Sources – Seahawks hiring Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as coach

SEATTLE — The Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald have agreed to a deal to make him their next head coach, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.

Macdonald was given a six-year contract, sources told Schefter.

The Seahawks decided to hire Macdonald after meeting with him a second time on Wednesday, a day after their first interview in Baltimore.

Macdonald, 36, becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL and brings to Seattle a reputation as one of the league's brightest defensive minds, having led the Ravens to first place in points allowed, sacks and takeaways in 2023, his second season as Baltimore's coordinator.

Seahawks executives, including general manager John Schneider, met with Macdonald for the first time Tuesday. A day earlier, Seattle had a second in-person interview with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who then told the Seahawks and Washington Commanders — the latter two teams with head coaching vacancies — that he stayed in Detroit. , sources told Schefter.

By replacing 72-year-old Pete Carroll with 36-year-old Macdonald, the Seahawks go from being the oldest head coach in the NFL to the youngest. Macdonald is 16 months younger than Jerod Mayo, who was hired by the New England Patriots earlier this month to succeed Bill Belichick.

Macdonald was one of the most targeted head coaching candidates this year. He interviewed six teams for their vacancies: the Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers and Commanders.

To replace Macdonald as defensive coordinator, the Ravens have plenty of options to promote from their current roster. Assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, inside linebackers coach Zachary Orr and defensive pass coordinator Chris Hewitt are all candidates for Baltimore after interviewing for defensive coordinator positions with other NFL teams this offseason.

Orr is also considered a candidate to become the Seahawks' defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN. Orr, a former NFL linebacker, spent the last two seasons working with Macdonald in Baltimore.

Macdonald made his NFL debut as an intern with the Ravens in 2014 after four seasons at the University of Georgia, his alma mater. He spent seven seasons on Baltimore's staff during his first stint with the team, also serving as a defensive assistant (2015-16), defensive backs coach (2017) and linebackers coach (2018 -20) under John Harbaugh before Harbaugh's brother Jim hired Macdonald as the University of Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2021.

Macdonald returned to Baltimore to coordinate the Ravens' defense in 2022. In Macdonald's two seasons in that role, Baltimore allowed the second-fewest points (17.5) and sixth-fewest yards (312.8) per game while ranking first in ESPN's defensive efficiency. metric. In 2023, the Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60), and most takeaways. takeaway (tied for first with 31) in the same season.

“I think [Macdonald is] the best candidate right now,” Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen said last season. “I don't think anyone does it like him. No one cares like him. No one will do what he does. He won't rest until everything is in order. Whoever gets it, if they leave, they'll have the best candidate. This guy is simply the best person I've ever been around, from a coaching standpoint. [and] from the person's point of view. He truly cares about the players, the people around the organization and the fans. »

Macdonald was born in Boston and attended high school in Roswell, Georgia, where his football career was cut short by injuries. He did not play college football and graduated summa cum laude from UGA in finance in 2010. While serving as safeties coach and defensive quality control coach for the Bulldogs, Macdonald earned his master's degree in sports management from UGA and earned a 4.0 GPA. in 2013.

Macdonald will become the eighth full-time head coach in Seahawks history. His hiring comes exactly three weeks after Carroll's 14-year tenure in Seattle ended, when team owner Jody Allen announced that Carroll would no longer coach the team, but instead would serve in a yet-to-be-formed advisory role. determine within the organization. Carroll had the final say on personnel decisions, a power that now rests with Schneider.

While Schneider led the search for Carroll's replacement, he said Allen — who took over the team when his brother, Paul Allen, died in 2018 — would have “a lot” of say in the decision. 'hiring. Schneider also said Allen gave him “clear” and “concise” direction to maintain the “positive culture of the organization, everything that was created here.”

The Seahawks conducted initial interviews with nine candidates and conducted second in-person interviews with most of them: New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, D.C. Dallas Cowboys Dan Quinn, Carolina Panthers DC Ejiro Evero. , Johnson and Macdonald.

The Seahawks did not conduct an initial interview with Macdonald during the Ravens' playoff bye week, meaning they had to wait until after the Ravens' season to meet with him. Because of this, his name went unnoticed as the Seahawks' candidate for much of their search until it gained momentum during Baltimore's run to the AFC title game, that they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs despite holding Patrick Mahomes to just 17 points.

Macdonald's first task will be to assemble a coaching staff. After leaving Carroll, the Seahawks gave his assistants permission to interview for other jobs. Several have already been hired elsewhere, including offensive coordinator Shane Waldron (who will become the OC of the Chicago Bears) and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt (who will become the defensive line coach of the Philadelphia Eagles), who are not expected to be retained in these roles by Seattle's next coach.

The Seahawks also must make a decision this winter on whether to pick Geno Smith as their starting quarterback in 2023. Smith's $12.7 million base salary for next season will be fully guaranteed on Feb. 16. He's still on their list at this time.

ESPN's Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.