Who Is Mike Macdonald? Getting to Know the Seattle Seahawks’ New Head Coach

The Seattle Seahawks will formally introduce former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as the franchise’s new head coach at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Seattle hired Macdonald, who has spent nine of the past 10 seasons on the Ravens staff, after meeting with him for a second time Wednesday, just a day after their initial interview in Baltimore. The ninth head coach in franchise history takes over for Pete Carroll, who led Seattle for the previous 14 seasons and remains with the organization as an adviser.

Macdonald agreed to a six-year deal with the Seahawks, per ESPN.

“What an honor,” Macdonald said after he and his wife, Stephanie, were greeted by team employees, per Seattle’s website. “We are super excited to be here. Just getting to know [general manager John Schneider] and the rest of the folks, the reputation of this place, what drew us here was the people. That’s why we’re here, to bring a championship back to Seattle and the 12s.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun, we’re going to work our tails off, and it’s going to be an incredible ride. We’re going to be here for a long time, and we’re going to win a lot of football games.”

Before Seattle’s introductory press conference, here’s a look at Macdonald’s career.

Macdonald NFL’s Youngest Head Coach

There’s a youth movement going on in Seattle.

Over the span of a few weeks, the Seahawks went from having the oldest coach in the NFL—72-year-old Carroll—to the youngest in 36-year-old Macdonald. Carroll won 137 regular-season games, two NFC titles and a Super Bowl during his reign in Seattle. The Seahawks, coming off a 9-8 season that did not result in a playoff appearance, announced last month that Carroll would not return as head coach.

The former New England Patriots and New York Jets coach moves into a yet-to-be-defined advisory position with Seattle. Schneider said last month that the team’s new coach will be tasked with moving the franchise forward while maintaining its culture.

“We want to keep our positive culture,” Schneider said. “Everything that’s been created here, everything in this building. There are so many special people in this building. It’s amazing to be on the phone with all of these agents and people that are interested in this position, and to be able to explain to them like, ‘Hey. There’s a foundation here and it’s incredible.'”

Who Else Interviewed Macdonald?

Macdonald was one of the most popular coaching candidates this hiring cycle. He interviewed with five other teams for their vacancies: the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans.

As for the Seahawks, they conducted initial interviews with what ESPN reported as nine candidates, and held second, in-person meetings with several of them, including:

• New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka
• Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
• Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn
• Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
• Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson

Where Is Macdonald From?

Macdonald was born in Boston and attended Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, where injuries cut short his playing career, according to the Ravens website.

But a future on the gridiron was still on its way. Macdonald got a coaching gig at Cedar Shoals High School before graduating from the University of Georgia business school summa cum laude in 2010. He then worked as a graduate assistant and eventually a quality control coach on the Bulldogs’ staff while earning a master’s in sports management from UGA. Macdonald graduated with a four-point GPA in 2013.

Macdonald Coaching With Harbaugh Brothers

Macdonald got his NFL start as a coaching intern with the Ravens in 2014, and—up until being hired by the Seahawks—has been working under a Harbaugh brother ever since.

After his intern season, Macdonald served stints as a defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach for John Harbaugh’s Ravens from 2015-20. Then, he took a trip back to college to be the University of Michigan’s defensive coordinator under John’s younger brother, Jim Harbaugh (the new coach of the Los Angeles Chargers). In Macdonald’s lone season in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines went 12-2, won the Big Ten, made a College Football Playoff appearance and finished with the nation’s eighth-best scoring defense.

Macdonald has been back with the other Harbaugh brother the past two years. He returned to Baltimore and replaced Wink Martindale as defensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season, though he was in attendance to watch Michigan win the national championship last month.

“I was so happy,” said Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris, who played for Macdonald at Michigan, said of the hire, per the team website. “I know the guy we’re going to get, and I know everything that he put into Michigan and everything he put into the defense at Michigan and everything that he’s going to put into now.”

Assistant Coach of the Year Finalist

Macdonald was recognized as one of the five finalists for NFL Assistant Coach of the Year when the Associated Press released its awards finalists. Baltimore’s defense just became the first to lead the league in points allowed per game (16.5), sacks (60) and takeaways (31) in the same year, and the Ravens’ star-studded group was hoping to see their coordinator get a promotion.

“I think he’s the best [head-coaching] candidate out there right now,” Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen told reporters on Monday. “I don’t think anybody does it like him. Nobody cares like him. Nobody will do what he does. He will not rest until he has everything right.

“Whoever gets him, if he leaves, they’re getting the best candidate out there. The guy is all around just the best person I’ve ever been around, coach-wise and person-wise. He really cares and truly cares about the players, the people around the organization and the fans.”