Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald stands on the sideline during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Analyst: Mike Macdonald in for ‘real test’ in 2025 with Sam Darnold

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Seth Trachtman of Yardbarker recently ranked the league’s 32 head coaches. Andy Reid sits at the top of the list and understandably so. So what about Seattle Seahawks’ sideline leader Mike Macdonald, who only has one season as an NFL sideline leader on his resume? He owns the No. 21 slot.

“It’s never easy to replace a legend,” explained Trachtman, “as Macdonald did when he replaced Pete Carroll in Seattle last season. The team was a satisfactory 10-7, but the real test will come this year with more of his own players and new quarterback Sam Darnold. The NFC West looks difficult again as Macdonald tries to prove himself after showing himself to be an elite defensive coordinator in Baltimore.”

Seahawks’ head coach Mike Macdonald has his challenges in 2025

That “satisfactory” season is somewhat noteworthy considering the Seahawks were the only team in the league to win at least 10 games and not make the playoffs in 2024. Macdonald’s club finished with the same record as the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams. Seattle lost out on a division title via the dreaded “strength of victory” tiebreaker.

Back to Darnold, who comes off a career year with the Minnesota Vikings in which he earned his first Pro Bowl invitation. Granted he put up big numbers with the Purple Gang, but the season ended with a thud. He struggled mightily in the season-ending loss at Detroit, and then couldn’t escape the Rams’ pass rush in the wild card loss to Sean McVay’s team.

Of course, Darnold was a big part of general manager John Schneider’s massive overhaul of the club’s offense this offseason. From the well-traveled quarterback to the coordinator (Klint Kubiak) to new veteran wideouts (Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling) to using nine of his 11 draft choices in April on this side of the ball. There’s a lot of promise for this club, but plenty of challenges ahead for the promising second-year head coach.