Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has interviewed for another job.
Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Seahawks recently spoke with Leftwich for their offensive coordinator vacancy.
Leftwich, 45, last coached for the Buccaneers in 2022. He had served as the team’s OC for four seasons under head coaches Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles.
The Bucs ranked No. 1, No. 2, No. 1, and No. 2 in passing yards through Leftwich’s four years as offensive coordinator with Jameis Winston and Tom Brady at quarterback.
Leftwich also interviewed for New England’s head coach vacancy before the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel to replace Jerod Mayo.
The Seahawks are getting closer to finding their next offensive coordinator.
Per a report from NFL Media, Seattle will have a second, in-person interview with Klint Kubiak on Friday.
Kubiak served as New Orleans’ offensive coordinator in 2024. But with the Saints undergoing a head coaching search, Kubiak has been allowed to seek other opportunities.
Kubiak, 37, was San Francisco’s passing game coordinator in 2023 and Denver’s passing game coordinator and QBs coach in 2022. He was with the Vikings as QBs coach from 2019-2020 and then as offensive coordinator in 2021.
The Browns also interviewed Kubiak for their offensive coordinator vacancy before promoting Tommy Rees to the position earlier this week.
The Cowboys have their first two interviews scheduled for their head coaching opening.
Former Jets coach Robert Saleh will talk to the Cowboys on Saturday with Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier following on Monday, Clarence Hill of the All City DLLS reports.
Both coaches are minorities, so the Cowboys’ first two in-person interviews will satisfy the Rooney Rule. That would allow them to announce a new head coach as soon as Tuesday.
Saleh also has interviews with the Jaguars and Raiders. The Cowboys are Frazier’s first request in this hiring cycle.
Both are former head coaches.
Saleh finished his Jets’ tenure with a 20-36 record, including 2-3 before he was let go during the 2024 season. Frazier was the head coach of the Vikings from 2011-13 after taking over as interim coach for the final six games of 2010. He went 21-32-1.
The Cowboys have requested an interview with Seahawks assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.
They have an interview scheduled with former Jets head coach Robert Saleh for later this week, per Archer.
If both interviews are in person, that would satisfy the Rooney Rule and allow the Cowboys to make a hire at any point thereafter.
Frazier was the head coach of the Vikings from 2011-13 after taking over as interim coach for the final six games of 2010. He went 21-32-1. This is his first interview request in this hiring cycle.
Frazier, who began his NFL coaching career in 1999, was the Bucs’ defensive coordinator (2014-15), the Ravens’ secondary coach (2016) and the Bills’ defensive coordinator (2017-22) after his stint with the Vikings. He was out of the league in 2023 before Mike Macdonald hired him in Seattle before this season.
Jerry Jones’ eight previous hires for the Cowboys have been either former head coaches and/or have a tie with Jones. Frazier and Saleh both have previous head coaching experience.
Last year’s Wild Card game between the Dolphins and Chiefs featured temperatures that were both bone-chilling and, for some, flesh-killing.
Some fans who attended the game developed frostbite. There were reports of amputations, although the specifics remain unclear.
A new article from ESPN.com looks back at the deep-freeze playoff game, and it adds something new. After the January 2016 open-air playoff game in Minnesota, the last played outdoors before the opening of the dome that replaced the Metrodome, Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor’s case of fingertip frostbite had amputation on the table.
“I had never had frostbite,” Chancellor recently told ESPN.com. “I was like, ‘Wait, are y’all going to cut my fingers off?’”
At the time, he posted photos of his fingers, with the skin peeling beneath the nail.
Although he wore gloves during the game, the damage occurred due to sweat that froze inside the gloves.
“You’re out there playing in that cold weather and you’re out there sweating,” Chancellor said. “And then once you take a timeout, you’re standing or sitting down, now all that sweat is on you and it’s cold as hell. So, sweat makes it worse.”
The potential for games played in ultra-cold conditions has increased, now that the season has expanded to 17 games. It will get worse if/when (when) another game is added to the regular season.
As noted by ESPN.com, the league monitors weather patterns, with two or three alternate stadiums reserved in the event a game must be moved. Given last year’s weather issues at Wild Card games involving the Dolphins and Chiefs (which was not moved or delayed) and the Steelers and Bills (which was delayed by a day), the league started planning for playoff weather contingencies earlier than usual.
When it comes to cold, the NFL has never had a temperature or wind-chill minimum. After what happened to Chancellor, it should have established one. After last year’s Dolphins-Chiefs game, it absolutely should.
While fans attend open-air games with full knowledge of the conditions, and assuming full risk of the potential consequences, a decision to play the game at the scheduled time and in the scheduled venue carries with it an implication that it’s safe for human beings to attend. Even if no one could ever credibly claim that the league has a legal obligation to reschedule or relocate a game, there’s a moral obligation.
If, after all, football is family, football should never put its family members in harm’s way.
