Report: Seattle Seahawks to hire Ravens' DC Mike Macdonald as new head coach

The Seahawks are hiring Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald to be their next head coach. He replaces Pete Carroll, who was reassigned earlier this month.

This is all according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who quoted NFL sources to confirm the story. Macdonald is 36 and will be the youngest head coach in the NFL when the 2024 season starts.

A youth movement in Seattle: Seahawks are expected to hire Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, league sources tell ESPN. They’re still finalizing the deal, but Seattle has its man.

At 36, Macdonald now becomes the NFL’s youngest head coach. pic.twitter.com/uZ3vbXTS4n

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2024

The Seattle Times reported that MacDonald was in town, Wednesday, for a second interview. The day before, a group of Seahawks front-office personnel interviewed Macdonald in Baltimore. That group included Seahawks general manager John Schneider.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also confirmed the hire, adding that all Macdonald needed to do was sign his Seahawks contract. Rapoport said Seattle management was willing to wait until after the Super Bowl to make the hire. But the Chiefs upset the top-seeded Ravens, Sunday, to earn the AFC title and Super Bowl berth.

The deal is now done and agreed to, source says. Mike Macdonald will now sign it, but he’s Seattle’s new head coach. https://t.co/CagB9ejjNV

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2024

Seahawks did second interviews with four other candidates

The Seattle Times also indicated that the Seahawks interviewed several other head coaching candidates for a second time. Those candidates were Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

Carroll had been defensive minded, so the Seahawks didn’t try to go opposite to what they had. In Macdonald, they’ll have a bright defensive mind who was molded by the Harbaugh brothers.

Macdonald has spent his entire NFL career working with the Ravens, who are coached by John Harbaugh. He started as an intern on Harbaugh’s staff in 2014. He spent one year away from Baltimore, working as the defensive coordinator for Michigan and their coach, John Harbaugh. That was in 2019. Before the Ravens, he worked as a grad assistant and quality control coach for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Now that the Seahawks job is filled, the only NFL vacancy is in Washington. Coincidentally, Macdonald also was in the running for the Commanders head coaching job. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn also may be the leading contender for the Commanders.