Thanks to Mike Macdonald, we have a little mystery to unravel as we wait for training camp to begin. The Seattle Seahawks head coach spoke to both John Harbaugh and another unnamed insider as he prepped Seattle for Super Bowl LX. Harbaugh is not surprising in the least. Macdonald coached under him with the Ravens, and Harbaugh has experience leading a team into the big game.
As for the other name…
There has been plenty of speculation, almost entirely centered on big names. My 12th Man colleague pointed to one of the biggest as a likely candidate. I won’t say the name, but I promise you have heard of him.
5 potential mystery contacts for Seattle Seahawks’ coach before Super Bowl LX
But I have found that when enigmas like this crop up, it often is not the big name that turns out to be the correct answer. If you’re old like me, you may recall that the Watergate figure known as Deep Throat was rumored to be Alexander Haig, or Pat Buchanan, or Henry Kissinger. All names known to the public. It turned out to be Mark Felt, a name known primarily to Mrs. Felt.
So with Mark Felt in mind, I put on my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker and set about looking for more obscure candidates.
I’ll warn you right up front that the first three names here are not the mystery man. I am including them because it’s fun to think that they might be … but they are not. On the other hand, the last two are excellent deep-cut choices.
With that in mind, I invite you to tailor your reading experience. If either of those options doesn’t appeal – the fun-but-silly track or the likely-but-obscure track – skip it and only read the other section. But if you like both … you know what, just read both. I promise I will be quick about it.
Darrell Bevell
This is my favorite. And it’s also the least likely. Apart from both men working (at different times) for the Seattle Seahawks, I know of no connection between Mike Macdonald and former offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who now works for the Carolina Panthers organization. But just imagine if this thought struck Macdonald as he tried to fall asleep a few nights before the big day.
(Inside Coach Macdonald’s head) “Klint is going to get that Vegas job. I know he’s trying to focus, but how much is that really possible? Maybe I should get a little advice on how to handle some offensive scenarios, you know, just in case.
What if we have the ball on the goal line late in the game, down by four? Sure, I’ve got K9 and a solid line, tight ends who block like extra linemen, and a quarterback prone to the occasional interception. But what play should I call? I know – I’ll check with Darrell.”
I mean – it could happen that way, couldn’t it?
Teryl Austin
The veteran defensive coach was with both Michigan and Seattle many years before Macdonald arrived, and he was with the Ravens just before the Seattle coach's entrance. That’s it as far as linkage goes. Not very much to go on.
Still, I imagine the world of high-level defensive coaches as something of a secret fraternity, so I don’t doubt Mike Macdonald and Teryl Austin have crossed paths.
What is so intriguing about the potential Austin connection is that the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Austin as defensive coordinator, were one of the few teams to stymie Drake Maye in 2025. They sacked him five times and forced him into a pick and a fumble, while holding the Pats to just 14 points. Doesn’t that sound like the kind of expert you’d like to hear from?
Brian Belichick
Early speculation fell on Bill Belichick, despite Macdonald’s denial. The thought was that Belichick the elder was pissed off at the Pats enough to help undermine their chances. I don’t say that isn’t possible, but I refer to Macdonald’s reasoning in not naming names.
He said it might create a “conflict of interest” for the mystery man. I don’t believe Belichick, who has not been a part of the Pats or the NFL for more than a year, has such a conflict. Furthermore, I doubt he’d care if he did.
But what about Belichick the younger? He no doubt has aspirations to return to the NFL. Playing Deep Throat might tarnish his rep. He is also of Macdonald’s generation and was with his father in New England for eight seasons, including Maye’s rookie campaign. He would no doubt have insight into many of the players.
OK, now on to the two more likely candidates
Dennard Wilson
Want a Macdonald connection? Macdonald hired him to coach defensive backs during his stint as Ravens’ DC in 2023. What’s more, after leaving Baltimore in 2024, Austin served as DC with Tennessee and held Drake Maye to one of the worst performances of his career in week nine of the 2024 season.
Wilson’s defense sacked Maye four times, intercepted him, and forced a couple of fumbles. Maye ran for almost 100 yards, but he barely cracked 200 yards in passing … on 41 attempts. I should probably note that this was Maye’s fourth start as a pro, and he was coming off a concussion that knocked him out of the previous game.
When they met up the following season, Maye completed 21 of 23 passes, threw for 222 yards and a couple of touchdowns, while running for 62 more. No picks. No fumbles. An easy win. But that just means Dennard Wilson, now DC with the New York Giants, has seen both sides of the QB, right?
Anthony Weaver
This is my best guess at a lesser-known name who might have conversed with Macdonald before the Super Bowl. Weaver was on a virtual par with Macdonald with the Ravens in 2022 and 2023.
While Macdonald was DC, Weaver served as assistant head coach and defensive line coach. He interviewed for head coaching jobs the same year as Macdonald, but ended up taking the DC role in Miami.
In that role, Weaver, like Wilson, was able to shut down an inexperienced Drake Maye. New England’s Week 12 loss to Miami was among Maye’s worst games as a pro. Sacks, interceptions, fumbles, and, maybe most impressively, Weaver's defense stuffed his running. Weaver moved from Miami back to the Ravens to be their new DC two days after the Super Bowl.
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