The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach. At 36, Macdonald becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides are still hammering out the finer details of the agreement but Macdonald is expected to receive a six-year contract.
Macdonald will replace Pete Carroll, who was the league’s oldest head coach at 72 years last season. Carroll stepped away after going 9-8 in 2023 and missing out on the postseason, agreeing to take an advisory role with the franchise.
The Seahawks have conducted a thorough search for Carroll’s successor, interviewing at least nine candidates. The list included Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who served in the same role with Seattle in 2013 and 2014, and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Quinn was considered a lock for the job for a long time, but it appears the Seahawks brass wanted someone who would bring a new approach to the franchise.
Mike Macdonald joined the Ravens in 2014 as a coaching intern and has made steady progress up the franchise’s ranks before taking a position as Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021. But after just one year at the college level, Macdonald accepted a call to return to the Ravens.
Under Macdonald, the Ravens have been one of the best defenses in the league. This was particularly the case in 2023 when Baltimore’s defense led the NFL in points per game allowed (16.5) and sacks (58).
