SI

Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Had Ice-Cold Message About Losing Coach of the Year Award

Mike Macdonald lost Coach of the Year to Mike Vrabel, but won the Lombardi Trophy instead.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald had the perfect message after losing Coach of the Year.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald had the perfect message after losing Coach of the Year. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Three days before the Seahawks were crowned Super Bowl champions, head coach Mike Macdonald lost the Coach of the Year award, finishing third in the voting behind Liam Coen and the winner, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

Both Vrabel and Macdonald were among a number of coaches deserving of the award this season, but Vrabel won after turning the Patriots from a 4-13 squad to the No. 2 seed in the AFC in just one year.

Ultimately, Macdonald got the last laugh as he led the Seahawks to a 29-13 victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl, a game that saw him out-coach Vrabel when it mattered most.

As the Seahawks celebrated their championship victory with a parade and festivities at Lumen Field on Wednesday, team play-by-play broadcaster Steve Raible introduced Macdonald to the podium by saying, “He should have been recognized as NFL Coach of the Year, but instead he will gladly take Super Bowl champion.”

Macdonald, with the Lombardi trophy in hand, came up to the mic and said, “I think I’ll take this trophy instead.”

This wasn’t the only jab the Seahawks took at the NFL Honors ceremony during their celebrations. Seahawks wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba was crowned Offensive Player of the Year, but presenter Druski pronounced his name wrong while announcing him as the winner.

After Smith-Njigba addressed the crowd on Wednesday, Macdonald came back up to the mic and said, “Put some respect on that man’s name.”


More NFL on Sports Illustrated


Published | Modified
Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.