Mike Macdonald had already shown the Seattle Seahawks organization and its loyal fans that he was the head coach of the future after last year, his first in the driver's seat. He coached the Seahawks to a 10-7 record with Geno Smith under center, whom the team eventually moved on from in the offseason.
In stepped Sam Darnold, fresh off a 14-win campaign with the Minnesota Vikings, whom they decided to move on from during the offseason. Seattle picked the journeyman quarterback up, and Macdonald was forced to figure out a way to make Darnold better than he was in Minnesota.
Well, considering that the Seahawks just won the NFC and are entering these NFL playoffs as serious Super Bowl contenders, and that Darnold was the quarterback who led them there, there has to be a place in the league where Macdonald is no longer just a young, second-year coach with a bright future. No, this season proved he's one of the best in the league, and that warrants significant recognition.
Seahawks' Mike Macdonald should be the one to receive the majority of the credit for Seattle's success
On a day when one former Seahawks head coach loses his job, the current one is likely on his way to a lengthy tenure walking Seattle's sideline. Pete Carroll, who won the Super Bowl in 2014 with the Seahawks, was ousted today after a 3-14 season with the Las Vegas Raiders.
It likely ended Carroll's coaching career. Everything comes to an end at some point, of course. For Macdonald, though, Carroll's predecessor, his time has only just begun. Not only did he coach the Seahawks to their first division title since 2020, but he's also the first coach in franchise history to reach the 14-win regular-season benchmark.
Furthermore, Macdonald did it with a quarterback who has spent his NFL career as a castoff more than anything else. The Vikings may have been foolish to cut bait with Darnold last season, but they clearly thought J.J. McCarthy was the answer going forward, which made Darnold Macdonald's problem.
It was an overall solid season for Darnold, but even as the veteran experienced highs and lows, Macdonald never lost faith in him and still managed to secure win after win with a quarterback who played like a wild card in the second half. That achievement alone should open the doors for Macdonald to be considered as this season's Coach of the Year.
It's not just Darnold or the Seahawks offense that should highlight Macdonald's name, but it's also the defense that spent the entire season near or at the top of all major defensive team categories. A handful of players on the Seahawks defense experienced the best years of their NFL careers, too.
The likes of Drake Thomas, Josh Jobe, and Ty Okada were sensational from day one and prime examples of Macdonald’s work.
Then there were the veterans whom Macdonald was able to get the best and most out of, like Demarcus Lawrence, whom the Dallas Cowboys should never have allowed to walk in free agency last summer. Macdonald has his fingerprints on every position group and key piece to the puzzle that made the Seahawks one of the best teams in the league.
In the offseason, the Seahawks weren't expected to be the dominant team they were, yet today they're a strong Super Bowl candidate. But it's the regular season that makes a head coach the Coach of the Year, and Mike Macdonald's chances should be higher than most, and there should be no surprise if he wins this honor.