The San Francisco 49ers lost one of their assistant head coaches over the weekend as the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks opted to hire the Niners' now-former tight ends coach and run-game coordinator, Brian Fleury, to be their new offensive coordinator.
This was in response to the Hawks losing their previous coordinator, Klint Kubiak, who is off to take over the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coaching vacancy.
Kubiak, interestingly enough, also served on the Niners staff alongside Fleury back in 2023, and it wouldn't be a shock if Vegas' new head coach gave Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald a hat tip on Fleury to be a replacement.
At least that's what Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn suggested in a recent piece about the Seahawks' latest hire.
Additionally, Cohn pointed out how the Hawks' decision to go with Fleury might come back to haunt them, and San Francisco wouldn't mind whatsoever.
Seahawks take a substantial risk with Brian Fleury hire
Fleury hasn't called offensive plays before, making his new foray into the Pacific Northwest his first time doing so in Kubiak's departure.
Of course, last season, Fleury assumed run-game coordinator duties alongside being the 49ers' tight ends coach, yet one could argue the Niners' efforts on the ground weren't exactly stellar despite running back Christian McCaffrey boasting yet another All-Pro campaign.
This is where Cohn drew a parallel between the Hawks and the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost offensive coordinator Kellen Moore the offseason after winning their own Super Bowl and opted to replace him with one-and-done coordinator Kevin Patullo -- a decision that haunted Philly to the max over the course of 2025.
It'd be one thing if Seattle was in a rebuild phase with time on its hands for Fleury to get acclimated.
But, already boasting an elite defense and with full plans to repeat, the former San Francisco assistant will be under massive pressure to deliver right away.
And that might be a tall order, especially considering how coveted a job it might have been for other coordinators with play-calling experience.
The Seahawks are ultimately taking a big risk here, and the 49ers wouldn't mind if it doesn't go well.