Mike Macdonald gets multiple votes for NFL Coach of the Year prediction

Mike Macdonald has the respect of football analysts.

Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Mike Macdonald is already one of the stronger head coaches in the NFL. He's a defensive mastermind, and he proved to at least be capable at the other elements of coaching last year in his debut, 10-win season for the Seattle Seahawks.

If his team takes a leap and he continues to excel, could he win Coach of the Year? Two voters with CBS Sports believe there's a distinct possibility, ranking Macdonald as one of the strongest candidates in 2025.

Two voters think Mike Macdonald can win COY

Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald exits the locker room before pregame warmups against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

There were 15 voters with CBS Sports who voted on all things, including MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and most importantly, Coach of the Year, which is the only place a Seahawk showed up.

Mike Macdonald finished tied for second in the voting, grabbing two votes and falling just shy of Sean Payton, who got three. Mike Vrabel and Matt LaFleur also got two votes, while Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, John Harbaugh, Liam Coen, Sean McDermott, and Todd Bowles all got one vote each.

They wrote, "LaFleur (+2200) and Macdonald (+1400) may well be squaring off for an NFC playoff spot. All in all, a whopping 10 different coaches received at least one vote here. That's 30% of the entire NFL. It's a testament to how varied this award can be, recognizing both dominance and exceeding of expectations."

That could work in Macdonald's favor. There's no clear favorite here, which makes it a fairly wide-open race. What would happen if Macdonald took Seattle's defense to new heights, got the best out of a remade offense, and defied the odds to make the playoffs with 11 or so wins?

The surprise teams usually get their coaches awards nods, and that would be the case here. No one things Seattle will be bad, but 11 wins and a playoff spot are not remotely guaranteed. If the Hawks are surprisingly good, then Macdonald could easily get COY love.

However, it will all depend on the offense. Macdonald's defense will thrive, but the team's success is going to come down to whether or not Cooper Kupp, Sam Darnold, and Klint Kubiak are better than DK Metcalf, Geno Smith, and Ryan Grubb.

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