The Seattle Seahawks are headed into training camp with a fresh reminder that even a championship doesn’t settle every argument. AP writers ranked Mike Macdonald second among head coaches in the NFC West, slotting him behind Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.
That placement comes despite Macdonald guiding Seattle to its second Lombardi Trophy, a run that ended with a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. The Seahawks also knocked off the division-rival Rams and San Francisco 49ers earlier in the postseason.
McVay’s edge in the voting is understandable on paper. He has the longer résumé, and both coaches have one Super Bowl victory.
Still, the comparison gets complicated fast. McVay last won the title in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, and since then the Rams have won only three postseason games in four seasons.
Seattle, by contrast, won three postseason games during the 2025 season alone.
The top spot in the AP rankings went to Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, even though the Chiefs missed the postseason in 2025 after finishing 6-11. That was the first losing season of Reid’s Kansas City tenure and only the second time the Chiefs failed to reach double-digit wins under him. Even so, his run of nine straight division titles, seven straight conference championship game appearances and three Super Bowl wins gave him plenty of cushion.
For now, the ranking is mostly fuel for fan debate. It won’t mean much once the season starts, and Seattle and Los Angeles won’t meet again until Christmas Day in Week 16, when the Rams come to Seattle.
Until then, the AP voters can make their case. Training camp is about to open, and the next round of evidence is coming soon enough.
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Josh Sweat is the name floating in that discussion, and there are reasons he would make sense in Seattles front. He is coming off a career-best 12 sacks, and his ability to work in both 3-4 and 4-3 looks would give Mike Macdonald another versatile piece to deploy. The question is whether the Seahawks would really push hard enough to make a rare intra-division deal happen, or whether this stays in the realm of a tempting idea that never quite gets over the line. [Read more 🡒]
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Two Seahawks Rookies Are Suddenly Pressuring Week 1 Roles
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