RENTON, Wash. (AP) 鈥� Brian Fleury was quick to admit Thursday he wasn鈥檛 a very good college quarterback.
Long before Fleury was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, he was a walk-on quarterback for Maryland, and then played four years at Towson. But with two seasons of college eligibility remaining, Fleury was injured while competing for Towson鈥檚 starting job, and was asked to help coach the next quarterback in line as he recovered.
鈥淚 never really got a chance to compete for it again,鈥� Fleury said. 鈥淚mmediately, I was asked to go out there and coach him, stand in the huddle with him and mentor him.”
While Fleury鈥檚 stepfather was a longtime high school football coach, that experience is what pushed him into coaching.
Since 2003, Fleury has coached in some capacity, and began his trek as a longtime NFL assistant in 2013.
Despite his quarterback background, Fleury has never called plays on offense at any level. He will take over those responsibilities held by former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who left to be the .
Fleury mentioned NFL head coaches such as DeMeco Ryans, Robert Saleh, Jeff Hafley as mentors who have helped prepare him for this opportunity.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald isn鈥檛 worried that Fleury, who has called plays on defense at the collegiate level, hasn鈥檛 done so in the NFL.
鈥淚 do think it鈥檚 a bit overrated,鈥� Macdonald said. 鈥淎ll play callers have to be first-time play callers at some point.鈥�
What stood out most to Macdonald in the hiring process was Fleury鈥檚 vision for the roster. Getting the approval from veteran tight end Eric Saubert, who played under Fleury when he was a tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers, didn鈥檛 hurt either.
What Fleury hopes to do is keep Seattle鈥檚 offense 鈥渧ery similar鈥� to the one that just won the Super Bowl. He鈥檒l have plenty of key contributors from that unit returning, too, including quarterback Sam Darnold 鈥� who overlapped with Fleury for a season in San Francisco 鈥� and the in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
鈥淭here is a lot of talent,鈥� Fleury said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not many things to fix, quite honestly. They already play a way that is visible on the silent tape. You can see the culture on the film, so I鈥檓 excited to work with that and continue to build it.鈥�
Fleury stressed that he would also love to work with offensive standouts wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed and running back Kenneth Walker III, who are set to be unrestricted free agents in March. There are plenty of logistics for Fleury and Seattle to sort out, too, going into next season.
Looking ahead to the preseason, Fleury wants to experiment with calling plays both on the field and in the press box, though it would be his preference to call plays from the field. It is also unclear yet who will be Seattle鈥檚 quarterback coach, since .
And the Seahawks by the time they next host a game at Lumen Field.
What has been sorted out, though, is that former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr will take over as Seattle鈥檚 inside linebackers coach.
Macdonald and Orr have known each another since 2014, and when the former was coaching for Baltimore and the latter a linebacker for the Ravens.
Fleury is eager to get started as a first-year NFL offensive coordinator. He鈥檚 already studying how Kubiak ran Seattle鈥檚 offense last season, and hopes to supplement that plan with what he learned under San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Macdonald, meanwhile, is just a week removed from shaking confetti off his shoulders after the Seahawks鈥� championship parade, and already seeking out ways to make that a reality in the Emerald City again next season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 humbling to be back at your desk the day after the parade, working on our team,鈥� Macdonald said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where we鈥檙e at right now. It鈥檚 been a great process and at some point there鈥檒l be a time to get away, but that time is not now.鈥�
___
AP NFL:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
