ESPN's Adam Schefter dropped an intriguing nugget on "Sunday NFL Countdown," saying the Seattle Seahawks have interest in bringing back one of their former defensive coordinators, Gus Bradley.
It's not clear what a potential reunion would look like, under what circumstances it could it happen or even how realistic the possibility is.
There's a lot at play.
For starters, Bradley will be a hot commodity after coordinating a Chargers defense that allowed the third-fewest points in 2017.
Seattle's current defensive coordinator, Kris Richard, is still under contract. He reportedly interviewed for the Colts' head-coaching vacancy last week. Bradley would be an obvious candidate to take over should Richard land that job, which is the only one he's been linked to this offseason.
There's also the possibility that Seattle doesn't bring Richard back, though there's been no indication that's likely. The Seahawks' defense took a step back in 2017, Richard's third season in charge. Seattle finished 11th in yards and tied for 13th in points allowed, but losing Pro Bowlers Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril to injury certainly had something to do with that.
If Richard stays put, Seattle could, in theory, bring back Bradley in a defensive consultant role. But even if their coordinator position became open, the Seahawks would have plenty of competition for Bradley. He had several options last offseason after he was fired as the Jaguars' head coach and will again now that his one-year contract with the Chargers is up. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said at season's end that he'll try to keep Bradley in place.
It's easy to see why Pete Carroll and the Seahawks would be interested in prying him away.
A holdover from Jim L. Mora's 2009 staff, Bradley oversaw a complete defensive turnaround during his four seasons as Seattle's coordinator. The Seahawks had bottom-third defenses in yards and points allowed in 2009 (Mora's lone season) and 2010 (when Carroll took over). They were top-10 in both categories the next two seasons, including fourth in yards and No. 1 in scoring in 2012, the year before Bradley left to become Jacksonville's head coach.
His return is an intriguing possibility.