From London to Lombardi favourite: Aden Durde’s rise as a leading NFL head coach candidate

Aden Durde is a name that carries real weight in NFL circles. As the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, the Middlesex-born 46-year-old has overseen one of the league’s most dominant units this season - a major reason why the Seahawks are being talked about as favourites to win Super Bowl LX.

It's a point that bears repeating. An Englishman isn’t just coaching in the NFL - he’s excelling at the very highest level. And in reaching this point, what may once have felt like a novelty storyline has quietly become something far more substantial.

Now, as Durde balances head-coach interviews with preparations for a winner-takes-all Divisional playoff showdown against the San Francisco 49ers, we take a step back and trace the journey that brought him here.

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Durde's journey to the NFL

Durde learned the game in the UK, playing for the London Olympians and Scottish Claymores, among others, before sandwiching a stint with the Hamburg Sea Devils between spells on NFL practice squads.

That playing chapter eventually gave way to coaching. Durde returned to London in 2011, taking on the role of defensive coordinator with the Warriors, a position he held through 2016. During that same period, he also began quietly building NFL connections, interning with the Dallas Cowboys from 2014-15.

A major breakthrough arrived in 2018, when the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship opened the door to the Atlanta Falcons. Durde steadily worked his way up, becoming the defensive quality control coach in 2018 before being promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2020.

From there, his momentum only grew. He returned to Dallas as the Cowboys’ defensive line coach before landing the biggest role of his career in 2024, when he was appointed defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks - a move that provided him the opportunity to cement his place among the NFL’s most respected defensive minds.

The Seahawks' defense under Durde

Durde inherited plenty of talent, but turning that collection of names into something cohesive and dangerous was never going to be simple. The glory days of the Seattle Seahawks’ 'Legion of Boom' were long gone, the era that delivered a Super Bowl XLVIII title now firmly in the rear-view mirror.

In 2023, before Durde's arrival, Seattle gave up an average of 23.6 points per game, ranking 25th in the league. They were similarly poor in yardage allowed, allowing more than 370 yards per contest, the third-highest among all teams.

Fast forward to 2025, and the improvement has been stark. Under Durde, the Seahawks finished as the NFL’s stingiest defense in 2025, conceding just 17.2 points per game, while giving up the sixth-fewest yards of any team (285.6 per game)

That improvement came despite adversity, with key contributors such as Devon Witherspoon and Ernest Jones missing time through injury along the way.

The defining moment of that transformation arrived in Week 18, when, on the road against division rivals the San Francisco 49ers, with the NFC’s top seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage all on the line, Durde’s defense delivered its statement performance.

They suffocated Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers’ offense, holding them to just three points in a crucial 13-3 victory. It wasn’t just a win, it was confirmation that Seattle’s defense could deliver when it mattered most.

As the architect behind it all, Durde’s reputation has surged across the league.

What's next for Durde?

Ever the consummate professional, Durde isn’t allowing head coach interviews with the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns to interfere with his - or his defense’s - preparation for the task at hand on Sunday.

“I’m having the time of my life,” he told the media on Tuesday. “Opportunities come up when they need to come up. But right now we’re doing something that we’re all enjoying, and we should just stick to that.”

Perhaps the most difficult task facing Durde’s defense is the rematch with the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco’s #23 finished the regular season a whisker away from becoming the first player in NFL history to author two seasons with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving.

As always, Durde has a game plan.

“If you’re really trying to create an identity, a style of play, and you want to make it hard for everything [your opponents] do, it all starts with stopping the run.

“That’s been a focus point since we got here, and it’s been a stacking process as we go through.”

Judging by the way his players talk about him, Durde’s defense will be prepared for anything Kyle Shanahan throws their way.

And, assuming Durde’s defense performs on Sunday as it has all season, when the clock hits double zeroes on Sunday, Seattle will have booked their place in the NFC Championship Game.

Whether the Seahawks emerge victorious on Sunday or not, a head coach role appears to be a matter of when, not if, for Durde - be it this year or in the near future.

And irrespective of the result, and perhaps most importantly, Durde’s inaugural year as defensive coordinator will be remembered not only as a resounding success, but as one that blazed a trail for every other aspiring coordinator on this side of the Atlantic hoping to follow in his footsteps.