Since the 2010 season, there has only been one man in the Seattle Seahawks sidelines who has a constant. Pete Carroll was a staple to every call and decision made by the team whether it was on or off the field. Now, Mike Macdonald is set to take over that role in their upcoming NFL campaign. The Legion of Boom architect will not be gone from the team but changes will be very evident. DK Metcalf was one of the players who was most affected by the move.

DK Metcalf showers Carroll with a lot of love

Sep 24, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talks with wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) during a third quarter timeout against the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
© Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Carroll has developed a lot of Hall of Fame-caliber careers throughout his tenure as a head coach in the NFL. So, it was not new to him or the Seahawks faithful to hear praises. A lot of them were about how great of a head honcho he was. But, it just hit differently when DK Metcalf was the one speaking about him. The primary weapon of the Seahawks had something to say about no longer seeing his former mentor, via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune.

“It was so sad to see,” were the few words that DK Metcalf dropped.

While it was very short, the emotional impact of this statement had a lot of Seahawks fans reminiscing about their time with one another. Pete Carroll is the only head coach that the wide receiver had worked with prior to this move. He was acquired by the head honcho with the 64th overall pick during the 2019 NFL Draft. Carroll was also one of the first people to welcome Metcalf when he entered the Seahawks system.

Metcalf had a lot of value in Carroll's offense. The schemes that the Seahawks involved practically held the wide receiver's hands and guided him through insanely mind-boggling routes. As a result, Metcalf netted two NFL Pro Bowl nods. In one of those seasons, he even notched 1,300 receiving yards which yielded the Seahawks an average gain of a little more than 81 yards on a nightly basis.

All of these were a result of the willingness of Metcalf to learn from Carroll. It was, in part, due to Carroll's brilliance that the Seahawks got the most out of the wide receiver. Hopefully, Mike Macdonald can surpass these numbers and even lead him to the top of football immortality soon. The latter feat is something that Carroll could not give the Seahawks during Metcalf's time.

The Seahawks' new system

Mike Macdonald is already setting new trends with his squad. A big difference between him and Carroll is that the new Seahawks head honcho is more willing to hold joint practices with other NFL teams.

Just recently, it was announced that they are going to be holding drills and scrimmages with the Tennessee Titans. This was not something that Carroll did often, or even at all. In fact, this is the first time that the Seahawks will hold these types of activities since 1988. It shows that they are more integrated with other squads and what they are running. All of it can add up such that they are more prepared for the upcoming campaign.