Brian Fleury’s, Mike Macdonald’s theme for new Seahawks OC: Continuity in style
Brian Fleury knew the question was coming.
It’s the one everyone has about the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator. Everyone, that is, except the man who hired him.
What about the 47-year-old Fleury, a former college quarterback at Towson and defensive linebackers coach in the NFL, arriving from being “only” a position coach for San Francisco the last seven years, with the added role of 49ers run-game coordinator this past season? What about him taking over the offense the just won the Super Bowl — while having zero offensive play-calling experience?
“I do think it’s a bit overrated. At some point, all play-callers have to be first-time play-callers,” said Mike Macdonald, that man who chose Fleury over four internal candidates plus Arizona Cardinals assistant Connor Senger to be Seattle’s offensive coordinator. Macdonald introduced Fleury as the Seahawks’ fourth offensive coordinator in four years Thursday, at Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.
Fleury replaces Klint Kubiak. Kubiak left this month after one, Super Bowl-champion season calling Seattle’s plays to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Look, you are going to have to grow in any new role,” Macdonald said.
He would know.
The Seahawks hired Macdonald two years ago to be a head coach for the first time, at any level of football. They made him the NFL’s youngest head coach, at age 36, in February 2024.
That’s worked out all right for Macdonald, and for Seattle. In just two seasons he joined the legend he replaced, Pete Carroll, as the only coaches in the Seahawks’ 50-year history to win the Super Bowl.
“We have a lot of great people around here, and a lot of great opportunities for (Fleury) to get ready to go,” Macdonald said. “I’m really confident he’s going to be off and running sooner than later.
“I’m excited about it. It’s going to be a fun process to build this thing.”
Brian Fleury’s offense
Given he hasn’t called his own plays, there is a second, obvious question about Fleury taking over as the orchestrator for Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold, NFL offensive player of the year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks offense that this past season set a franchise record for points.
What does a Brian Fleury offense look like?
“It looks very similar to the one that just won the Super Bowl,” Fleury said.
Months before his first Seahawks practice their new OC was, as many of his new, 20-something players on the league’s third-youngest team say, dropping bars.
Then Fleury echoed what his new boss was saying throughout the Seahawks winning 17 of 20 games and the Super Bowl from September through 11 days ago.
“It’s more about how you play than what you are actually doing schematically,” Fleury said.
“We’re going to be fast and violent and aggressive in every way that we possibly can. Put pressure on defenses.”
And: Run the ball.
Fleury and Kubiak were on the 49ers offensive staff in 2023, a team that made the Super Bowl. Kubiak was San Francisco’s passing game coordinator and Fleury was in his second of three seasons as Niners tight ends coach.
Yet Fleury made it clear the offense he’s going to run with the Seahawks isn’t patterned after Kubiak’s.
It’s from the Shanahan system.
Kyle Shanahan hired Fleury from the Cleveland Browns in 2019. That was to be a 49ers defensive quality-control coach. Fleury had been a linebackers coach for the Browns for two seasons, and a quality control coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2013 That was Fleury’s first NFL job. He was a college defensive coordinator at Sacred Heart (2006-08) and special-teams coordinator at Towson (2009-12). He played quarterback at Towson (1999-2002).
Shanahan runs his dad Mike’s outside-zone running scheme his father won two Super Bowls with on the 1990s Denver Broncos. It’s what Macdonald hired Kubiak to bring to the Seahawks 12 months ago. It’s what John Benton, the offensive-line coach who transformed Seattle’s blocking and thus the team, has been coaching in the NFL for 23 years.
Benton, the team’s most vital position coach to keep what the Seahawks did on offense in 2025 going in 2026, also coached on that 49ers staff under Shanahan. Benton is returning for 2026 to be for Fleury what he was for Kubiak and the Seahawks this past season: The clear, ultra-effective teacher of what Seattle’s OC calls.
“I’m a Seahawk, dammit,” Benton told The News Tribune in San Jose, California, a few days before the Super Bowl this month.
Fleury said of Kubiak and himself: “I would say both of us were more influenced by Kyle that anything else.”
He could have been speaking of Benton, too.
Continuity on Seahawks’ offense
Indeed, continuity through the Shanahan offense remaining in Seattle’s plans for 2026 and beyond was the word of Fleury’s introduction Thursday.
“I think his vision for what he believes in offensively and with a football team was aligned with how we wanted to (be),” Macdonald said. “(He) just hit the principles and philosophy and how he goes about his business, and how he coaches and what he wants from our offense.
“He took it straight out of our culture graphics.
“So, a lot of alignment, and it gave us an opportunity to have great continuity — and keep some great coaches, as well. And let us take our offense to the next level.
“The continuity is really important.”
Macdonald said Fleury has “the chasing edges-type mentality” the head coach preaches to his players, assistants and staffers every day inside Seahawks headquarters.
“Just how we want to run off the football,” Macdonald said.
The Seahawks have two key, pending free agents with expired contracts on offense. That’s Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker plus Pro Bowl kick returner and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. They are deciding between now and the market opening March 11 whether to sign back with the Seahawks or with another team in free agency.
What would the team’s new play caller tell Walker and Shaheed about what Seattle’s offense will be for them in 2026?
“I think they’re gonna be very happy with the continuity that would exist here,” Fleury said.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Brian Fleury’s, Mike Macdonald’s theme for new Seahawks OC: Continuity in style."
