A new era is underway in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks have hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, the team announced Wednesday. The 36-year-old becomes the NFL's youngest head coach. According to ESPN, Macdonald is getting a six-year deal.
"What an honor," Macdonald in a story on the team's official 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."
Macdonald broke into the NFL with the Ravens in 2014 and has spent the past two seasons leading the Ravens' stout defense. The only year during that span that Macdonald was not in Baltimore was in 2021, when he served as Michigan's defensive coordinator. That happened to be the year that Michigan snapped its 10-year losing streak over archrival Ohio State.
This past season, Macdonald presided over a Ravens defense that finished first in the NFL in points allowed, sixth in passing, first in fewer touchdown runs allowed, seventh in third down and second in red zone efficiency. Baltimore's defense featured four Pro Bowlers that included the dynamic duo of linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen.
In the playoffs, Baltimore's defense shut out the Texans in the second half of the divisional round and held the Chiefs to 17 points in the AFC Championship loss.
"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.'"
Macdonald will replace a Seahawks legend in Pete Carroll, whose tenure in Seattle including winning the franchise's first Super Bowl at the end of the 2013 season. The Seahawks went 9-8 this past season but missed the playoffs for the second time win three years.
Defense, once a Seattle specialty, has been struggle in recent years. The Seahawks have finished 25th in the NFL in points allowed in each of the last two seasons. The unit does have several promising young players, most notably cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
