You don’t have to spend much time connecting the dots to get the big picture here.

The Seattle Seahawks have been talking to Josh McDaniels since Monday, according to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and they launched offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates today. That would lead you to believe the Seahawks are somewhat confident they’ll sign the former Denver Broncos head coach soon. Either that, or Pete Carroll had decided there was no way he was working with Bates again.

McDaniels had been in talks with the Rams, but it’s been reported that St. Louis might not have been interested in paying very much. Certainly, the Rams offer a better quarterback situation with Sam Bradford in place. The Minnesota Vikings have also been pursuing McDaniels.

So, it looks like McDaniels will have his choice of three jobs. The Seahawks are certainly not afraid to spend big. Bates, who spent the 2009 season with Carroll at USC, is now out and looking for a job when the market is closing fast. The Seahawks also lost quarterback coach Jedd Fisch, who left to become the coordinator at the University of Miami.

The Chicago Bears were interested in Bates, in part because quarterback Jay Cutler pushed so hard for him. But Bates declined to even meet with the Bears when their coordinator search was going on at this time last year.

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