The Open Field: How would you define success for Mike Macdonald’s first season?

The Seattle Seahawks are entering a new era of football. Pete Carroll has been moved to an “advisory” role, John Schneider has assumed full personnel control as general manager, and the new head coach is a rookie.

Mike Macdonald has been regarded as one of the great young minds in the National Football League. Two standout seasons as Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator made him a hot head coaching candidate, and the Seahawks wasted no time hiring him after the Ravens were eliminated in the AFC Championship Game.

The Seahawks roster, particularly on defense has undergone a fair bit of churning this offseason. Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams are all gone. Seattle’s entire starting interior offensive line from 2023 is no longer on the team, paving the way for rookie Christian Haynes and second-year center Olu Oluwatimi to get into the starting lineup.

You have major turnover at key positions and a new coaching staff, all while playing in the tough NFC West. There are no big expectations of the Seahawks randomly becoming Super Bowl contenders this season, but how would you define a successful season for the Seahawks and for Mike Macdonald in 2024? We know what the ultimate success is but most teams realistically have no shot.

This is not a poll for a reason; your version of success may not be rooted in absolutes with wins and losses. General improvement and signs of a team on the rise whether they’re in the playoffs or not may be enough to satisfy you. Or perhaps you believe Macdonald is in a position where he should get Seattle back into the postseason, if not win a playoff game. It’s not just about Macdonald and the Seahawks players, it’s also about the coaching staff and first-year NFL coordinators Ryan Grubb, Aden Durde, and Jay Harbaugh. We may see some growing pains in 2024, but will there be a nice payoff in the long-run?

Let us know in the comments!