Mike Macdonald was the most celebrated coach in the league last season after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win in just his second season as head coach. Macdonald’s Seahawks defeated coach Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots 29-13 in a dominant defensive display in Santa Clara.
Mike Macdonald Hints at Mystery Mentor in Super Bowl LX
During an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday, Macdonald revealed that before Super Bowl LX, he sought advice from his former head coach, John Harbaugh, and one other influential party whom he could not name due to a potential conflict of interest.
“John Harbaugh and I talked. He was great. Probably can’t mention one guy that really helped us out that had some conflict of interest,” Macdonald said.
When Patrick guessed that the mystery figure was current North Carolina Tar Heels and former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Macdonald refuted the claim.
#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald says there was one person he reached out to for advice before the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots who helped a lot, but he won’t say who because there might be a conflict of interest.
It’s not Bill Belichick. 😅
(via @dpshow) pic.twitter.com/uniRUWUsUB
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 9, 2026
“I’m not that cool with him,” Macdonald said. “I’ve had a beer with coach Belichick, and that was a pretty cool day.” The Seahawks head coach also revealed that the mystery mentor was not Kyle Shanahan.
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Macdonald has served under several influential figures in football, kickstarting his career as a graduate assistant under Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt in 2010. He also served as the program’s safeties and defensive quality control coach between 2011 and 2013.
He rose through the ranks at John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens, starting as a coaching intern in 2014 before being promoted to defensive assistant in 2015, defensive backs coach in 2017, and linebackers coach in 2018.
The next season, Macdonald served as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at Michigan, helping elevate the Wolverines’ defense to an elite level. He then returned to Baltimore to serve as the elder Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator for two seasons.
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Macdonald became the youngest NFL head coach at the time when he succeeded Pete Carroll as the Seahawks’ head coach in 2024 and, in year two, masterminded a well-deserved Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots.
The Patriots were suffocated by the Seahawks’ defense during the game, scoring their first points in the fourth quarter. In addition, the Seahawks’ mean defense sacked quarterback Drake Maye six times and intercepted him twice, one for a pick-six.
In an interview with Athlon Sports’ Doug Farrar, Macdonald revealed he has sought advice on how to win back-to-back championships.
“I have reached out to some people who have won back-to-back championships,” Macdonald said. “And it’s been great advice, but I think the thing that we learned last year is like, look, we want to do it our way with how we go about our business every day, and what’s best for the Seahawks.
“It’s great to learn from other people, but by no means are we trying to copy other people’s style or trying to do it that way. The overarching thing is, it’s the same destination, but the journey is completely different with a completely different set of people.”
The Seahawks are fourth favorites to win Super Bowl LXI next season, behind the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and overall favorites, the Los Angeles Rams.
