Mike Macdonald
Graham Bensinger travels to Seattle for an in-depth profile of Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, fresh off a Super Bowl victory in just his second season leading an NFL team. Macdonald reflects on his unlikely rise from a low-level Ravens intern to championship head coach, while opening up about self-doubt, mental health struggles and his evolving relationship with longtime mentor John Harbaugh. Graham also spends time with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and gets a tour of Macdonald’s pristine 10-acre property near Seattle.
mike macdonald
CLIPS
Coach Mike Macdonald: Failing in front of my team is strangely liberating
Mike Macdonald gives insight into what he’s like when he’s not coaching, including his proclivity for telling bad jokes. He also reveals that he does great impressions, including ones of Jim Carrey and the Harbaugh brothers. Additionally, Macdonald responds to a comment from Sam Darnold that Macdonald will sometimes tell players that he’s unhappy with them without revealing what they should do.
Coach Mike Macdonald: I will be so awkward when I finally meet Griffey Jr.
Mike Macdonald reflects on his childhood love of sports, including his idolization of Ken Griffey Jr, who he was gifted a rookie baseball card of as a child. He also recalls how he used to listen to old Patriots games in the car instead of music. After discussing how Uncommon By Tony Dungy got him into coaching, he encourages young viewers to take the time to pursue their dreams.
The one question that got Mike Macdonald rejected from Harvard
Mike Macdonald reflects on his time in high school and college as a star student and athlete. He recalls the ambition and desire for status that led him to apply to (and eventually be rejected from) Harvard and eventually start coaching during his time at Georgia. Now, having achieved success he has worked towards, he discusses how the experience has allowed him to reexamine his priorities and stop trying to chase some idea of success.
Mike Macdonald: Coaching as an Introvert
Mike Macdonald explains what goes into his championship-level coaching style. On top of the smarts that earned him near-straight-A’s in college, Macdonald opens up about hiring a communication coach even after joining the Seahawks to help him connect better with the team. He admits that, as a natural introvert, he came into the HC job incredibly nervous and had trouble getting his message across.
Mike Macdonald: Sleeping at the Georgia facility, getting fake fired every other day
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald reflects on the years he spent chasing the dream, opening up about the many times he had doubts about his career or himself. He talks about his time coaching high school football while in business school, his years making just $450 a month working with the Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff, and his second thoughts even after achieving a dream job as linebacker coach of the Ravens.
Mike Macdonald: Sending a Lombardi Trophy to our guardian angel
Mike Macdonald reflects upon his early childhood, as well as his relationship with his parents and God. He recounts how his faith was shaken during his parents divorce and how he has learned so much about making memories for his child as a parent from his own mom. Additionally, he opens up about his father’s recent struggles with kidney disease and how it felt to get so close to losing a parent.
Mike Macdonald on leaving John Harbaugh’s shadow: Am I good enough?
Mike Macdonald discusses his experience leaving his job as DC of the Ravens to be HC of the Seahawks. He recalls his frustration with Harbaugh for not letting him take any of the defensive coaching staff with him and his gratitude for being part of John’s staff for almost a decade. When asked if he feels like he wasn’t given enough credit for his defensive contributions during his time with the Ravens, Macdonald claims he was given quite a bit.
Mike Macdonald on replacing Pete Carroll with literally no one by his side
Coming off of a Super Bowl win in his second season as an NFL head coach, Mike Macdonald looks back on his experience interviewing with the Seahawks and filling Pete Carroll’s shoes. He explains how he got the team on his side and the enormous impact of intimate walk-and-talks on the team’s culture. Seven months since the big win, he admits it hasn’t totally set in yet.
Mike Macdonald on the darkest stretch of his life: “It was paralyzing”
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald speaks openly about his struggles with depressive symptoms among the chaos of a sudden move to Seattle, the death of a beloved dog, and a first child entering his household. He admits that he could barely even get out of bed and that he was not a great leader his first season with the Seahawks, but that he finally got to the point where he felt like himself again in the latter half of the 2025 season.
Mike Macdonald: When I’m home, I want nothing to do with football
Mike Macdonald reckons with the demands of the Seahawks HC job. Having had essentially no free time his first season, he admits that his lifestyle comes with constrictions on how much time he can devote to his family. Despite this difficulty, he believes that he can do it all, and will shape his future life and career around the needs of his family and child.
NFL’s tech revolution: How Coach Mike Macdonald plans to weaponize AI
Mike Macdonald speaks on AI and its possible benefits for football from helping to keep players healthy and trained to finding weaknesses in opponents’ playcalling. He mentions how Vinod Khosla, who just bought the Seahawks, is very excited to champion AI in football and in general.
TOUR Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s stunning 10-acre Seattle sanctuary
Mike Macdonald shows Graham around the beautiful grounds of his 10-acre Seattle-area home including a pool and greenhouse. Inside, he shows off a hi-tech, but rarely used, home office and a state-of-the-art golf simulator that he doesn’t let himself play during the football season.
Mike Macdonald and wife Stephanie: The Bumble message that broke a Ravens rule
Mike Macdonald and his wife, Stephanie, reflect on their relationship and the transition into parenthood that came with the birth of their son. They recount the early days of their romance, when Stephanie, a cheerleader on the Ravens at the time Mike was working there, was not allowed to date any of the coaching staff. Mike and Stephanie also discuss the challenges of raising a family and keeping a marriage healthy despite the demands of Mike’s career.
Boston or Seattle? Rapid fire with Coach Mike Macdonald
Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald plays this-or-that sponsored by Twix.