Current:Home > MySeahawks turn to Mike Macdonald, former Ravens defensive coordinator, as new head coach-InfoLens
Seahawks turn to Mike Macdonald, former Ravens defensive coordinator, as new head coach
View Date:2024-12-23 11:13:34
And then there was one.
The Seattle Seahawks have hired Mike Macdonald, 36, as their new head coach. He becomes the youngest coach in the league, supplanting 37-year-old Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots, who was hired earlier this month. Macdonald also replaces Pete Carroll, 72, who had been the league's oldest coach, in the Pacific Northwest.
With Macdonald headed to Seattle, the Washington Commanders are left as the only team with a vacant HC opening.
Macdonald spent the past two years as defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. For the last 10 seasons, he's been working for the Harbaughs – nine years on Baltimore's staff in various defensive capacities for head coach John Harbaugh but one season (2021) as defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh's University of Michigan Wolverines.
Renowned as a bright teacher with great enthusiasm for the game and its players, Macdonald's profile has been steadily on the rise in recent years. The AFC North champion Ravens surrendered the fewest points in the league in 2023, allowing 16.5 points per game. They also led the NFL with 60 sacks and 31 takeaways.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Macdonald likely has a lot of work to do to bring Seattle up to that standard, though he will find talented players in the building. A perennial Super Bowl contender a decade ago with their "Legion of Boom" defense, the Seahawks have regressed greatly, last fielding a top-20 D in 2018. The falloff coincided with ownership's decision to move Carroll into an advisory position after a 14-year run that included two Super Bowl appearances. Carroll and Co. captured the organization's only Lombardi Trophy to cap the 2013 campaign.
Macdonald will inherit a team that also has to decide how long to stick with veteran quarterback Geno Smith, 33, who's under contract for two more seasons. The Seahawks are young and deep at running back. The wideout trio is also strong, though Tyler Lockett, 31, has a nearly $28 million cap hit in 2024, so it's worth wondering if he'll be staying. The offensive line remains suspect but has youthful potential. Defensively, Seattle has a solid group of corners, however Riq Woolen often came off the field – and not for health-related reasons. Linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner, still among the league's elite at 33, are headed for free agency as is D-lineman Leonard Williams. Safety Jamal Adams is a liability in coverage and contractually, hence virtually untradeable.
Plenty of potential here, but a lot of work to do – especially in a division run by the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and with the Los Angeles Rams seemingly rising anew.
***Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
- Thomas says critics are pushing ‘nastiness’ and calls Washington a ‘hideous place’
- How Ryan Dorsey and Son Josey Will Honor Naya Rivera on Mother's Day
- Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Cast, musical guest, where to watch May 11 episode
- Kevin Costner Shares His Honest Reaction to John Dutton's Controversial Fate on Yellowstone
- Apartment building partially collapses in a Russian border city after shelling. At least 13 killed
- Will we see the northern lights again Sunday? Here's the forecast
- Bears coach Matt Eberflus confirms Caleb Williams as starting quarterback: 'No conversation'
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- Michigan woman set to celebrate her first Mother's Day at home since emerging from 5-year coma
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes
- MALCOIN Trading Center: A Leader in Cryptocurrency Market Technology and Education
- Pioneering Financial Innovation: Wilbur Clark and the Ascendance of the FB Finance Institute
- Sabrina Carpenter Celebrates 25th Birthday With Leonardo DiCaprio Meme Cake
- Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
- Kylian Mbappe says 'merci' to announce his Paris Saint-Germain run will end this month
- Man charged with overturning port-a-potty, trapping woman and child inside
- Wilbur Clark's Commercial Monument: FB Finance Institute
Recommendation
-
Solawave Black Friday Sale: Don't Miss Buy 1, Get 1 Free on Age-Defying Red Light Devices
-
Former Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. to face trial on rape charge
-
Flavor Flav is the new official hype-man for U.S. women's water polo team. This is why he is doing it.
-
Some older Americans splurge to keep homes accessible while others struggle to make safety upgrades
-
Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
-
Israel moves deeper into Rafah and fights Hamas militants regrouping in northern Gaza
-
In bid to keep divorce private, ex-MSU coach Mel Tucker says he needs money to sue school
-
Wilbur Clark's Commercial Monument: FB Finance Institute