INDIANAPOLIS—Before Mike Macdonald began his NFL coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens, beginning a climb up the coaching ranks that culminated with him being named the head coach of the Seahawks this offseason, there was a job he interviewed for and didn't get.
Following four seasons at Georgia as a graduate assistant and defensive quality control assistant, Macdonald became a coaching intern for the Ravens, but prior to that, he was up for an internship on the player personnel side of the organization.
"People may not know this, we interviewed Mike in scouting as a player personnel assistant," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine. "He didn't get the job, but (he's) a very, very thoughtful, very smart guy. We brought him back on the coaching staff."
And while Macdonald didn't land that job in the front office, he did end up with the Ravens for nine of the past 10 seasons, including the last two as defensive coordinator, and it's no surprise to those who know him best that Macdonald is now a head coach.
"He'll do great," DeCosta said. "… Very innovative, organized, he's a motivator, he's a great person, respectful, players love him, coaches love him. He's a home-run hire by the Seahawks."
Longtime Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who gave Macdonald his start in coaching a decade ago, and who made Macdonald his defensive coordinator in 2022 after he spent one season at Michigan in that same role, has little doubt that his protégé will find success as a head coach.
"I think Mike will do great," Harbaugh said. "Mike's great. A couple years ago, everybody was like, 'Why Mike Macdonald?' Now I can go, 'Well, that's why. You saw it.' He's a great guy, he's a great coach, he's very diligent. Yes, he's smart, he's thoughtful, but he's fundamentally grounded and he's very diligent. Every single day, all he thinks about is ways to help the guys be as good as they can be, or attack the offense that he's going against. I do think he'll expand that being a head coach, he'll take those qualities and apply them to being a head coach and do a great job."
And Harbaugh wasn't the only head coach praising a former assistant who found a new home in Seattle this offseason. Dan Quinn, who was recently hired as Washington's head coach, worked with new Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde both in Atlanta, where Quinn was head coach, and most recently in Dallas when Quinn was defensive coordinator and Durde was the defensive line coach.
"I'm super proud of the man," Quinn said. "AD started with us through the fellowship program in Atlanta, then was hired on as an assistant from there. So seeing the last seven years together, seeing personal growth at these rates that were just remarkable to see—one of his superpowers is building a connection between people. He's a master teacher and a master connecter of people. I thought going (to Dallas) I'd help mentor on the D-line; he didn't need my help on that. He was ready to go. I'm super proud of him, he's going to do great things up in Seattle. His connection his ability to teach is really one of the things that sets him apart, and they're very fortunate to have him."
With the hiring of Mike Macdonald as the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, take a look back at his career. Macdonald spent nine of the past ten seasons on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff serving as a defensive assistant.
Mike Macdonald (Photo by John Kelley)
Mike Macdonald (Photo by John Kelley)
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Photos courtesy of the University of Michigan Athletics.
Baltimore Ravens new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, left, and head coach John Harbaugh answer questions during an NFL football news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald answers questions during an NFL football news conference, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald answers questions during news conference after an NFL football practice Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald answers questions during a news conference after an NFL football practice, Wednesday, June 1, 2022, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during pre-game warm-ups before a NFL preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans, Thursday, Aug 11, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during pre-game warm-ups before a football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald takes questions from the media before NFL football practice Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on prior to an NFL preseason football game against the Washington Commanders, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 29-28. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during the first half of an NFL preseason football game between the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 29-28. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during the first half of an NFL preseason football game between the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 29-28. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald walks the sidelines before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Ravens defeated the Jaguars 23-7. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. The Ravens won 56-19. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on prior to an NFL football AFC divisional playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Baltimore. The Ravens won 34-10. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald talks to the media during an NFL football media availability, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald talks to the media during an NFL football media availability, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald looks on prior to the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. The Chiefs won 17-10. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
