​Mike Macdonald’s life just got doubly better and doubly busier. The Super Bowl-champion Seahawks coach and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting their second child, due toward the end of what will be Macdonald’s third season guiding Seattle in the NFL. The news came as a surprise to no one, announced by Macdonald on Thursday at the end of his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, during the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Stateline, Nevada on Lake Tahoe.
Macdonald is participating in the tournament this week, another outward sign of the rise in his profile. He described how quickly the past year and a half has passed since the birth of his and Stephanie’s first child, their son Jack. “We’re got another one on the way, so it’s going to be fun,” he told Patrick on air. When Patrick asked whether the couple knew the gender, Macdonald replied, “A baby girl,” and that she would arrive in December. Patrick teased that they might name her “Samantha” after Sam Darnold, to which Macdonald laughed. “We do have a name,” he offered, “but we’ll tell everybody that later.”
Macdonald’s remarks came at the close of a broad conversation with Patrick that touched on football, his belief that analytics are a useful tool to guide in-game decisions while he still heavily relies on his eyes and instincts, and how adept he has become at changing his son Jack’s diapers. He even joked that he can typically finish a diaper change in under the NFL play clock—40 seconds.
The discussion finished with Macdonald stressing the importance of work-life balance. He has established a pattern in his first two seasons since arriving from the Baltimore Ravens as their defensive coordinator to lead Seattle: keep Seahawks headquarters routines efficient and family time in view. He told Patrick that he tells his players and assistants, “If I’m making decisions after 9 p.m., we’re in trouble.”
As Seattle moves toward training camp, preparations are in motion. Rookies are scheduled to report to the team’s Virginia Mason Athletic Center on July 17, with veterans arriving July 24. The Seahawks’ first practice of training camp, defending their Super Bowl title, is set for July 25 and will be open to the public with registration on the team’s website.
Macdonald, who has helped steer Seattle to Super Bowl glory, now faces the added joy and responsibility of welcoming another child into his family. The timing aligns with a growing wave of attention around a coach who has balanced his rising fame with a grounded approach to life at home and on the field. The Seahawks’ long arc toward the new season begins with the certainty that life at home will be expanding just as the team expands its on-field ambitions.