Agent: Tom Cable will remain Seahawks’ O-line coach--as 49ers reportedly eye Shanahan instead
Pete Carroll values continuity on his staff. He’s getting it for his needy offensive line.
Veteran Tom Cable will remain Carroll’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach, Cable’s agent said Tuesday. On Sunday, Cable interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers for their vacant head-coaching job.
Just spoke with my client Tom Cable and he is reaffirming his commitment to the Seahawks. He wishes to thank the 49ers for the consideration
— Doug Hendrickson (@DHendrickson41) January 17, 2017
Hendrickson appears to be getting out ahead of the news ESPN is reporting that the 49ers are planning to offer their job to Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. They cannot formally or by league rules do that until after the Falcons’ postseason is over.
Atlanta, which beat Seattle 36-20 in the divisional round last weekend, hosts Green Bay on Sunday in the NFC championship game.
Cable has been Carroll’s assistant head coach and line coach since 2011.
Cable’s return to Seattle comes with Trent Kirchner withdrawing from consideration to become the 49ers’ new general manager, according to Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo.
Seahawks' Trent Kirchner, a candidate for the 49ers' GM opening, will be staying in Seattle, source said. Has withdrawn from SF search.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 17, 2017
Kirchner is a top personnel man for Seahawks general manager John Schneider. His Seahawks co-director of player personnel, Scott Fitterer, also interviewed to become the 49ers’ new GM.
Now San Francisco apparently will align its new GM with Shanahan, rather than Kirchner or Fitterer with Cable.
Carroll acknowledged on Monday the need for the Seahawks’ young, inexpensive and inconsistent offensive line to improve over the offseason into the 2017 season. He said the team would look at the draft and free agency to add to the line that had first-time starters at essentially four of the five spots this season, but he did not guarantee any additions to the line.
“Yeah, I think we made a ton of progress, and knowing how much guys improve from one year to the next — and particularly the youngest guys improve the most — we have nothing but good things to think that will take place and the guys are going to get better,” Carroll said. “We are going to work really hard this offseason to make sure that we make that spot really competitive again. We’re not going to rest on anything or sit back saying, ‘We think we’ve got it now.’ We’ll continue to work.
“There’s opportunities, of course, in the draft and free agency and all of that, that we’re open to. We’ll never turn away from any of those chances. But if nothing happened these guys are coming back, and they’re going to get after it. They’re going to be farther along than they were. It couldn’t be more obivious. That’s just a natural thing that’s going to happen. We need that natural occurrence to take place and help us be better from the start.”
Either way, the 52-year-old Cable will remain the line’s chief evaluator, orchestrator and teacher.
Cable was the Oakland Raiders’ head coach from 2008-10. He had a record of 17-27 leading Oakland.
This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Agent: Tom Cable will remain Seahawks’ O-line coach--as 49ers reportedly eye Shanahan instead."