It takes a strong person to take over a job from a beloved, long-time coach or manager and have the confidence to lead the way the new boss believes. Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, though, faces a different kind of situation as former head coach Pete Carroll is set to return to Lumen Field with his new team.
Carroll is going to be well-liked by the majority of 12s for the rest of forever. He should be. Carroll led the team to the highest level of success in franchise history. The reason the Seahawks have a Super Bowl victory is because of the coaching of Pete Carroll.
But by the end of his 14-year tenure, though, Carroll had seemingly lost his way toward making the defense very good, and he was too loyal to his coaching staff. He failed to make changes that needed to be made. He was asked to step down, and Mike Macdonald, a first-time head coach, replaced him.
New Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has the correct view about Pete Carroll
On Thursday, 12s will watch as Carroll leads the Las Vegas Raiders backups against the Seahawks backups in each team's first preseason game of 2025. Quarterback Geno Smith, the starter in Seattle for the last three seasons, is the new QB1 for the Raiders, and he will also be in Lumen Field for the game.
Smith is not expected to play, however. There is almost no point in any team playing their starters much in the preseason. The risk of needless injury far outweighs the possibility of short-lived cohesion.
The most important part for fans of the Seahawks and the Raiders on Thursday night might be how well received Pete Carroll, Geno Smith, and Jamal Adams are by 12s. Smith asked to be traded, so Seattle fans might harbor some ill will toward him. Adams was just a bust of a trade target.
But Carrol is different. He didn't want to leave his coaching gig with the Seattle Seahawks. He would likely still be the head man in Seattle if not for being, for all intents and purposes, fired. 12s might be more open to cheering him when he steps foot on the field.
As for Mike Macdonald, he is extremely clear (and completely correct), in how he believes Pete Carroll and Geno Smith should be welcomed back to Lumen Field: With open arms.
Macdonald told the media after the Seahawks' annual fan event at Lumen Field on Saturday, "We should be cheering Pete when he gets here, we should be cheering Geno, how can we not? We should be cheering those guys... I hope Pete gets a great ovation, he deserves it."
Mike Macdonald on the possibility of an opposing coach & QB getting big cheers from fans next week: "We should be cheering Pete when he gets here, we should be cheering Geno, how can we not? We should be cheering those guys... I hope Pete gets a great ovation, he deserves it."
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) August 3, 2025
Pete Carroll does deserve it. Heck, Mike Macdonald deserves an ovation for seeing the situation as it should be seen. 12s are going to cheer for the Seattle Seahawks to win, but fans should also cheer for Carroll for all the great memories he brought in the past.