Seahawks GM John Schneider on Mike Macdonald: ‘This is the future’

RENTON, Wash. — During his search to find Pete Carroll's replacement as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, general manager John Schneider was struck by something he heard on a podcast about hiring.

The message, Schneider said, was that regardless of the sector, “it’s all about who changes the market.”

“And it hit me,” he said. “Okay, when we interview all these people, who’s going to change the market?”

That's one reason why Schneider nominated Mike Macdonald for the job, calling the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator “disruptive” while citing his top-ranked unit in 2023 as proof. And that's why Schneider was willing to wait this long for the opportunity to interview Macdonald for the first time before making him the youngest head coach in the NFL at 36 years old.

“This is the future here, this is where it’s going,” Schneider said Thursday, sitting next to Macdonald during his introductory news conference at Seahawks headquarters. “I think you'll learn as you get to know Mike that he's a special guy.”

Macdonald, who was born in Boston and moved to Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, at age 6, called it a “leap of faith” to accept the Seahawks job, he and his wife both having grown up in the East.

“Going through the process and meeting John and the leadership team, I think the first thing that really struck me was the parallels with the organization that I've worked for for 10 years and where I really became the person and the man and the coach that I am today,” he said, referring to the Ravens. “And that appealed to me immensely. Hearing John talk about the people and the importance of these people was the reason we want to be here. It's a leap of faith, but it's a special city and it It's a great football town, man, and we have the best fans in the world.

“I understand where this organization wants to go and I feel like we agree on how we want to get there. I'm just ready to go.”

Macdonald wore a hooded dress under a blue sports coat with a “12” pin attached to his lapel. He had to cobble together the outfit after a frantic few days that included interviews with Washington commanders and the Seahawks following Baltimore's loss in the AFC championship game on Sunday.

The Seahawks were also looking at Ben Johnson for the job, after he conducted an initial interview virtually with the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator during the first week of the playoffs. But, as Schneider explained Thursday, administrative delays following the decision to move on from Carroll prevented the Seahawks from talking to Macdonald virtually that week while the Ravens were on a first-round bye. Because of this, NFL rules prohibited the Seahawks from having an initial interview with Macdonald until after the Ravens' season.

Schneider joked that he went to church the morning of conference championship games and “prayed that the Ravens and Lions would lose, which they both did.”

Schneider and the rest of the Seahawks contingent flew to Detroit Monday afternoon for an interview with Johnson, who informed Seattle and the commanders the next day that he remained with the Lions. The Seahawks traveled to Baltimore Monday night to meet with Macdonald the next morning.

“He crushed it,” Schneider said. “We came back here and it was gone.”

Macdonald credited Seahawks owner Jody Allen for empowering Schneider and having the patience to wait for him.

“Thanks for sticking around,” he said. “I wish we had to wait a few more weeks, but it happened quickly, but [we] I felt like it was a first class operation. Her investment in this city and how much she cares about this team became obvious to me, and it was very appealing.”

Would Schneider have waited two more weeks if Baltimore had reached the Super Bowl?

“The reputation was really strong,” he said. “So I can't say 100 percent, but the reputation was so strong [and] we didn't need to get there. I don't have to answer that question because we didn't have to.”

While he waited to meet with Macdonald, Schneider gathered information about him from several league sources, including others who had interviewed him for head coaching vacancies. Schneider had already been impressed with what Macdonald's defense did against Seattle in a 37-3 win over the Seahawks in November.

When they finally met face to face, Schneider became convinced that Macdonald was ready to become head coach.

“It was communication, leadership, clarity,” he said. “It's obvious with Mike. I had talked to several people who had interviewed him before, and they were like, 'Wait until you look in this guy's eyes, man. He's there, he's present, he's above.' And he was, and everyone in that room felt it.”

Allen gave Schneider a directive to find a coach who would maintain the Seahawks' “positive culture.” Macdonald never met Carroll – who agreed to take an unspecified advisory role within the team – but admired him from afar.

“Pete has a big personality, but it’s his own and it’s authentic to who he is as a person,” he said. “I think that's why the players resonate with him and why he has such a great reputation and his track record is what it is. I have a different personality and you will get to know me, but my plan is to be myself every day. and you'll just get me.

Macdonald has no update on how his coaching staff is coming together, other than to say he and Schneider have already started the process.

A report from Pro Football Talk on Thursday stated that Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who followed Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa from the University of Washington, is a candidate for the Seahawks' OC position. Grubb has not coached in the NFL, although Macdonald said NFL playing experience is not high on his list of requirements for the role.

“We're looking for the right person to come here and build this thing, so we want someone who's open-minded, who has a growth mindset, who can connect with his players and build a system that's unique to the Seattle Seahawks. It's going to last a long time and he's going to be the one to spearhead it,” he said.

As for his defense, Macdonald plans to call plays first, then eventually hand over those duties to a coordinator “when it becomes apparent that someone else is ready to go and we see them the same way.” Ravens linebackers coach Zachary Orr was a candidate to become Macdonald's DC in Seattle, a source told ESPN, but was promoted to that position in Baltimore.

No matter who coordinates his defense, Macdonald said it will continue to be adaptable and won't necessarily mirror what he ran with the Ravens.

“The spirit and principles of how we play, what you saw on the tape in Baltimore, will be the same,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee you that the patterns will be the same here because we don’t know yet what we are good at.”

Schneider and Macdonald have a decision to make this offseason on whether to move forward with quarterback Geno Smith, who is under contract for two more seasons and $47.5 million. That includes a $12.7 million base salary for next season that will be fully guaranteed if he's still on the roster on Feb. 16.

Backup Drew Lock is set to be a free agent.

“We played Geno,” Macdonald said. “He's a really good player. I'm pretty sure he's in the Pro Bowl right now. But we're going to build it around the quarterback. You have to do that. Just like we said on defense, we built a system around the quarterback. The players on defense. We're going to build it around the players on offense and the most important player is the QB.

“So we'll see how the situation develops over time, but I'm excited to meet these guys. … I spoke to Geno briefly after our match and told him how much I respected him – not expecting to “What I do. We'll see in six or three months or however much time has passed.”