History-making Brit becomes Seahawks Super Bowl champion tipped for major NFL role
The Seattle Seahawks defense stood tall to deliver Super Bowl glory.
On a dramatic night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Seahawks stifled Drake Maye and his New England Patriots to grind out a hard-fought 29-13 win.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold threw just one touchdown, which came in the fourth quarter, while kicker Jason Myers kept the scoreboard ticking over with field goal after field goal.
But it was Aden Durde’s defensive unit that won it.
The Seahawks D finished the night with three takeaways, six sacks and a score of their own, in what was yet another signature performance.
Back in 2013, it was the Legion of Boom that dominated the NFL and delivered Seattle their first Lombardi Trophy, with a backfield headlined by Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
In 2025, the ‘Dark Side’ defense was born, and the likes of Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love are carrying the team into a new era.
Defensive coordinator Durde is at the helm of football’s scariest unit, and in Super Bowl LX, he made some impressive history of his own.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT in the locker room at Levi’s Stadium, the Brit detailed his ‘appreciation’ for the journey so far.
“You appreciate the moments, I won a championship with the London Warriors, and it kind of felt like this,” he told Will Gavin.
“You try and achieve something with a group of people, and now you’re doing it on the biggest stage in the world, it feels the same.
“It’s a moment where you have to take a moment and be thankful to the people that helped you get here.
“My mum, she’s back in London at a party with my brother. I can’t wait to talk to them, and see how they felt.”
Who is Seahawks DC Aden Durde?
Born and raised across the pond, 4,800 miles away from the West Coast franchise, Durde has become the first British coach to win the Super Bowl.
His rise through the NFL has been nothing short of monumental, and he has forged a path that could one day inspire more foreign coaches to chase the ultimate American glory.
Before he took on the challenge of coaching, Durde made the practice squads for both the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs as a linebacker, thanks to the league’s international development program.
While he never saw the field for regular-season action, his time with those two franchises came alongside stints with Scottish Claymores and Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
When his playing days were done, Durde returned to London to begin his coaching career.
Between 2011 and 2016, he was defensive coordinator for the London Warriors, an American football team based in Thornton Heath.
During that time, the Brit also served as a coaching intern with the Dallas Cowboys through the NFL fellowship program, starting there in 2014.
He worked with then-Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, who has since gone onto broadcast work, and was an analyst for NBC on Super Bowl Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Durde had further internships in Dallas and with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and 2016, and at the same time, was instrumental in the launch of the NFL’s International Player Pathway, which has benefited plenty of foreign players over the last decade.
Coaching remained his top focus, and in April 2018, the Falcons handed Durde his first break.
He was hired as their defensive quality control coach under Dan Quinn, and became the first ever British full-time coach in NFL history, and the first full time coach from outside the United States.
Since then, Durde has climbed even higher. He was promoted to outside linebackers coach by the Falcons in 2020, and a year later, returned to the Cowboys as their defensive line coach, once again to work with Quinn.
Then, two year’s ago, the Londoner joined Mike Macdonald’s Seattle staff, and has been their defensive coordinator ever since.
Will Aden Durde become an NFL head coach?
Durde’s rise — to become Britain’s first Super Bowl champion coach — has been inspiring.
Aden Durde's coaching career
From NFL intern to Super Bowl winner, check out Durde's career to date
London Warriors – Defensive coordinator (2011-2016)
Dallas Cowboys – Coaching intern (2014-15)
Atlanta Falcons – NFL diversity coaching fellowship (2016)
Atlanta Falcons – Defensive quality control coach (2018-19)
Atlanta Falcons – Outside linebackers coach (2020)
Dallas Cowboys – Defensive line coach (2021-23)
Seattle Seahawks – Defensive coordinator (2024-present)
And he certainly isn’t done yet.
Macdonald has tipped his DC to make even more history and become a future head coach.
“We love AD, he’s an integral part of our football team,” the Seahawks HC said in the buildup to Super Bowl LX
“I love him. He’s got an incredible story. He’s a great football coach, great football mind. Brings people together, phenomenal leader.
“We keep joking he’s going to be a head coach next year, but we’ve got to be ready for it, it’s going to happen.”
Surely, it is only a matter of time until Durde is handed the reigns to an NFL team, much like Klint Kubiak, who has concluded one season as Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and will take charge of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026.
But right now, Durde will be revelling in the glory of becoming a Super Bowl winner — and building the league’s top defense to boot.
Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
.jpeg)