The Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday parted ways with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, citing “philosophical differences.”
“Brian Schottenheimer is a fantastic person and coach and we thank him for the last three years,” the team announced in a brief statement. “Citing philosophical differences, we have parted ways.”
Schottenheimer’s offense set a number of Seahawks records, but after a meeting last night, it was evident there were philosophical differences between Schottenheimer and head coach Pete Carroll, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. They decided a parting of ways was in the best interests of both sides.
The Seahawks led the NFL in points per game (34.3) through Week 9 of the 2020 regular season, but didn’t have the same potency afterward (23.1 PPG), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The Seahawks’ deep passing game was one of the reasons for the second-half decline in offense. Quarterback Russell Wilson completed at least one pass of 30 air yards in each of Seattle’s first eight games of the season; he had three such completions total in the final nine games of the season, including playoffs.
Schottenheimer’s departure comes three days after Seattle’s season ended in a 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card playoff game, and on the same day the Seahawks agreed to a contract extension with general manager John Schneider that will keep him tied to the franchise through the 2027 draft.
