Mike Macdonald has been named new the coach in charge of the Seattle Seahawks.
Mike Macdonald has been hired by the Seahawks to be their ninth head coach. As the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens for the past two seasons, Macdonald built one of the best defenses in the NFL. At 36 years old, he is the NFL’s youngest head coach.
Macdonald and his wife, Stephanie, were escorted by team members when they got to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “What an honor,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be here.
Just getting familiar with John as well as the other people here—that’s what drew us here, not the place itself. That’s why we’re here: to bring the 12s and Seattle a cup again.
“We’ll have a great time, work hard, and enjoy the ride.” We’ll be here for a long time and win a lot in football games.
Pete Carroll has been the head coach for the Seahawks for 14 seasons. Macdonald will take over the job from Carroll and will be responsible for helping the team move forward while also keeping the positive culture inside the team, as general management John Schneider explained earlier this month.
Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, will be the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. He will get a six-year contract, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Macdonald, 36, is the NFL’s junior head coach. He comes to Seattle as one of the best defensive minds in the league, having coached the Ravens to the top of the league in points allowed, sacks, and turnovers in 2023, his second season as D-coordinator for Baltimore.
Pete Carroll, the Seahawks’ longtime coach, said earlier this month that he would not be back as coach in 2024. Macdonald will take over for Carroll. Carroll is still working for the Seahawks as a consultant.
When we look more closely, Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson answers some of the most important questions about the hire.
Meanwhile, national reporter Dan Graziano talks about what he knows about Macdonald, and NFL draft analyst Matt Miller looks ahead to the draft. Last but not least, front office observer Mike Tannenbaum gives the Seahawks’ hire a grade.
The NFL team said Wednesday that Mike Macdonald, who was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, has been hired as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
He is going to be the youngest coaching staff in the league at 36 years old. Macdonald said that being hired was an “honor.”
“We’re thrilled to be here. Just getting to know John Schneider (the general manager) along with the other people here—that’s what drew us here—not the place itself.
“That’s why we’re here—to bring a championship to Seattle and the fans of the 12s,” Macdonald said in a team statement. “It’s going to be a great ride, we’re going to have a great time.”
He also said, “We’ll be here for a long time and win a lot of football games.” Their record was 9-8, so they didn’t make the playoffs.
He joined the Baltimore Ravens as a coaching intern in 2014 and worked as their defensive coordinator for the next two years. This season, the defense was one of the best in NFL history.
They were the first team to lead the league in sacks (60), takeaways (31), and points allowed (16.5 per game).
Pete Carroll quit as head coach of the Seahawks in October after 14 years in the job. Macdonald will take over for Carroll.
He got his start in the business as a junior high school coach while he was still at the University of Georgia. He became a graduate assistant for Georgia and worked as a defensive quality assurance assistant until the end of the 2013 season.
He worked for the Ravens in several different roles before leaving in 2021 to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. After one season, he came back to Baltimore.