Fresh off winning the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald received some lofty praise from his biggest coaching mentor.
How a weaker 2026 draft already factored into Seahawks’ moves
Prior to being named Seattle’s head coach in 2024, Macdonald spent nine seasons in Baltimore working under former longtime Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, including two success-filled seasons as Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.
The 63-year-old Harbaugh, in many ways, helped shape the 38-year-old Macdonald.
But as Harbaugh embarks on his first season as the New York Giants’ head coach after 18 seasons in Baltimore, he’s now studying how Macdonald built a Super Bowl champion in Seattle.
“Mike’s amazing,” Harbaugh said when asked about Macdonald at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday. “And to see that happen for them, the type of team they built – I guess probably more than anything – it’s really kind of studying the type of team that they built. He and (assistant head coach) Leslie Frazier, as partners in that process, (and special teams coach) Jay Harbaugh a part of that too.
“Seeing the team that they’ve built is reflective, I would say, for sure, of the team that we want to build in New York.”
Broncos coach: Nix what-ifs ‘unfair’ to Seahawks
One of the most consequential injuries of the 2025 NFL season came in the AFC Divisional Round, when quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle during the game-winning drive of the Denver Broncos’ 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills.
The injury ended Nix’s season and forced the Broncos to start backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC title game, which they lost 10-7 to the New England Patriots amid blizzard-like conditions in Denver.
Since then, some have played the what-if game and wondered whether the Broncos could have gone on to win the Super Bowl if Nix hadn’t gotten hurt.
During an appearance Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show, Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked whether he felt that’s fair or not.
“Well, I think it’s unfair a little to Seattle in that, look, they did it,” Payton said. “… But it’s tough. Look, it’s a grind to begin with, and then the further you go, the more difficult it will be if you lose. And so it’s tough to get to that spot in the playoffs and then lose to another good team.”
Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage
• What we know about the Seattle Seahawks’ 2026 coaching staff
• 3 options remain for potential Seahawks international game in 2026
• Seattle Seahawks star JSN: Cooper Kupp ‘changed my life’
• Why Seahawks’ DeMarcus Lawrence is an offseason storyline to watch
• Stacy Rost: How would a JSN megadeal impact Seattle Seahawks?