The Seattle Seahawks' joint practice date with the Green Bay Packers is set, marking the second straight season the team will participate in a competitive preseason practice against another team. Last season, it was one of the biggest adjustments Macdonald made to the training camp process. Now, he's doubled down on it.
Green Bay will host Seattle for joint practice on Thursday, Aug. 21, ahead of the two teams' preseason game Saturday, Aug. 23. The Seahawks will be on the road for the session for the second straight year following their visit to the Tennessee Titans last season.
Last season's storyline was a reunion with safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, who were both let go ahead of the 2024 season and signed with Tennessee. There won't be any strong previous connections between the teams this time around, but joint practices are notoriously chippy most seasons.
When Pete Carroll teased the matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, there was hope this season's joint practices would be with Carroll's new team. The longtime Seahawks coach immediately shot it down, however, to nobody's surprise. Carroll was against joint practices and stated he still won't be doing them with the Raiders.
Following last season's joint practices, Seahawks safety Julian Love praised the process, stating, "It breaks the monotony of training camp, going against your own guys, you kind of know their style, so you're more so playing to the person as opposed to the scheme. So just seeing new looks, new things, new cadences, I think that's super important."
Macdonald also called it an "overall net positive" for the team. It was a positive enough experience for Seattle's head coach to keep his faith in the system.
Since the game against the Packers is the team's last of the preseason, the Seahawks will first play the Raiders on Aug. 7 and the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 15. The rookies will have already had their first taste of playing another team before moving that experience into a practice environment.
