Mike Macdonald’s first season in Seattle came with the kind of pressure any NFL head coach would feel. It also came with something far more personal: a stretch he now calls the hardest period of his life.
The Seahawks coach opened up about that time in a conversation with Graham Bensinger, describing a run of days when he felt physically drained and emotionally worn down after arriving in Seattle in 2024. Macdonald, 39, had taken the job after two seasons as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, but the transition was anything but smooth. John Harbaugh didn’t let him bring any Ravens assistants with him, and his wife, Stephanie, stayed in Baltimore at first with the couple’s dog, Bruce, who died at four years old after suffering a seizure.
Then came more big news: Stephanie was pregnant with the couple’s first child. Even with that joy in the mix, Macdonald said the period was overwhelming.
"It was an extremely difficult time," Macdonald told Graham Bensinger. "I've never felt like that in my life.
I was sick. I'd get in bed as soon as I got home and I wouldn't get out of bed until I went to work.
I'd be late going to work. I wouldn't get out of bed all weekend.
You know, just sit in bed. It was crazy.
"Was it depression? I don't know.
Maybe. I find it hard to like self-diagnose depression.
There's serious cases of depression that are clinically diagnosed. For me, it's kind of irrelevant."
Macdonald said he eventually began to turn things around by leaning on Stephanie and his sisters, cleaning up his diet, exercising and taking long walks. Sometimes those walks doubled as phone calls with players. He said he began collecting what he called "physical and personal wins"
"I'd work out, walk, try to eat better," he said. "I was drinking a lot.
That was probably the toughest, most difficult stretch of my life. Honestly, that first few months."
On the field, the Seahawks still managed to go 10-7 in 2024 under Macdonald. Then the following season brought the ultimate payoff: an unexpected Super Bowl championship, capped by a dominant win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
After that game, Macdonald shared the celebration with Stephanie and their son, Jack. A post from Lila Rose captured the moment, with Macdonald and his wife talking about what mattered most after the title.
"Mike Macdonald celebrates winning the Super Bowl with his wife, holding their sweet baby, talking about how that is really what matters.
Mike’s wife: “You did it!”
⁰Mike: “We did it.”
⁰Mike’s wife: “And we did not care.”"
For Macdonald, the turnaround has gone beyond wins and losses. After a rough beginning in Seattle, he says he’s found something more stable off the field.
"I have joy," he said. "Am I always happy? ... I think I'm happy."
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