Mike MacDonald’s entry into the 2024 NFL head coaching cycle was about as underwhelming as it gets—on paper. He wasn’t the headline-grabbing name like Jim Harbaugh, who carried the glow of resurrecting the 49ers and winning a national championship at Michigan. Nor was he Dan Quinn, a seasoned architect of elite defenses and a Super Bowl-caliber coach. Even as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, leading one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, MacDonald didn’t command the same attention.
But the NFL isn’t won on paper, and 13 games into the season, it’s clear: Mike MacDonald may not only have been the best hire of 2024 but is crafting one of the most compelling head-coaching debuts in recent memory.
The Forgotten Candidate
The case against MacDonald’s fanfare wasn’t baseless. He was entering a pool with heavyweights. Jim Harbaugh, the prodigal son of the NFL, had a resume built on raising struggling teams to prominence. After a triumphant tenure at Michigan, he joined the Chargers, inheriting a roster that featured Justin Herbert—arguably one of the league’s top-five quarterbacks. Dan Quinn, meanwhile, was synonymous with winning. As the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, he’d built one of the most ferocious defenses in the NFL, and his Super Bowl run with Atlanta added weight to his candidacy. MacDonald, at just 36 years old, wasn’t the obvious choice.
Yet even during his “forgotten” candidacy, there was brilliance that should’ve screamed louder. His 2023 Ravens defense made NFL history, achieving the “triple crown” by leading the league in points allowed (16.5), sacks (60), and takeaways (31). Not only was this feat unprecedented, but it also came without the benefit of a generational superstar. Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton, and Marlon Humphrey are talented, sure, but none are surefire Hall of Famers. MacDonald took a cast of very good players and produced legendary results.
But the NFL head-coaching market is fickle, and MacDonald’s youth and lack of head-coaching experience left him an afterthought.
The Seahawks Gamble
When Seattle hired MacDonald, most analysts shrugged. Expectations for the Seahawks were modest at best. This was a team with one of the worst offensive lines in the league, a roster considered middling in talent, and a quarterback, Geno Smith, whose career resurgence was remarkable but capped by his limitations. Predictions for the Seahawks hovered around 5-7 wins, a rebuilding year to build the foundation for future success.
But MacDonald never got the memo.
Through 13 weeks, MacDonald has taken the Seahawks to an 8-5 record, tied for the best mark among first-year head coaches alongside Harbaugh and Quinn. What separates MacDonald from the pack, though, is the context. Harbaugh walked into a Chargers roster stacked with blue-chip talent and an elite quarterback. Dan Quinn started hot but now finds his Commanders in free fall, losing three of their last four games. In contrast, MacDonald’s Seahawks are surging, winning their last four games in convincing fashion and looking increasingly dangerous as the playoffs loom.
Exceeding Expectations, Defying the Odds
The Seahawks’ success isn’t just about wins and losses—it’s how MacDonald has crafted a cohesive, disciplined, and motivated team from a patchwork roster. This isn’t a team carried by overwhelming talent; it’s a team carried by belief, preparation, and adaptability. MacDonald has elevated every unit, even with glaring roster deficiencies. His defense, unsurprisingly, reflects his Ravens roots—opportunistic, relentless, and greater than the sum of its parts.
When comparing first-year head coaches, the narrative becomes even more compelling. Harbaugh (Chargers) and Quinn (Commanders) have the same 8-5 record, but their teams are trending down. Raheem Morris’ Falcons are struggling at 6-7, while Brian Callahan (Titans), Jerod Mayo (Patriots), and Dave Canales (Panthers) have floundered with matching 3-10 records. Antonio Pierce’s Raiders sit at a dismal 2-11.
Even in comparison to the 2023 class, featuring established names like Sean Payton (6-7 with the Broncos) and young stars like DeMeco Ryans (7-6 with the Texans) and Shane Steichen (7-6 with the Colts), MacDonald’s work stands out. None of those coaches inherited the lack of talent or organizational instability MacDonald did, yet his Seahawks look more cohesive and overachieving than any of them at this stage of their debut seasons.
A Star in the Making
MacDonald’s rapid rise is remarkable for more than just wins and losses. At 36, he’s the second-youngest head coach in the NFL, yet his leadership exudes poise beyond his years. He’s shown the ability to adapt, to elevate a roster, and—most importantly—to win in situations where others would falter.
The Seahawks didn’t hire the loudest name in the 2024 coaching cycle. They didn’t hire the most experienced or even the most proven candidate. What they hired, though, was a visionary leader who has already rewritten the narrative of his debut season. If the NFL’s history is written by those who take risks and defy expectations, Mike MacDonald is on his way to being one of the league’s brightest stars.
In a year dominated by big names, MacDonald might just be the NFL’s ultimate underdog turned genius hire. And the Seahawks? They might have found their next great architect.