SEATTLE — After a lengthy interview process, the Seahawks have zeroed in on the team's next head coach.
Mike Macdonald comes to Seattle after two very successful seasons leading the Baltimore Ravens defense, KING 5 has confirmed through a source. Quite a few candidates came to Seattle for an in-person interview, but Macdonald made the strongest impression while in town for his meeting on Wednesday.
So what should Seahawks fans know about the team's first new head coach since 2010? Here are a few notes and nuggets about the man tasked with replacing Pete Carroll.
Youth is served
Although Carroll brought an energy and enthusiasm rarely seen from someone in their 70s, he was still 72 years old at the end of the 2023 season. Even when he was first hired, Carroll was 57 years old and had an extensive resume of head coaching experience.
Macdonald, on the other hand, is half Carroll's current age and never has been a head coach. The last time the Seahawks were in a Super Bowl game back in 2014, Macdonald was an intern with the Ravens.
However, don't mistake Macdonald's age meaning his track record isn't impressive. At age 36, the Seahawks go from having one of the oldest to having the youngest head coach in the NFL.
"Defensive Sean McVay"
Macdonald's football mind evoked comparisons earlier this week from one person who interviewed Macdonald to McVay, who is considered among the most brilliant offensive minds in the sport.
In 2022 and 2023, Macdonald's Ravens defenses were top 5 in the fewest points allowed per game. The Ravens had two All-Pro players under Macdonald in linebacker Roquan Smith and safety Kyle Hamilton. The latter spoke to NFL Network while attending a Pro Bowl event, and spoke highly of Macdonald.
"Super cerebral, really smart guy. Probably the smartest guy in the building," Hamilton said to Cameron Wolfe on Wednesday morning.
Macdonald graduated summa cum laude with a finance degree from the University of Georgia in 2010 and earned a Sports Management master's degree from the school in 2013 while working on its football coaching staff.
Harbaugh connections
Some Seahawks fans wanted to see Jim Harbaugh be offered the head-coaching job, given that he was a strong adversary to Seattle during his years as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh ended up going to Los Angeles to lead the Chargers, but the Seahawks are getting someone who has worked with both of the Harbaugh brothers in his career.
Macdonald spent nearly a decade in the Ravens organization, where John Harbaugh has been the head coach since 2008. He did leave Baltimore for one season ... to be the defensive coordinator for Jim at the University of Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff. Macdonald returned to Baltimore the following season as defensive coordinator.
The Harbaugh brothers have had remarkable success across multiple levels, and someone from their coaching tree should give Seahawks fans optimism about his first stint as a head coach.
Stunting the Super Bowl participants
If Seahawks fans want some recent examples of what Macdonald's defenses have been capable of, look no further than two games in the last few months against the two squads now headed to Super Bowl LVIII. The Ravens might have lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, but it is hard to direct blame at Macdonald and his defense.
The Ravens held Kansas City's high-powered offense to 17 points, including none in the entire second half. Macdonald's defense kept the Ravens in a game in which they turned the ball over three times and only scored three points in the final 30 minutes.
A bit further back in the schedule, Macdonald and the Ravens went to Santa Clara for a Monday Night Football game that many believed was a Super Bowl preview. The Ravens held the 49ers to just 19 points at home and forced Brock Purdy into throwing four interceptions, by far the most he's thrown in a single game in his NFL career.
Macdonald will be tasked going forward with trying to stop Kyle Shanahan's well-oiled machine of an offense twice a season for the Seahawks, something he has shown himself capable of this season.
