THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks seek Pete, just a younger version

Jody Allen has chosen the Seahawks’ next coach.

She just doesn’t know the name.

But general manager John Schneider, who has new authority despite the same title, understands Allen’s intention.

Precisely.

When Schneider ultimately takes his choice for a new head coach to the boss, her answer will be yes.

Why are we so certain?

Well, because Schneider already knows the owner’s target.

She made it clear last week in her statement about changing the coach.

The Seahawks, Allen said, need to maintain the club’s “progressive culture.”

In other words, she was telling Schneider to hire Pete Carroll.

Except.

Jody is shopping for a version 20 or 30 years younger than the Hall of Famer she just fired.

Think about it.

Carroll is perfect for the goals of the organization; for the “eternal youth” vibe of Seattle itself; plus, he can make and keep rock-solid relationships in a league where loyalty is elusive.

Pete is also a hell of a coach, as his resume of 10 playoff appearances in 14 seasons — plus two Super Bowls and a Lombardi trophy — proves without debate.

So, why can’t Carroll coach this exciting young Seahawks team going forward?

Why?

He’s too old.

NO, JODY can’t say that.

Snatching away someone’s job because of their age brings an army of governmental agencies into your lap. 

That’s nightmare enough if you own a company in the mountains that repairs snow blowers.

But if your business involves running an NFL football team (along with an NBA franchise down in Portland, with a few extra trillion floating around in a trusteeship), you absolutely, positively want to play by the rules.

Oh, sure, Bill Belichick might escape with some deflated footballs, but letting someone’s age or race get involved with their job status, and you’ve got trouble.

Speaking of Belichick, he’s one of the biggest names in that platoon of potential head coaches in the current job line.

Crazy, right?

Depending on what Jerry Jones decides in Dallas, and Nick Siriani’s fate in Philly, there could be (or were) 10 openings prior to the 2024 season.

We can now scratch off New England, where Robert Kraft just hired Jerod Mayo — but nonetheless, almost a third of NFL franchises might have been operating without head coaches for a while.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Albert Breer, respected reporter with the Monday Morning Quarterback.

“Look at the franchises that have had ongoing success over the past few years, places that just don’t have disastrous seasons — Seattle, Pittsburgh, New England when Bill and (Tom) Brady were together, Kansas City, John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

“Those are teams that have organizational structures in place, and you don’t have GMs, coaches and quarterbacks coming in and out every year.

“That’s what makes this situation unique in Seattle, because Pete (Carroll) has a culture in place. 

“It’s one of the places where you aren’t changing philosophies every season, but Jody Allen has decided to get a new coach.

“She wants to do it while keeping John (Schneider) and the whole staff together, and avoid upsetting the place. “It will be fascinating to see who winds up there, and how it works.”

INDEED.

Those very questions have Seahawks fans — and even the rest of the league — truly puzzled.

Carroll and Seattle have been linked in the NFL for almost a decade and a half, and even more remarkably, Schneider has been part of that happy environment each season along the way.

Is it a surprise that these two men think alike, and have succeeded because ownership has listened and ultimately trusted them?

No.

In this sort of situation, though, how do you replace Carroll simply because he’s 72, and the owner wants a new trail boss on the sideline?

This is a business decision.

Jody needs to feel certain her franchise is still crackling with electricity for another decade or two.

She has handed Schneider the challenge of finding a successor who has plenty of Carroll’s “juice,” a leader who can coach the hell out of new millionaires — while feeling certain that the Hawks don’t step into their new universe with a couple of 5-12 seasons.

They are, after all, surrounded by the Rams and 49ers in the brutal NFC West.

We’ve hit a spot where everyone and his cat can (and probably will) give Schneider some advice.

Dan Quinn, the former Seahawks defensive coordinator who’s currently handling the same role at Dallas — after taking Atlanta to the Super Bowl as head coach —  is the name most often mentioned.

If you want MY cat’s selection (and you should), it would be longtime Patriots linebacker and recent Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel.

(FYI, Addison the Cat is pretty darn savvy.)

But there are so many possibilities.

And so many other teams.

You think the Seahawks might give up in fright, and ask Pete to come back?

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”

    MICHAEL AINSWORTH/Associated Press Former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, left, and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, right, talk on the field during warmups before a 2022 preseason game in Arlington, Texas. Quinn is interviewing this week to replace Carroll as Seahawks coach this week.