Why Mike Macdonald Is Sean McVay's Worthiest Challenger Yet

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.—The balance of power inside the NFC West is shifting, and the conversation is no longer about whether anyone can catch Sean McVay; it is about whether McVay can catch up to Mike Macdonald.

Less than two full seasons after the Seahawks hired the 36-year-old defensive mastermind away from Baltimore, Macdonald hoisted the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy with a Super Bowl LX triumph that has ignited debate across league coaching circles. The victory not only ended Seattle’s 15-year championship drought, it also placed Macdonald on equal footing with McVay in the only metric that ultimately matters: rings.

“And just like that, Macdonald is just as accomplished as McVay, with both having one Super Bowl title,” said Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano, who was first to frame the argument that the division now belongs to Seattle. “Macdonald has already done what Shanahan has failed to do in two Super Bowl appearances.”

The Seahawks’ conviction in Macdonald was evident from the introductory press conference. Moving on from Pete Carroll after 14 seasons and a franchise-best 170 victories required conviction; replacing him with a first-time head coach who had never coordinated on offense required fearlessness. Seattle bucked the league-wide obsession with offensive play-callers and entrusted its rebuild to a defensive architect who had overseen the NFL’s most versatile unit in Baltimore.

Impatience with early defensive returns prompted an immediate roster overhaul. Seattle traded for linebacker Ernest Jones IV, whose 11-tackle masterpiece in the Super Bowl validated the gamble. An even bolder offensive facelift followed: Geno Smith, DK Metcalf and coordinator Ryan Grubb exited; Sam Darnold, soon-to-be Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and first-round rookie guard Grey Zabel arrived. The result was a balanced, battle-tested ensemble that peaked at the perfect moment.

Yet the sample-size police urge restraint. Macdonald’s 3-2 all-time record against McVay includes a pair of razor-thin victories, one sealed by a chaotic backwards-pass two-point conversion that officials ultimately awarded. McVay, remember, had Macdonald on the ropes in Year 1 while playing with backups, and the Rams coach now has an offseason to recalibrate his defense and special-teams units that lagged behind Seattle’s championship iteration.

Year three of the rivalry—projected to feature a healthy Zach Charbonnet and a fully stocked Seahawks arsenal—will likely settle the debate. For the moment, however, the coach who once hunted for the “next McVay” has become the one McVay must hunt.

Seattle struck gold by zigging when the league zagged. The payoff is a title, a confident front office and a head coach who no longer sits in anyone’s shadow.