How Seahawks reportedly beat out Commanders to hire Mike Macdonald
They were just 23 of Mike Macdonald’s 1,367 words during his opening statement Thursday after being introduced as the ninth coach in Seahawks history.
But those 23 words about the involvement of team chair Jody Allen might have said as much as anything.
“Her investment in this city and how much she cares about this team became very obvious to me, and that was very appealing,” Macdonald said.
Maybe you’d expect Macdonald to say that, especially in a celebratory setting.
But a story Monday in The Athletic appeared to support the observation Macdonald made in his first few days after meeting Allen.
In a story detailing the Washington Commanders’ head-coaching search, The Athletic reported the team thought it was in good position to possibly hire Macdonald last week after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had pulled his name out of the running, “until the Seahawks swooped in with more money.”
Macdonald received a six-year contract, according to the NFL Network, with some conjecture putting its worth as much as $9 million annually.
Washington had held a virtual interview with Macdonald, then the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, in the week after the regular season ended, and an in-person interview last Monday, after the Ravens lost the AFC title game.
Both of those came before Seattle was able to hold its first interview with Macdonald, in person in Baltimore on Tuesday. That might have convinced the Commanders that they were in good stead with Macdonald, who wouldn’t have had to make much of a move in locale by taking the Washington job.
