[Nick]

Sources: 'Hawks tab Mora as next head coach
By Jay Glazer
Updated: February 5, 2008, 10:36 PM EST

The Seattle Seahawks have tabbed their next head coach.

The Seahawks have locked up Jim Mora Jr. to be their head coach after the 2008 season, league sources have told FOXSports.com.

Current head coach Mike Holmgren has already announced he will return for one more season, but rather than go through an extensive search, they have decided to hire from within.

Mora is currently the team's secondary/assistant head coach, and league sources say the promotion comes with an extension.

It's unclear how such a move could be made with the Rooney Rule in effect, which requires each team to interview at least one minority for any head coaching vacancy. It could be that the league is now starting to acquiesce a bit on the rule when a team knows it's going to hire from within.

Last month, the Colts said assistant head coach Jim Caldwell would replace current head coach Tony Dungy when he stepped away, and now Seattle follows suit with Mora's promotion after next season.

Mora led the falcons to the NFC Championship game in his first season in Atlanta. Since being fired, Atlanta's fortunes have turned for the worst, with the Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino situations, among others.