Seahawks Prayed For Interview With Ravens Coach

The Seattle Seahawks were desperate to get their chance with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

Dec 11, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As the Baltimore Ravens made their run to the AFC Championship Game in January, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was steadily gaining traction as a promising head coaching candidate.

The problem was that interested teams couldn't interview Macdonald while the Ravens' season was ongoing. One team, the Seattle Seahawks, was particularly desperate to speak with Macdonald, and with Baltimore's postseason going to the end of January, desperate times called for desperate measures.

In a new interview with The Athletic, Seahawks general manager John Schneider revealed that he prayed for a Ravens loss in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, just to finally get a chance to speak with the young defensive coordinator.

“This is heathen s—,” Schneider said.

Fortunately for Schneider, and unfortunately for Ravens fans, his prayer came true as Baltimore fell to Kansas City by a score of 17-10. Macdonald's defense held up its end of the bargain, but some self-inflicted wounds on offense spelled doom for the Ravens.

Two days later, the Seahawks would finally get their long-awaited interview with Macdonald in Baltimore. A day after that, Seattle officially hired him as the ninth head coach in franchise history.

“He absolutely crushed his interview,” Schneider said. “The first part of it, two hours felt like 20 minutes. It was just a really clear, purposeful, great plan. He nailed it.”

Macdonald held a variety of roles throughout his first stint with the Ravens from 2014-2020, but after a year at Michigan in 2021, he returned to Baltimore as the defensive coordinator in 2022. The fruits of his labor were on full display last season, as the Ravens allowed a league-low 16.5 points per game and finished near the top of the league in several other key stats.

Now, Macdonald becomes the youngest head coach in the league at just 37 years old. It ill be a learning experience starting out, but he's ready for any challenge that comes his way.

“There will be a time for (reflection). I just don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Macdonald said. “But I definitely just feel very fortunate and very blessed. To do this job the right way, you’ve got to serve your team. You’ve got to be thinking about how you can help those people. That’s what has helped create these opportunities, being able to affect the people around you in a positive way. People realize that over time, and that’s when those opportunities are created.”

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