The Seattle Seahawks shocked the football world on Wednesday when they announced that head coach Pete Carroll was transitioning to an advisor role within the franchise. That means the Seahawks are looking for a new head coach for the first time since 2010.

As soon as the news dropped names were beginning to fly around in the media. One coach firmly in the mix, per Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, is former Seahawks defensive coordinator and current Dallas Cowboys DC Dan Quinn. He is being strongly considered for the role and has head coaching experience from his time with the Atlanta Falcons.

A lot of Seahawks fans and football followers alike were shocked by Carroll's dismissal, especially after the 72-year-old expressed his desire to keep coaching. Seattle decided to go in a different direction after 15 seasons, though the franchise will still have Carroll weigh in on certain decisions.

Quinn seems like a good fit for Seattle when you look at his resume. He spent four seasons as an assistant with the Seahawks, including in 2013 and 2014 when Seattle reached consecutive Super Bowls and was victorious in one of them. The Seahawks had the top-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed and points allowed in both of those seasons.

Looking for experience

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn with flames around him.

Quinn also brings a history of head coaching to the table if the Seahawks are looking for a veteran NFL coach. He enjoyed a mostly successful tenure with the Falcons from 2015-2020, finishing with a 43-42 record.

The Falcons reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons under Quinn in 2016 and 2017, winning the division in the first year. Quinn's tenure is perhaps best known for the epic 28-3 collapse that was orchestrated against the Falcons in Super Bowl 51.

Taking another head coaching gig would allow Quinn to get rid of that label and create a new top memory for his coaching career. Several teams have been interested in him over the last couple of seasons as he's turned the Cowboys defense into one of the best in the league.

Dallas ranks fifth in total defense and scoring defense while Seattle had one of the worst ranked defensive units in football this season. Hiring Dan Quinn could fix that, though the Cowboys may not hand him over willingly. Seattle might have to cough up a few extra dollars and if they truly think Quinn is the answer, they shouldn’t have a problem doing that.