INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Las Vegas Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham became an appealing head-coaching option for some teams this offseason after his unit finished the 2023 season as one of the best defenses in the league.
The Seattle Seahawks were one of those teams that interviewed Graham, as the team was in need of replacing its longtime head coach, Pete Carroll.
"His enthusiasm, his intelligence, he had a lot of energy, he had a lot of presence," said Seahawks General Manager John Schneider when he addressed the media at the 2024 NFL Combine on Tuesday. "When he came through the building, everybody felt him in the building. It was really important for us to bring the candidates in and have them experience what we viewed as -- and this is not an arrogant thing -- but it's just kind of like the fire power that we have in the building, and whether that's sports science, our analytics group, equipment, player personnel, obviously PR. But no, he came through spent a ton of time with everybody, and we really enjoyed their visit.
"So, yeah, he's got a bright, bright future. I look forward to trying to hook up with him down here and get caught up."
Graham, obviously, is staying on as the Raiders' defensive coordinator, a role he will hold with the team for a third consecutive season. He had stints as a defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. The closest he has been to a head coaching role was during his two years with the Giants when he also served as the team's assistant head coach.
Seattle hired former Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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