Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald gets confusing low ranking after Year 1

Despite producing a 10-win season in Year 1, Mike Macdonald is still looking for respect

Dec 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, left, walks to the locker room following a loss against the Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

In his first year taking over for Pete Carroll as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald exceeded expectations by winning 10 games. While the team just barely missed the playoffs, it was still a promising start for the first-year head coach.

However, not everyone seems to be sold on Macdonald. Rotoballer's Mike Fanelli released power rankings for all 32 NFL head coaches and Macdonald was ranked way down at No. 23.

"Last offseason, the Seahawks moved on from Pete Carroll to hire Macdonald," wrote Fanelli. "He spent the past few years as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, leading one of the top units in the NFL. Seattle had a 10-7 record in Macdonald’s first year but missed the playoffs.

While Macdonald's ranking doesn't seem to reflect his impressive first year in Seattle, the man he replaced cracked the top 10. Carroll, who took the job as head coach of the Raiders back in January, came in at No. 8 on Rotoballer's power rankings.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll on radio row during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Carroll returns to head coaching after spending the 2024 season semi-retired, working in the Seattle Seahawks front office," explained Fanelli. "He brings his 170-120 career coaching record to the Raiders after posting a winning record with the Seahawks (137-89) and New England Patriots (27-21)."

Macdonald could quiet a lot of the doubters with another double-digit win season in 2025, however, that won't be easy considering the team's drastic offensive changes. The defense should be improved next season, but the offense will likely take a step back before it gets better.

Fresh off a career season in Minnesota, quarterback Sam Darnold will have to catch lightning in a bottle once again if the Seahawks expect to increase their win total.

Macdonald and general manager John Schneider took a big gamble by trading away two faces of the franchsie. We'll see if these bold moves pay off this season.

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