Seahawks To Hire Ravens Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald As New Coach, AP Source Says – News18

RENTON, Wash.: The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, an individual knowledgeable of the choice informed The Associated Press.

The individual spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity as a result of the Seahawks haven’t introduced the hiring.

Macdonald, 36, will turn into the youngest head coach within the league and half the age of the person he’s changing — Pete Carroll who was let go after 14 seasons in cost in Seattle.

Macdonald spent the previous two years working Baltimore’s protection, together with this previous season when the Ravens completed with the NFL’s greatest common-season document and reached the AFC championship recreation earlier than dropping to Kansas City.

This would be the first head teaching place at any degree for Macdonald. But he’s been surrounded by profitable coaches as he moved up the ranks, beginning with an prolonged run on the workers of John Harbaugh in Baltimore earlier than spending a season on now-Chargers’ coach Jim Harbaugh’s workers in faculty at Michigan.

Seattle made it clear that Macdonald was one in every of its high candidates when it didn’t transfer ahead on a rent previous to the convention championship video games. Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn appeared a transparent entrance-runner due to his previous connections to Seattle. But the longer the Seahawks went with out transferring forward with Quinn, the extra it turned apparent there have been different choices being thought of.

Macdonald and Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson have been the final two interviewed by the Seahawks earlier than the ultimate determination was made.

One of the unknowns might be how Macdonald meshes with a company that was formed round Carroll’s philosophy for greater than a decade. Seattle basic supervisor John Schneider stated one of many mandates from proprietor/chair Jody Allen was to maintain a degree of Carroll’s tradition in place. How Macdonald manages that might be one of many questions.

Macdonald, a Georgia graduate who started his teaching profession there from 2011-13, broke into the NFL with the Ravens as a training intern in 2014. He moved as much as defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach by way of 2020 earlier than going to Michigan to run Jim Harbaugh’s protection.

After returning to Baltimore, Macdonald had one of many high scoring defenses within the league over the previous two seasons. This previous season, the Ravens ranked sixth in whole protection taking part in an aggressive type that ought to please Seahawks’ followers.

Macdonald’s process in Seattle might be sparking a franchise that had grown stagnant. Carroll was probably the most profitable coach in franchise historical past and introduced Seattle its solely Super Bowl title 10 years in the past. But the latter levels of his tenure in Seattle fell flat.

The Seahawks missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons in 2023 and completed 9-8 for a second straight yr. Seattle has not gained a playoff recreation since 2019 and hasn’t superior previous the divisional spherical for the reason that 2014 playoffs.

This previous season was when Seattle anticipated to shut the hole with San Francisco within the NFC West, however as an alternative watched because the 49ers continued to dominate the division whereas the Rams rapidly rebuilt themselves into being a playoff staff.

Having Macdonald in cost ought to assist enhance a protection that regressed badly as final season progressed and ranked close to the underside of the NFL in most defensive classes. But simply as essential might be figuring out a inventive offensive coordinator who can draw extra out of what Seattle already has with quarterback Geno Smith, extensive receivers DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba and working backs Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)