Seahawks hire two assistant coaches from New Orleans

The Seahawks continued to fill out their offensive coaching staff Monday under new coordinator Klint Kubiak by hiring two coaches he knows well — quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and offensive line coach John Benton.

All three were members of the New Orleans Saints’ coaching staff in 2024.

The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen at midseason and are widely expected to replace him with former Prosser High and Boise State star and current Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore following the Super Bowl.

Janocko will fill a vacancy created when Charles London left for a similar role with the New York Jets.

Benton replaces Scott Huff, who a source confirmed is moving on from the Seahawks after spending one year with the team. A source confirmed both hires, which were initially reported by NFL Media.

Huff came to the Seahawks along with Ryan Grubb, who was fired as offensive coordinator following the season. Huff worked at UW since 2017 before coming to the Seahawks a year ago.

Grubb was announced as Alabama’s new offensive coordinator Sunday. It was not immediately known Monday if Huff will go to Alabama and reunite with Kalen DeBoer, but it might be an option.

Janocko, 36, was the QB coach for the Vikings in 2021 when Kubiak was the offensive coordinator there and on the staff in Minnesota along with Kubiak in 2019-20 as assistant offensive line coach and receivers coach.

Benton, 61, worked alongside Kubiak last season with the Saints. He was the offensive line coach for the Houston Texans from 2006-13 under Kubiak’s father, Gary. That was his longest stint with one team during a career in which he has been with seven NFL teams since 2003.

Most notable among his other jobs is working as offensive line coach with the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan from 2017-20. The 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl following the 2019 season.

He left San Francisco following the 2020 season to take the title of run game coordinator with the New York Jets in 2021-22 under Robert Saleh, who was an assistant with the 49ers.

Benton was not retained following the 2022 season and did not coach in 2023 before being hired by the Saints last year.

As the Seahawks’ new O-line coach, Benton takes over what has annually been one of the most scrutinized position groups on the roster.

The Seahawks’ offensive line was graded 31st out of 32 teams this season by Pro Football Focus, and they could consider personnel changes, notably with their two guard spots and center.

He’ll be entrusted with improving the Seahawks’ run blocking after a season in which they ranked 28th in rushing yards per game at 95.7.

Under Benton’s tutelage of the offensive line, the 49ers ranked second in the NFL in rushing attempts and yards in 2019 and first in rushing touchdowns.

During his four seasons, the 49ers had the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL and finished in the top 10 each of the last three seasons.

The Saints ranked 15th in rushing yards per game in 2024 at 114.9 and 14th in yards per attempt at 4.4. despite battling a slew of offensive injuries. Those injuries were a key part of the Saints losing seven in a row following a 2-0 start, a skid that compelled them to fire Allen.

In an interview with New Orleans media in May, 2024, Benton said his general philosophy favors athleticism.

“What we do is run off the ball,” Benton said. “We try and beat defenders to spots on the field and stop pursuits. So we do a lot of things that are on the more athletic side of things (rather) than just finding out if we are bigger and tougher, so to speak.”

Benton said he views the left and right tackle spots as equally valuable.

“I really am of the belief there’s not that much difference between right and left tackle,” Benton said last spring, describing his scheme as “very ambidextrous” in terms of the running game.

“We’re going to go both directions and be athletic, so the characteristics we need for both tackles are essentially the same,” he said.

That philosophy could influence how the Seahawks approach the future of their offensive tackle position. Left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abe Lucas are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.

Because Cross was a first-round pick in 2022, the Seahawks could exercise a fifth-year option on his contract for the 2026 season to keep him for another year.

That option would give Cross a fully-guaranteed salary of $18.427 million, according to OvertheCap.com, all of which would also go on the salary cap that season.

The Seahawks have major questions at their guard and center positions. Veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson is a free agent while neither second-year player Anthony Bradford nor rookies Christian Haynes or Sataoa Laumea solidified right guard. Olu Oluwatimi started the final eight games at center after the sudden retirement of Connor Williams, but the Seahawks could look to bring in competition.

The additions weren’t a surprise as head coach Mike Macdonald said last month the new OC would be given some leeway to fill out the staff as he wished.

It’s unclear if there will be more changes.

One spot that doesn’t appear to be changing is receivers coach as ESPN reported that Frisman Jackson will stay in that role.

Seahawks sign lineman to futures deal

The Seahawks signed guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu to a futures deal, the team announced Monday. He was a three-year starter at Oregon before going in the sixth round by the Ravens in 2023 at No. 199 overall when Macdonald was the team’s defensive coordinator.

After playing mostly tackle at Oregon he played mostly guard with the Ravens — he was listed as a backup at left guard in 2024

He did not play as a rookie in 2023 when he was inactive for every game.

He was waived by the Ravens in October but re-signed to the practice squad, appearing in two games, with no offensive snaps but seven on special teams.