The Seattle Seahawks have decided on Pete Carroll’s successor: Mike Macdonald will be the new head coach in the Pacific Northwest. A bold but understandable choice. But one important question remains to be answered.

The Seattle Seahawks are turning the clocks back once – and how!

Mike Macdonald, former defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, becomes the new head coach of the Seahawks. The team is thus creating a curiosity. While Seattle has always employed the oldest head coach in the NFL in Pete Carroll in recent years, the Seahawks now suddenly have the youngest in the league.

At 36, Macdonald is exactly half Carroll’s age. It’s a bold move, but it’s a perfect fit. After parting ways with coaching legend Carroll, who is now officially acting as a consultant in the background, the Seahawks wanted to initiate a rejuvenation and focus on new ideas, but without turning the culture of the franchise upside down.

The things that made the Seahawks great under Carroll should continue to be preserved. The mentality, a living winning gene, the cohesion in the locker room. Macdonald embodies all of that. Which also has to do with his CV.

Yes, Macdonald has no previous experience as a head coach; he is entering the new season as a rookie in this position. But he had perhaps the best teachers you can have when it comes to team leadership and management. Macdonald worked under both Harbaugh brothers

He was part of the Ravens since 2014 and worked his way up to linebackers coach by 2020. John Harbaugh was the head coach the entire time.

After seven years in Baltimore, the call came from the second Harbaugh brother, Jim Harbaugh. He made Macdonald defensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines college team. Success was immediate: Michigan fielded a top-10 defense in college football in the 2021 season.

Macdonald turned the Ravens into a defensive monster

After just one year, he went back to Baltimore, where John Harbaugh made him Don Martindale’s successor as defensive coordinator.

In two years with the Ravens, Macdonald formed an incredibly strong defense that posed problems for pretty much any offense, no matter how good. In the 2023 season, the Ravens became the first team ever to lead the league in fewest points allowed, most sacks and most defensive turnovers.

The fact that Baltimore missed out on the Super Bowl again this year was not due to the Ravens’ defense. Now comes the logical step on the career ladder of an NFL coach – with a team that was particularly disappointing defensively last season.

Macdonald gets six-year contract in Seattle

Having played under John Harbaugh for many years, Macdonald knows exactly what it takes to provide continuity in a franchise. Something that is also extremely important to the Seahawks, as they signed Macdonald to a six-year contract. Ideally, he should shape an era, just like Carroll did.

The Seahawks are also staying true to themselves and not taking the plunge on an offensive-minded head coach like Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. Which, however, leaves one important question unanswered.

After the departure of Shane Waldron to the Chicago Bears, the Seahawks are looking for a new offensive coordinator. And this decision must now be made very wisely by those responsible in conjunction with Macdonald.

Who will be offensive coordinator?

With a defensive head coach who is also a rookie in his new role, a strong playcaller is needed on offense. Someone who has a clear plan and can run an offense independently. Not an easy task for the new boss.

The Houston Texans could be a blueprint here. In a similar situation last year, DeMeco Ryans brought in Bobby Slowik from San Francisco, who turned C.J. Stroud into the presumptive rookie of the year and already one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Slowik had previously been offensive passing game coordinator with the 49ers.

But regardless of whether he brings an offensive coach with him from Baltimore or decides otherwise: If Macdonald gets lucky right away here, the future shines golden in the Pacific Northwest.