose him.”
King’s list also included other notable offensive minds such as Jake Peetz, Klint Kubiak, Justin Outten, and Charles London, the latter previously serving as Seahawks quarterbacks coach before Andrew Janocko.
Final thoughts
The concern about inexperience is real. Recent examples like Waldron and Grubb illustrate how difficult the jump to offensive coordinator can be.
From a stability standpoint, retaining someone already familiar with the system and players, such as Justin Outten, Andrew Janocko, or Jake Peetz, might have felt safer. Two of those options even brought prior OC experience to the table.
Macdonald needs a “head coach” of the offense. Can Fleury become that figure?
It’s clear he won the job in the interview room. Watching Macdonald speak about him, the alignment in philosophy stands out. Fleury gave the answers Macdonald and John Schneider wanted to hear. That alignment matters.
Ultimately, though, the inexperience question would have followed nearly any candidate in this cycle. The future remains uncertain. Seahawks fans can only hope that Schneider and Macdonald made the right call, just as they did last season.
