Mike Macdonald Earns Praise From John Harbaugh After Seahawks' Super Bowl Win

Macdonald's former mentor spoke highly of him at the scouting combine.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was brought up in the Harbaugh tree, working with either Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers head coach) or John Harbaugh (New York Giants head coach) every year from 2014-23.

John Harbaugh, in particular, has been a mentor for Macdonald during their shared time with the Baltimore Ravens. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Seahawks blogger Brian Nemhauser asked the Giants head coach if he had spoken with Macdonald since he became the third-youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl.

“I have, it went great. It was a big hug, you know, congratulations. He’s all smiles right now, can’t imagine why,” Harbaugh joked. “[It’s] well deserved. Proud of Mike, one of my favorite people."

Macdonald and Harbaugh spent a total of 10 seasons together with the Ravens. The only break in that tenure was in 2021, when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

Dec 11, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

“But Mike’s amazing, and to see that happen for them, the type of team they built — I guess probably more than anything — is really kind of studying the kind of team that they built," John Harbaugh said. "He and Leslie Frazier, as partners in that process, Jay Harbaugh, a part of that too. Seeing the team that they’ve built is reflective, I would say, for sure of the team that we want to build in New York.”

John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl with the Ravens before Macdonald got there back in 2012. He was the head coach in Baltimore for 18 years before being fired this offseason, and he quickly was hired by the Giants franchise, searching for a veteran coach.

Macdonald earned his first Lombardi Trophy much faster than many likely expected. The Seahawks were 9-8 the year before he took over, but it seemed like there was still plenty of work to be done on the roster and with the team's culture before they would be competing for a title.

Instead, Macdonald got it done in just his second season at 38 years old — setting the stage for a potential dynasty to once again rise in Seattle.

Macdonald getting affirmation from his mentor this quickly in his head coaching career has to feel good, and it should only motivate his work with the Seahawks even more.

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