NFL Rumors: Leslie Frazier Hired as Seahawks' Assistant HC Under Mike Macdonald

The Seattle Seahawks have hired Leslie Frazier as their assistant head coach, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

A veteran coach, Frazier served as the Buffalo Bills' defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022 before stepping away to take a year off in 2023. Now, he's back in the coaching world under Mike Macdonald.

Macdonald, the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, was named the Seahawks' head coach on Wednesday. According to Pelissero, Frazier has been a long-time mentor for Macdonald, and now the two will team up in Seattle.

Since his coaching career began in 1988 in the college ranks, Frazier has held several different defensive coaching positions around the NFL and was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for three seasons from 2011 to 2013. During his time in Minnesota, he reached the playoffs just once and had a losing record twice.

While his tenure as a head coach wasn't very successful, Frazier established himself as a top defensive coordinator with the Bills. While he was the defensive coordinator, Buffalo had several years where its defense ranked top five in the NFL and the Bills allowed just 315 total yards per game from 2017 to 2022, which was the best number in the NFL during that timeframe.

Now back with an NFL team, Frazier is looking to replicate his success at Buffalo with the Seahawks.

Macdonald and his staff have big shoes to fill, taking over for Pete Carroll, who was with Seattle for 14 seasons. In the later years of Carroll's tenure, the Seahawks didn't see much success, losing in the wild-card round or not making the playoffs at all in his final four seasons.

Macdonald, Frazier and the rest of the Seahawks staff will be looking to guide them to their first Super Bowl in a decade next year.