In only his second season with the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Mike Macdonald has led the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance. Ahead of Sunday’s contest, here’s a closer look at Macdonald’s coaching history and how he became the Seahawks’ head man.
Mike Macdonald’s Coaching History Before Joining Seattle
Macdonald’s coaching journey began in 2014, as a 27-year-old intern with the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald quickly made an impression on Baltimore’s management, as he was promoted to defensive assistant after only one season.
Macdonald spent two years as a defensive assistant before being promoted to defensive backs coach in 2017, and again to linebackers coach in 2018. He served as the linebackers coach for three seasons before earning his biggest opportunity to that point.
The Michigan Wolverines offered Macdonald the opportunity to become the school’s defensive coordinator. In that role, Macdonald handled defensive play-calling duties for the first time in his career, and undoubtedly made the most of it.
Macdonald led Michigan’s defense to the fifth-ranked unit in the country, according to the PFSN CFB Defense Impact metric. Thanks to their dominant defense, the Wolverines reached the Big Ten Conference Championship, where they dismantled the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning 42-3 in 2021.
His lone season calling plays in college football proved significant, as the Ravens offered him their defensive coordinator job the following year.
In his first season back in Baltimore, in 2022, the defense ranked 12th among all units. The 2023 season, though, Macdonald truly proved his worth. The Ravens closed the season with a 13-4 record and secured a first-round playoff berth, largely thanks to the defense, which ranked 2nd in the PFSN NFL Defense Impact metrics (DEFi).
That offseason, Macdonald was considered one of the top head-coaching candidates on the market. The Seattle Seahawks, of course, took the chance on him. Despite Macdonald’s having called plays in the NFL for only two seasons, Seattle recognized the young play-caller’s potential.
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Now, nearly two years later, the move has proven to be a match made in heaven. Under Macdonald in 2026, the Seahawks posted a 14-3 regular-season record and playoff wins over the 49ers and Rams. Additionally, Seattle ranks 3rd in DEFi, while its offense ranks 9th in the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metrics.
Only one win away from securing a Vince Lombardi Trophy, Macdonald will need his defense to rise to the occasion against the Patriots’ second-ranked offense. After dominating that side of the ball all season, Seahawks fans are counting on their 38-year-old defensive guru to deliver one more time.
