The Seattle Seahawks finally made their move on Wednesday morning, as they announced that Mike Macdonald would be taking over the head coaching duties for the team. It ends a long search that lasted a full three weeks, as they become the latest NFL team to be taken off the list for coaching vacancies.
Macdonald Becomes Youngest Head Coach In The NFL
A youth movement in Seattle: Seahawks are expected to hire Ravens’ defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as their new head coach, league sources tell ESPN. They’re still finalizing the deal, but Seattle has its man.
At 36, Macdonald now becomes the NFL’s youngest head coach. pic.twitter.com/uZ3vbXTS4n
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2024
The hiring symbolizes a massive change at the position, at least when it comes to age.
Seattle’s previous head coach, Pete Carroll, was the oldest in the game. The now 72-year-old was at the helm for the Seahawks for 14 years, and had a highly successful run and is the most successful coach in franchise history.
But his departure is yet another aging coach leaving the game, as it also appears that Bill Belichick will be without a job for next season. There has been an influx in recent years of NFL teams hiring younger men to be their leaders, and Seattle is now a perfect example, as the oldest coach in the league will now be replaced by the youngest.
Macdonald is currently 36 years old, and displaces Jerod Mayo (who held the title for just a couple of weeks) as the youngest head coach in the game.
Who Are The Other Young Coaches In The Game?
At the age of 36, Mike Macdonald is set to become the youngest head coach in the NFL.
He is nearly 30 years younger than the oldest head coach in the NFL, Andy Reid. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/oTV9MHLtCL
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 31, 2024
But when it comes to the league’s history, Macdonald isn’t close to the youngest coach ever. That title still belongs to current Rams head coach Sean McVay, who was a month shy of his 31st birthday when he was hired by Los Angeles. And when it comes to the list of youngest coaches in the NFL, McVay is still present, and is the 3rd youngest at 37 years old.
Mike Macdonald – 36 Jerod Mayo – 36 Sean McVay – 37 Kevin O’Connell – 38 Shane Steichen – 38
Macdonald started as a coaching intern with the Ravens back in 2014. After working his way up to linebackers coach, he left for a year to be the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan in 2021. He returned to Baltimore after one season, and has been the team’s coordinator for the past two seasons.
The hiring of Macdonald leaves just one team still without a head coach. Seven of the eight vacancies have now been filled as we head into the month of February, with just the Washington Commanders yet to make a hire.
