Brian Schottenheimer, the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator since 2018, was fired by the team Tuesday night. The action comes three days after Seattle's wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Schottenheimer had served as Seattle's offensive coordinator since 2018. And while the Seahawks' offense enjoyed considerable success during that span, the unit appeared to hit a wall during the second half of the 2020 season. Seattle failed to reach 300 total yards in their final three games of the season and gained just 278 total yards in Saturday's 30-20 loss to Los Angeles.
"Brian Schottenheimer is a fantastic person and coach and we thank him for the last three years," the Seahawks said in a statement. "Citing philosophical differences, we have parted ways."
While two of his best statistical seasons came under Schottenheimer, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to regress during the final 12 games of the 2020 season, including the team's wild-card defeat. In Seattle's first five games, Wilson averaged 300 passing yards per game while completing 72.8% of his passes. He also threw 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions while leading Seattle to a 5-0 start.
Over the last 12 games, Wilson averaged just 240 passing yards per game while completing 65.4% of his throws. He threw 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and Seattle posted a 7-5 record.
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The announcement of Schottenheimer's departure came just hours after the Seahawks announced an extension with general manager John Schneider through the 2027 draft. Schneider's primary focus will now be on finding his next offensive coordinator.
The 47-year-old Schottenheimer has spent 12 seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator. He spent his first six seasons on the job in New York, helping the Jets reach consecutive AFC title games in 2009 and in 2010. He served as the St. Louis Rams' offensive coordinator from 2012-2014 before spending one season as Georgia's offensive coordinator. He returned to the NFL as the Indianapolis Colts' quarterbacks coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
