Gray Zabel is doing everything to keep Clint Kubiak in Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks‘ biggest postseason challenge may not be written on a whiteboard. Instead, it could battle it out on the NFL interview circuit. With the Seahawks sitting as the NFC’s No. 1 seed and preparing for a Divisional Round showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, offensive coordinator The rise of Clint Kubiak as a coach it became an unpleasant subplot. In the midst of that, Seattle guard Gray Zabel said something very clear. In a half-joking but completely serious way, he said he wanted the operation to remain intact.
When asked about Kubiak getting the head coach’s interest, Zabel first turned to humor: “Clint is the worst coach ever. Don’t hire him.”
Then he turned to what’s important, calling Kubiak an “amazing leader” and touting a football IQ that’s “through the roof.”
It was the kind of support that sounds more like a locker room plea than a soundbite.
In his first season as offensive coordinator, Kubiak orchestrated one of the most effective offenses in the NFL. Seattle was third in scoring and eighth in total offense. They succeeded thanks to a balanced zoning scheme and disruptive concepts of play and action. Kubiak’s ability to maximize personnel, especially QB Sam Darnold and VR Jakon Smith-Njigba, made him a top head coaching target. Whether Seattle can keep him could define the continuity of the Seahawks in 2026.
That’s the tension for candidates: success turns employees into targets. For a team with championship expectations, continuity is not a luxury but oxygen.
Seattle still has a season to hunt, and the 49ers are next. These quotes from Zabel, however, underscore a truth every No. 1 seed knows: The playoffs don’t wait, and neither do the Poachers.
2026-01-14 02:27:00
