The Seattle Seahawks secured a win in Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots, but as everyone knows, coaches and players will get plucked away from this team.
While free agency is set to start next month, the Seahawks have already lost multiple coaches, the biggest being offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak leaving to become the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach. That opened a big void for Seattle to fill, and the replacement wasn't inspiring, which is great news for a Lions team looking to kick them off the throne.
It was reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that Seattle was hiring Brian Fleury as its new offensive coordinator. But considering he's going to replace Kubiak, this was an underwhelming hire for the Seahawks.
Seahawks Naming Brian Fleury as New OC Is Good News for Lions
Fleury has been with the 49ers since 2019, holding titles such as tight ends coach, run game coordinator, and offensive quality control coach. Most recently, he held the title of tight ends coach, but outside of George Kittle, the 49ers haven't developed another at the position. And Kittle was already a stud when Fleury took over. Names like Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis, Charlie Woerner, and Ross Dwelley had been in San Francisco over the past few years, failing to accomplish much.
The biggest question mark about this hire is that Fleury was never an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Although he was able to learn from one of the best offensive minds in the league, with Kyle Shanahan running the ship, being the one in charge is a different beast.
Of course, the Seahawks have pieces in place like Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but they could lose both Kenneth Walker and Rashid Shaheed in free agency. In addition, the Seahawks had a ton of success offensively en route to winning the championship.
Seattle finished the regular season eighth in total offense (351.4) and passing offense (228.1). They were also tied for 10th in rushing offense (123.3) and third in scoring offense (28.4). The Seahawks found ways to stay balanced on offense, and an underrated factor to consider is that Kubiak and company managed to overcome Sam Darnold's NFL-high 20 turnovers.
Asking that from a first-time play caller is a tall task and should lead to some rough patches. Even though the Lions don't play Seattle during the regular season, they are the defending champs, and everyone is seeking to take them down.
Gaining any advantage could go a long way in 2026, especially if these clubs match up in the postseason. Other teams will look to snag players from this roster next month when free agency opens up, but Seattle naming Fleury as their new OC could help the Lions get closer to taking down the Seahawks in 2026.