Mike Macdonald, Seahawks Looking to Capitalize on 'Head Start' to Offseason

When the NFL wild card round opened on Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks had already kicked off their offseason after failing to make the playoffs, a result that coach Mike Macdonald doesn't plan on becoming a regular occurrence.

But after finishing a 10-7 campaign - the most wins for the franchise since 2020 - Macdonald sees a silver lining in Seattle's earlier-than-expected end to the season. While 14 teams will be competing in the postseason, he and general manager John Schneider will have a chance to get a leg up on other teams in regards to fortifying the coaching staff and getting a jump start on free agency before the new league year starts on March 12.

"The opportunity that you're presented with is you do have a head start on the rest of the league to a certain extent," Macdonald said in his end of season press conference. "So this is something we really have to make sure we take advantage of. This is a position we don't want to be in ever again, so hopefully make the most of it and now we're kind of spring-boarding into creating those opportunities."

Confident in his convictions when it comes to improving every operation of his football team, Macdonald didn't waste time cutting ties with one of his coordinators, dismissing Ryan Grubb less than 24 hours after a season-ending win in Los Angeles after Seattle's offense underachieved and finished 19th in points scored and 29th in rushing.

In the aftermath of that firing, the Seahawks joined seven other teams in the hunt for a new offensive coordinator, including six franchises searching for a head coach and a whole new staff. Quickly getting to work pursuing potential candidates to succeed Grubb, the team already has been linked to three candidates for interviews, including Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, with more to come.

As Macdonald opined on Tuesday, he believes Seattle offers the "best job out there" with a young core of players headlined by DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Ken Walker III among others. The team also has a proven veteran quarterback in Geno Smith, though the coach acknowledged that his status with one year left under contract and questions about whether or not he will be extended this offseason will be on the table speaking with coordinator candidates.

"Anytime you're bringing anybody in coaching-wise, you want to understand what their vision is based off the players that we have and how they would kind of deploy everything," Macdonald explained. "That's going to be definitely a topic of conversation."

Hiring a new coordinator will be the first domino that falls for the Seahawks, but that decision will undoubtedly have ripple effects on several other decisions looming in coming weeks and months.

Smith, who earned $6 million in contract escalators in the season finale, will enter the final year of his deal carrying a $44.5 million cap hit, the seventh-highest cap hit for a quarterback in the NFL in 2025. An extension could lower that cap hit, but it would also potentially create financial issues down the line, especially if he desires a significant raise from the three-year, $75 million deal he signed two years ago after winning Comeback Player of the Year.

Though he admitted Smith's contract situation sits above his pay grade and several factors will play into what happens next at the quarterback position for Seattle, Macdonald indicated he would like to see the two-time Pro Bowler back in 2025.

"I want Geno to be here," Macdonald said when asked about Smith's future. "I think he's a heck of a player. The first thing it always comes back to is what's best for the team. I feel like Geno's best for the team right now. I'll be involved with it. Ultimately it's not my decision, it's the Seahawks decision, but Geno knows how we feel about him and we love him as our starting quarterback for sure."

Smith isn't the only significant offensive player whose future with the organization remains uncertain either. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett each have one year left on their own contracts and have cap hits north of $30 million apiece, with the former likely commanding an even bigger contract with negotiations looming and the latter a strong bet to be a cap casualty coming off his worst season production-wise since his rookie year without taking a pay cut.

It's not out of the question Smith and Metcalf could each receive an extension, but it's also not impossible to envision a scenario where one or even both players wind up playing elsewhere in 2025. While unlikely, if the preferred coordinator comes on board with sights set on shaking up personnel to run his system, including under center, a reboot on that side of the football wouldn't necessarily come as a surprise.

Seattle isn't without tough contract choices on defense either. Along with needing to re-sign linebacker Ernest Jones, pricy veterans such as edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu and defensive end Dre'Mont Jones could be on the block either as trade chips or cap casualty candidates themselves with $20-plus million cap hits in 2025.

Given those impending roster choices facing Macdonald and Schneider, the Seahawks will have to expedite the process of finding Grubb's replacement while still making sure no stones remain unturned to ensure they land the right candidate. The good news, of course, is that being eliminated early has granted the organization a bit more time to maximize the search window.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Macdonald knows the Seahawks can't afford to whiff after the hiring of Grubb didn't pan out and that the hiring of a new coordinator will carry weight with numerous other decisions, making the next few weeks critical for the franchise's future as they look to avoid missing the playoffs this time around next year.

"It's a balance. You want to be efficient and be fast so you can get ahead, but you want to make sure you're making the right decision too. So, there's a balance there of being quick, but you want to be thorough as well."