A week ago, Dontae McMillan was a spectator at a Seahawks game, though not the Seahawks you're probably picturing.
McMillan was at the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex to watch his alma mater, the Chief Sealth Seahawks, take on rival West Seattle High School.
After a phone call from his agent and a workout with the NFL version of the Seahawks early this week, McMillan will again be at a Seahawks game this weekend, but this time on the sideline at Lumen Field as a member of Seattle's practice squad for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
McMillan, an undrafted rookie running back, signed to Seattle's practice squad this week to provide added depth at that spot with Jadarian Price on injured reserve, Zach Charbonnet still on the physically unable to perform list, and practice squad back Jacardia Wright on the practice squad injured list. McMillan won't be suiting up for Sunday's game, but even getting this far is a big deal for a local product who overcame plenty to get this far in life.
"Man, I've been waiting for this since I was a kid, since I was eight years old," McMillan said this week. "I just feel like I was destined to be in this moment, and I'm going to continue to show that. I'm always going to be uncomfortable, never be comfortable."
McMillan, who spent training camp and the preseason with the Ravens, said there's something extra special about his next opportunity coming with his hometown team.
"It's a lot of eyes," he said. "I just know this, my community is really proud of me, my family, friends, everybody in the West Seattle community.
"It's a blessing. I just like it's all in God's hands, and each and every day -- this is Day 2 -- I'm going to get better every single day. It's an honor to be here representing my home team and my community and my last name."
As detailed in a 2018 Seattle Times feature, McMillan and his twin brother, Jalanie, faced hurdles since birth, and spent most of their childhoods being raised by their grandmother, Vera Jimerson, who legally adopted the twins when they were right years old.
Vera Jimerson died in 2022 after a battle with liver cancer, and as McMillan chases his NFL dreams, he does so hoping to make her proud.
"That's my first love," McMillan said. "Words can't explain it. She took care of me my whole life. I didn't have my father or my mom in my life, it was just her. I learned everything based off of her. She passed away in 2022 due to liver cancer. She'd been fighting it for a couple of years, so to experience that, I was heartbroken, but at the same time, she knew that I was destined to be here in the NFL, she knew I was going to be successful, so I'm hoping to make her proud every single day."
After being released by the Ravens prior to the start of the regular season, McMillan returned to Seattle where he stayed ready for his next opportunity by working out with former NFL running back Myles Gaskin, another local product who spent time with the Seahawks last year. McMillan didn't know when his shot with a team would come, or that it would be with Seattle, but he's trying to capitalize on this shot with the Seahawks.
"It's a huge thing, because I never knew I was going to be here," said McMillan, who finished his college career at Eastern Michigan after starting out at Weber State. "Everything happened so fast, so honestly, this happening is still mind-blowing to me. So I'm just going to embrace it and be in the moment."
One Seahawks teammate who isn't surprised to see McMillan getting a chance is receiver Rashid Shaheed, who was a junior at Weber State when McMillan arrived there as a freshman. McMillan called Shaheed his "big brother" and Shaheed was excited to see McMillan in the locker room after this week's workout, which led to a signing.
"I remember us connecting (at Weber State), because he came and talked to a lot of the veteran guys to find the best ways to fit in and be his best," Shaheed said. "His mindset, realizing he was a young player but also that he could come in and help our team, that plays a big role in who he is today."
Growing up in West Seattle, Dontae and Jalanie attended Chief Sealth High School, as it was their local school, but Chief Sealth isn't known for its strong football programs, and with the Seattle School District having an open enrollment policy, they could have transferred to a school with better athletic programs, but that never interested Dontae despite the talents that eventually led to recruiting interest from Division I schools.
"I chose not to do that because I wanted to represent my community and just show kids that no matter where you're from, it can be a low-income community, wherever, believe in yourself, work hard, because that's what it's going to take -- dedication, hard work and just being confident in yourself," he said.
McMillan shares those same messages when he spends time with current student athletes at Chief Sealth. And only days after those Chief Sealth players got to hear from McMillan, he is validating those words of advice while continuing to pursue his NFL dreams.
"I was just there last week for a football game," McMillan said. "I try to stay in touch with the team, because I was a Chief Sealth Seahawk myself, I always tell them, 'Hey, just play football. Don't overthink it, you've been playing this sport since you were a little kid, just do your thing out there. They look up to me, and I'm always going to be there for them. I'm always going to be a Chief Sealth Seahawk."
Check out photos of the Seahawks 53-man roster for the 2026 season.
This is a 2026 photo of DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0)
This is a 2026 photo of Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3)
This is a 2026 photo of Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4)
This is a 2026 photo of Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Milroe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe (6)
This is a 2025 photo of Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7)
This is a 2026 photo of Cooper Kupp of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10)
This is a 2026 photo of Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11)
This is a 2026 photo of Ernest Jones IV of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13)
This is a 2026 photo of Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14)
This is a 2026 photo of Tory Horton of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15)
Seahawks cornerback Trevon Diggs (16)
This is a 2026 photo of Elijah Arroyo of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18)
This is a 2026 photo of Julian Love of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20)
This is a 2026 photo of Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21)
This is a 2026 photo of Rashid Shaheed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22)
This is a 2026 photo of Emanuel Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (23)
This is a 2026 photo of Rodney Thomas II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24)
Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith (27).
Seahawks cornerback Avery Smith (27)
This is a 2026 photo of Nehemiah Pritchett of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jobe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29)
This is a 2026 photo of Drake Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32)
This is a 2026 photo of Venus Jones Jr of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. (33)
Seahawks running back Robert Henry Jr. (34)
This is a 2026 photo of George Holani of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back George Holani (36)
This is a 2026 photo of Brady Russell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks fullback Brady Russell (38)
This is a 2026 photo of Ty Okada of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39)
This is a 2026 photo of Chris Stoll of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41)
This is a 2026 photo of Chazz Surratt of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44)
This is a 2026 photo of Tyrice Knight of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48)
This is a 2026 photo of Patrick OíConnell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Patrick O'Connell (52)
This is a 2026 photo of Olu Oluwatimi of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (55)
This is a 2026 photo of Dante Fowler of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (56)
This is a 2026 photo of Connor OíToole of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57)
This is a 2026 photo of Derick Hall of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58)
This is a 2026 photo of Jalen Sundell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61)
This is a 2026 photo of Christian Haynes of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64)
This is a 2026 photo of Charles Cross of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67)
This is a 2026 photo of Beau Stephens of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Beau Stephens (70)
This is a 2026 photo of Abraham Lucas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas (72)
This is a 2026 photo of Josh Jones of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Josh Jones (74)
This is a 2026 photo of Grey Zabel of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76)
This is a 2026 photo of Eric Saubert of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (81)
This is a 2026 photo of Montorie Foster of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. (87)
This is a 2026 photo of A.J. Barner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88)
This is a 2026 photo of Nick Kallerup of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Nick Kallerup (89)
This is a 2024 photo of Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90)
This is a 2026 photo of Byron Murphy II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91)
This is a 2026 photo of Mike Morris of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris (94)
This is a 2026 photo of Brandon Pili of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95)
This is a 2026 photo of Rylie Mills of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the roster as of June 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98)
This is a 2024 photo of Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99)
