Snubbed for Coach of the Year, Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Delivers Perfect Response Post Super Bowl Win

Mike Macdonald is among the youngest head coaches to win the Super Bowl alongside Mike Tomlin and Sean McVay but he didn't win the Coach of the Year award.

Snubbed for Coach of the Year, Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Delivers Perfect Response Post Super Bowl Win

Mike Macdonald reacts to being snubbed for NFL Coach of the Year title (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Mike Macdonald became one of the youngest head coaches to win a Super Bowl after the Seahawks defeated the Patriots.
  • Despite not winning the NFL Coach of the Year title, Macdonald expressed satisfaction with his Super Bowl victory.
  • Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold played a crucial role in the team's success, according to Macdonald and linebacker Ernest Jones.

Mike Macdonald joined Mike Tomlin and Sean McVay as one of the youngest head coaches to win a Super Bowl after the Seahawks defeated the Patriots. That said, Macdonald did not win the 2025-26 NFL Coach of the Year title. It was won by the man whom he outclassed on Sunday in California, Mike Vrabel.

Macdonald isn’t bothered by not winning an individual award because he’s the head coach of a Super Bowl-winning team, a rare accomplishment that only a select few gets to enjoy. He made that clear during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl parade earlier this week.

With the Lombardi Trophy in hand, Macdonald declared,“I think I will take this trophy instead.”

According to reports from the Associated Press and NFL.com, Mike Vrabel was named the 2025 Coach of the Year with 19 first-place votes, followed by Jaguars coach Liam Coen. Macdonald received the third most votes.

Vrabel prevailed in a close vote, finishing with 302 points (19 first-place votes). Jaguars HC Liam Coen came in second with 239 points (16), with Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald, Bears HC Ben Johnson, and 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan rounding out the top five.

Michael Baca wrote in an article right after Vrabel was announced as the winner at the NFL Honors

Vrabel took a Patriots team that went 4-13 in 2024 and transformed them into AFC East champions. They went 14-3 in the regular season, took down the Chargers, Texans, and the Broncos in the playoffs to set up a Super Bowl bout against the Seahawks.

Seattle’s defense made life miserable for Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, sacking him six times and forcing three turnovers.

Mike Macdonald opens up about the harsh reality of becoming Super Bowl Champions

The Seahawks didn’t have high enough chances to win Super Bowl LX. They were far down the line behind the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills, and a few others. The addition of Sam Darnold as the quarterback failed to excite much hype around the league.

Snubbed for Coach of the Year, Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Delivers Perfect Response Post Super Bowl Win
Seahawks quarterback #12 Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald (Image via IMAGO)

But the Seahawks fans were optimistic about the rebuild. Their patience was rewarded when Seattle reclaimed the NFC West crown for the first time since 2020. In the playoffs, the Seahawks defeated rivals the 49ers and a strong Rams team in the conference title game.

2014 was the last time they reached the Super Bowl, which ended in heartbreak at the hands of the Patriots. History didn’t repeat itself as the Seahawks ran out 29-13 victors.

In the recent CBS Sports survey, the Seahawks and the Rams boast the best odds of winning Super Bowl LXI at the Rams’ home stadium next year. Macdonald stated that this puts a target on his team’s back.

We know that we’re target No. 1 now. But again, it’s really gonna be our mentality for us to keep pushing the envelope with our personnel, where we can take things at our speed.

Macdonald said via Jeremy Bergman of NFL Network

Macdonald also defended Darnold, who also became a first-time champion. Most critics will hate to admit it, but Darnold played a key role in the Seahawks’ second-ever Super Bowl triumph. Sure, the defense led by Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Devon Witherspoon had a fantastic year, but without Darnold’s efficient game management, the Seahawks wouldn’t have made it this far.

All [Sam] has done since he’s walked in the door has just been a tremendous player on our football team and a tremendous leader who is the same guy every day. And that’s who he is. And that’s how we need to talk about him moving forward.

Macdonald said

If it seems like a coach is showing bias toward his QB1, here’s a quote from Seahawks LB Ernest Jones.

If you got anything to say about my quarterback, you got anything to say about my defense, you got anything to say about my O-line, and you got anything to say about the city of Seattle, I got two words for you: F*** you!

Darnold signed a three-year contract that was basically just a one-year prove-it deal. The Seahawks held the power to cut the journeyman quarterback if the results didn’t meet their expectations. Needless to say, they did. That said, he didn’t earn any money by winning a ring.

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