Mike Macdonald is in his first offseason as a head coach with the Seattle Seahawks, and while he could have pushed his players with a final mandatory minicamp practice, he rewarded them with a day off, starting the summer break early to allow everyone to recharge before training camp opens at the end of July. Macdonald went into that decision, explaining that the effort level throughout the spring is why the Seahawks are getting the day off.

“Couldn't be happier with the effort,” Mike Macdonald said, via Corbin K. Smith of All Seahawks. “That's what I was just telling them. The effort, the intent, the energy, the attitude, all of the things we're asking them to do, they responded every day and I'm just really excited about where we're at. We've been going at it – we had the extra week – so I felt like it was an opportunity to get out of here healthy and have a great offseason.”

The Seahawks are in a unique spot, moving on from Pete Carroll, who was the head coach for the franchise for 14 years, winning the first Super Bowl in the team's history in 2013. Pete Carroll went 227-137-1 overall with the Seahawks, and was very respected all the way to the end. Wide receiver DK Metcalf emphasized how different it is not having Carroll as his head coach. It would be a surprise if other players on the Seahawks did not have a similar affinity for him.

Because of that, it might be a move for Macdonald to get on the good side for the players early on in his tenure. One minicamp practice should not make much of a difference in performance in the grand scheme of things. Training camp is when things will ramp up when it comes to really preparing for the upcoming season.

Mike Macdonald's coaching resume

Macdonald was one of the more attractive names during coaching searches this offseason, and the Seahawks definitely feel good about landing him. Macdonald and Ben Johnson, who ended up staying as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, were big names in this hiring cycle.

While working up the ranks as a coach, Macdonald started off in high school before becoming a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia and becoming a defensive quality control assistant after that. He went to the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 as a coaching intern, then worked his way up under John Harbaugh from an intern to a defensive assistant, then defensive backs coach and finally to linebackers coach, which led to him going to Michigan for one year in 2021 as a defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh. Macdonald returned to Baltimore as a defensive coordinator in 2022, replacing Wink Martindale.

After spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a defensive coordinator with the Ravens and finding a lot of success, he landed a head coaching job with the Seahawks after receiving interest from many teams.