The Seattle Seahawks will need some more birthday cake, because Mike Macdonald is celebrating his 38th birthday today.
Macdonald, who will enter his second season as Seattle’s head coach this year, was initially hired as the ninth head coach in franchise history in January of 2024. At the time of his hiring, Macdonald was the youngest head coach in the league, and he is now the second youngest behind New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore, who will turn 36 next month.
Macdonald succeeded long-time coach Pete Carroll, who was removed from his position a few weeks prior to Macdonald’s hiring. Currently, Macdonald is overseeing a rebuilding squad that hopes to return to the days of postseason glory that were had under Carroll.
Prior to obtaining his first head coaching position, Macdonald spent his first seven seasons at the NFL level under John Harbaugh on the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff from 2014 to 2020. Following the 2020 season, Macdonald left to accept a position as the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan, returning to the Ravens to take the same position in 2022. After two seasons as Baltimore’s DC, Macdonald was hired as the Seahawks’ head coach.
In year one under Macdonald, Seattle went 10-7, earning double-digit victories for the first time since 2020. Sitting at 8-5 entering Week 15, the Seahawks had a good shot to reach the playoffs, but lost a pair of critical games against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings to drop to second in the NFC West.
Though the team rebounded with wins over the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams during the final two games, Macdonald did not see any postseason action in his first year as Seattle’s head coach. Nevertheless, Macdonald became the first coach in franchise history to win 10 games in his inaugural season.
Macdonald looks to improve upon his first season as head coach in 2025, aiming to help the Seahawks reach the playoffs for the first time in three years. While it is obviously too early to say if Seattle will be in the postseason in 2025, it is fair to assume that a playoff berth is a strong possibility.
Happy Birthday, Coach! How do you think the Seahawks will do in year two of Macdonald’s tenure as head coach? Tell us in the comments below!
