ExtremeRavens Posted January 31 Posted January 31 After masterminding a historic defense for the Ravens in 2023, Mike Macdonald will get a shot to run his own team next season. The Seattle Seahawks are hiring Baltimore’s defensive coordinator to be their next coach, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Baltimore Sun. At 36 years old, he will be the NFL’s youngest head coach. NFL Network, which was first to report the news alongside ESPN, reported Macdonald has signed a six-year deal. He replaces Pete Carroll, 72, who stepped down earlier this month after 14 seasons in Seattle, where he led the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl title in 2013. This season, Seattle finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Macdonald, meanwhile, had become one of the hottest candidates in the league, interviewing this year with at least a half-dozen teams after helming a Baltimore defense that over the past two seasons ranked in the top five in scoring, total yards, rushing yards, red-zone touchdown rate and third-down conversion rate. Along the way, he also drew high praise for his intelligence, high-level defensive schemes that wreaked havoc for opposing offenses, as well as his ability to connect with players. This season, the Ravens became the first team in NFL history to have a defense that led the league in sacks (60), takeaways (31) and points allowed per game (16.1), despite fielding a unit that entered the year with questions about its secondary and defensive front and was without a bona fide pass rusher. They also ranked first in passing yards allowed per play, first in rushing touchdowns allowed per game, second in overall yards allowed per play and had several players who flourished in his scheme. Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a career-high nine sacks in the regular season, while fellow outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney also experienced a resurgence, matching his career high with 9 1/2 sacks. Defensive tackle Justin Madbuike, meanwhile, led all interior linemen with 13 sacks, while inside linebacker Roquan Smith led the team with 158 tackles and inside linebacker Patrick Queen surpassed his previous career high from a season ago with 133 tackles. Dubbed a “mad scientist” by Smith, Clowney, a 10-year NFL veteran, called Macdonald the smartest defensive coordinator he’s ever been around. He’s also been dubbed in league circles as a defensive-minded version of Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams coach who, at age 30, was the youngest NFL coach in history when they hired him in 2017. McVay then became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl and be named NFL Coach of the Year when the Rams won the title in the 2021 season. Like McVay, Macdonald’s rise has been rapid. He first arrived in the Ravens’ Owings Mills offices in 2014 as a coaching intern after serving as a graduate assistant and safeties and defensive quality control coach at the University of Georgia, and his brilliance and tireless work ethic quickly paid off. Macdonald was promoted to a defensive assistant the following year then continued to work his way up the ranks, serving as defensive backs coach in 2017 before being promoted to linebackers coach the next year. When the University of Michigan had an opening for a defensive coordinator after its 2020 season, Harbaugh suggested Macdonald to his younger brother Jim. In his first and only season in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines went from ranking 84th in total defense the year before to 20th. Michigan also routed Ohio State and went on to the College Football Playoff, with three of its defensive players being selected in the first 45 picks of the NFL draft. Following the departure of defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale after Baltimore’s 2021 season, Harbaugh lured Macdonald back for the opening, and in his first season as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, only four teams had more sacks. This season, Baltimore’s defense produced two All-Pros — Smith and safety Kyle Hamilton — and four Pro Bowl selections, including Queen and Madubuike. Said Clowney: “I’ve been saying it since I got here, Mike Macdonald is the smartest defensive coordinator I’ve ever had.” And now he’ll take his talents to Seattle. This story might be updated. View the full article Quote
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