Mike Macdonald isn’t spending much time looking over his shoulder at the rest of the NFC West.
With the division being talked up as one of the league’s toughest, the Seahawks head coach made it clear he’s not interested in scoreboard watching or roster envy. The 49ers are coming off a playoff win and, as Vic Tafur of The Athletic noted, are “healthy” again after dealing with an injury mess. The Rams, meanwhile, were a win from the Super Bowl and added pass-rusher Myles Garrett from the Browns in June, with defensive star Aaron Donald possibly returning soon.
But Macdonald’s focus stays squarely on Seattle.
“I don’t care,” Macdonald recently said about the states of other teams, per Tafur. “Don’t care.
If you start worrying about what everybody else is doing, it’s just mentally taxing. It’s so much easier if you don’t.
Let’s just worry about the Seahawks and being the best version of ourselves and getting better every day.”
The Seahawks are entering September as the reigning Super Bowl champions, and Macdonald doesn’t sound rattled by the idea of facing the 49ers and Rams twice each in the coming season. He brushed off the notion that the division’s upgrades should change Seattle’s approach.
The offseason arms race has been loud. San Francisco added longtime Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans in free agency. Los Angeles brought in cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson before the Garrett deal, and Garrett officially became a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year this past February.
Oddsmakers have taken notice, too. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Rams as the overall favorites to win Super Bowl LXI in February 2027 at +550. The Seahawks were fourth at +1100, with the 49ers sitting at +1900.
Macdonald, though, isn’t reacting to any of that.
“No reaction,” he said about the Rams and 49ers presumably strengthening their rosters during the offseason. “I mean, look, those are great players, and they’re doing what they do.
It probably feels like that’s what’s best for their teams, what they need to do, and that’s good. When it’s time to play those guys, we’ll be ready and put together a game plan and go rock and roll.”
Seattle’s first test comes Sept. 9, when it opens the 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots. That Patriots passing game is expected to be better after the team acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Eagles in June.
Macdonald summed up the league’s annual churn in simple terms.
“Every team is going to grow every year,” Macdonald added. “That’s just the way the NFL goes.”
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