Ravens' Mike Macdonald, Seahawks Agree to 6-Year HC Contract to Replace Pete Carroll

After surprisingly parting ways with longtime head coach Pete Carroll at the end of the 2023 season, the Seattle Seahawks have found his successor. The Seahawks announced Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald would be the team's new head coach on Wednesday.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz first reported the agreement.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported it's a six-year deal for Macdonald.

The Washington Commanders are now the only team that has yet to fill its head coaching vacancy.

Macdonald has spent much of his coaching career as a member of the Ravens staff, serving as defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He held multiple other positions under John Harbaugh from 2014 to 2020 before a brief stint as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan in 2021.

Macdonald has led a Ravens unit that ranked in the top three in scoring defense in each of the last two years, leading the league with just 16.5 points allowed per game in 2023. He will now bring his impressive defensive acumen to a Seattle team that ranked 25th after giving up 23.6 points per game.

The Seahawks announced on Jan. 10 that Carroll wouldn't return as head coach in 2024 but would "continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward." Carroll said he "competed pretty hard" to keep his job, but the team opted to go in a different direction.

Seattle went 9-8 this past season and missed the playoffs for just the fourth time in 14 seasons under Carroll. The team will have the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Carroll helped establish the Seahawks as a consistent playoff contender, so he surely will be a tough act to follow. He led the team to five division titles and the first championship in franchise history in Super Bowl XLVIII. He led Seattle to a second straight Super Bowl appearance the following year, but the team fell to the New England Patriots.

It will be up to Macdonald to lead the Seahawks back to glory. Seattle has a solid blend of youth and experience on both sides of the ball, but its first step is being more competitive in the NFC West. The Seahawks went 0-4 against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in 2023.