He wasn’t supposed to look this comfortable this quickly. Mike Macdonald, 38, walked into Seattle as the NFL’s youngest head coach when he took over for Pete Carroll in January 2024. The resume didn’t scream savior, but youth has a way of turning heads. And by the time the dust settled on his first season, Macdonald had given the Seahawks something they hadn’t felt in years. A jolt of relevance!

The 2024 record says 10–7. That’s second place in the NFC West, just outside the playoff picture. Respectable but painful too, as they missed out on a playoff spot. The kind of year where you prove you belong, but still end up watching January football from the couch. It was steady growth disguised as disappointment. And for Seattle, a city still shaking the shadow of Carroll’s decade-long reign, it was a signal: this is going somewhere, which brings us to this week.

A simple question after August 29 practice, lobbed at Macdonald like any other, “How do you feel about how you guys stack up to your rivals in the NFC West?” Coaches usually dance here. They hedge, they keep it safe. Not Mike Macdonald. His response cut through the air like one of his blitz calls, “Bro, I really don’t care. I just don’t care. I just care where we’re at.” The cold look on his face and the statement said everything. That’s it. That’s the quote. No dressing it up, no diplomacy. No empty compliments for San Francisco, none for Sean McVay’s Rams, the reigning champs of the division. Not even a nod to Arizona. Just cold dismissal, delivered with the nonchalance of a coach who’s too locked in to bother playing the respect game.

Three rivals, brushed off in four words. If you’re the Niners, Rams, or Cardinals, you hear that and wince. If you’re Seattle, you grin. Because the youngest coach in football isn’t just talking about building something, he’s acting like he already has. However, when we look at last year’s NFL coaches’ rankings of the NFC West, per PFF, Macdonald sits at no. 3, behind McVay and Kyle Shanahan.

Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan sitting at the top feels right. Both have reached the Super Bowl twice, with McVay owning the ring. His résumé shows six playoff runs and four division crowns, while Shanahan has four playoff trips and three division titles of his own. Things get more intriguing with Mike Macdonald and Jonathan Gannon. Macdonald came out strong, guiding Seattle to 10 wins in his first year. Gannon’s record sits at 12-22, but he’s reshaped the Cardinals into a far better team than the one he inherited. And since Macdonald’s Seahawks swept Gannon’s Cardinals last season, the order makes perfect sense.

Anyway, it’s not Carroll’s rah-rah optimism. It’s not McVay’s polished charm. Mike Macdonald was blunt. And maybe that’s exactly what this version of the Seahawks needs. A coach who doesn’t care about optics, only outcomes. A coach who, one season in, already sounds like he’s done bowing to anyone. Macdonald’s first year was proof of concept. His second? It might be the year he makes rivals regret ever asking how they stack up.

Mike Macdonald predicted to be the best in the NFC West

The NFC West has been a San Francisco stronghold. But here’s the twist: Mike Macdonald is ripping that script to shreds. Jeff Howe of The Athletic dropped the warning, “Watch out for the Seahawks.” Insiders whisper that Seattle’s defense is about to bully the NFC. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori already looks like Kyle Hamilton’s clone. Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon? Pro Bowl anchors. Then you drop DeMarcus Lawrence into the mix. That front isn’t sneaky. It’s terrifying.

The stats hit harder than the hype. Seattle won six of its last eight in 2024. Allowed just 21.6 points per game in that stretch, per StatMuse. That’s not momentum. That’s Macdonald installing a Baltimore-style chokehold on the West Coast. And the offense? People called it a teardown. Geno Smith and DK Metcalf are gone. But look closer. Sam Darnold doesn’t have to save anyone. He just has to steer. Klint Kubiak’s scheme is plug-and-play precision. And Cooper Kupp now haunts DBs for Seattle instead of against them.

Look at the division. The 49ers are still loaded, but Jennings‘ contract drama lingers like smoke. The Rams are balancing on Stafford’s 37-year-old back. Arizona hasn’t made a monumental change. That leaves Seattle. A 10-win team last year. A roster remixed, not rebuilt. And a coach who doesn’t blink.

Week 1? 49ers. Week 2? Steelers. Week 3? Saints. The opening gauntlet is brutal, but it’s the perfect stage. If Seattle takes even two of those? The NFC West flips. Suddenly, it’s not just “Shanahan vs. McVay.” It’s Mike Macdonald barging through the door with a defense no one wants to see.