Aden Durde has been the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator since February 2024. He was born in the London area in 1979, played linebacker in NFL Europe, and is the first British-born defensive coordinator in the NFL. In his second season, Seattle allowed the fewest points in the league, 17.2 a game, and then held New England scoreless for three quarters of Super Bowl LX. That made him the first British coordinator to win a Super Bowl.
Timeline with Seattle
- Feb 2024: Hired from the Dallas Cowboys, where he coached the defensive line. Mike Macdonald: “Just listening to him talk about how he sees the game was very similar to how I saw it.”
- 2024 season: 21.6 points allowed a game, 11th in the league.
- 2025 season: 17.2 points allowed a game, first in the league. The defense was sixth in yards allowed, first in yards per carry allowed at 3.7, and fifth with 18 interceptions. Leonard Williams, Devon Witherspoon and Ernest Jones IV were named All-Pro.
- Jan 2026: Interviewed for the Browns’ head coaching job on January 9 and the Falcons’ on January 10. He stayed in Seattle.
- Feb 8, 2026: Super Bowl LX, a 29-13 win. New England did not score until the fourth quarter. Seattle had six sacks, two each from Derick Hall and Byron Murphy II, and three takeaways, one of them Uchenna Nwosu’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.
- 2026 so far: 122 points allowed in six games through Week 6, 20.3 a game (ESPN game data). The fewest were Arizona’s 7 in Week 2, when it gained 151 yards; the most were Washington’s 33 in Week 3, 20 of them off Seattle turnovers, one an interception return. Seattle sacked Marcus Mariota twice, and Macdonald’s verdict was “We didn’t get enough pressure today.”
How he got here
| Years | Where | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2003 | London Olympians | Linebacker |
| Six seasons, to 2007 | Scottish Claymores, Hamburg Sea Devils (NFL Europe) | Linebacker; won World Bowl XV with Hamburg in 2007 |
| 2005, 2008 | Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs | Practice squad |
| 2011–2016 | London Warriors | Defensive coordinator |
| 2014–2016 | Cowboys and Falcons training camps | Bill Walsh coaching fellowship |
| 2018–2020 | Atlanta Falcons | Defensive assistant, then outside linebackers coach |
| 2021–2023 | Dallas Cowboys | Defensive line coach |
| 2024– | Seattle Seahawks | Defensive coordinator |
He also worked for NFL UK as its head of football development. Both of his NFL staff jobs before Seattle overlapped with Dan Quinn, the Falcons’ head coach through 2020 and the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023. Quinn, who was Seattle’s defensive coordinator for the 2013 title team, is now Washington’s head coach.
What the defense does
The scheme is Macdonald’s: disguised coverages, simulated pressures, and a front that rotates. Karl Scott coordinates the pass defense and Chris Partridge the run defense. The run defense is the calling card. Seattle went a franchise-record 26 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher through the 2025 season, and no one has reached 100 yards against Seattle this season: Arizona’s leading rusher had 29 yards in Week 2 and Washington’s had 36 in Week 3. Durde’s own summary, the week of the 2026 opener: “We’ve just got to keep pushing through — making game-changing plays while dominating early down football.”
In his words
- On the head coaching interviews: “Right now, I’m having the time of my life. Like, honestly, if things happen, they happen.”
- On the road from London: “To come from London and be here, I don’t take any of it for granted, I’m proud.”
The full staff, with every position coach, is on the coaching staff page. The weekly injury report tracks who is available to him, Quinn’s Commanders beat Seattle 33-31 in Week 3, and the recap has how. The next game and its guide are on the schedule.