Following the 2023 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks made the bold decision to move on from Pete Carroll and named Mike Macdonald just the ninth head coach in franchise history.
Naturally, since the Seahawks only have eight previous coaches, the candidates for this particular list are rather limited.
The criteria for inclusion here factor in championships, winning percentage, longevity, and awards, but for those who have little or none of those to their name, the placement becomes more arbitrary. Only time will tell if Macdonald can become the next great Seahawks coach, but these are the former coaches he will look to pass during his tenure.
From Super Bowl champions to sub-.500 coaches, here are the five best head coaches in Seahawks history.
Seattle’s decision to move on from Pete Carroll had far more to do with his age than his coaching ability or body of work. Carroll holds almost every major coaching record for the franchise, including regular-season wins (137), winning percentage (.606), playoff victories (10), playoff appearances (10), and, of course, championships (1).
With all of this in mind, there isn’t a very compelling argument for anyone else. While Carroll’s tenure will be remembered for the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory, which capped off a legendary 2013 season, Seattle was far from a one-year wonder.
In his 14 seasons at the helm, Carroll never finished with fewer than seven wins and finished with a winning record in 11 of his final 12 seasons. In total, the Seahawks made 10 postseason appearances under Carroll and reached two Super Bowls.
Although this list strictly pertains to what each coach accomplished with Seattle, Carroll’s success at both the collegiate and professional levels puts him in an exclusive group, as he’s one of only three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a national championship.
If this is the end of Carroll’s coaching career, he has a lot to be proud of. His impact on the Seahawks and role in the organization’s only Super Bowl victory won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
The Seahawks snatched Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Holmgren from the Green Bay Packers following the 1998 season. To lure Holmgren away from the Packers and his Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre, Seattle granted him more authority, making him general manager and executive vice president in addition to head coach.
As an executive, Holmgren was inconsistent, leading to the termination of his general manager responsibilities after the 2002 season. He did, however, remain head coach and led Seattle to four consecutive NFC West titles from 2004 to 2007
The 2005 season was the pinnacle of Holmgren’s coaching tenure and saw the Seahawks reach their first Super Bowl, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Holmgren had already proven he could construct an offense around an elite quarterback in Green Bay, but it was in Seattle that he showed the league what he could do with a great running game. Shaun Alexander won league MVP and amassed a league-best 1,880 rushing yards in 2005, also adding an NFL-best 27 rushing scores.
Holmgren’s ability to play through his best players allowed his teams to reach their full potential. He retired after the 2008 season and is one of seven coaches to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl. Holmgren trails only Carroll on the all-time Seahawks win list with 86.
Leave a Reply