Mike Macdonald reached the height of his profession this past February after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl title. The championship was the culmination of a two-year journey for Macdonald that included the most challenging period of his life.
Macdonald, 39, became Seattle's head coach following a successful, two-year stint as the Ravens' defensive coordinator. He went to Seattle alone; then-Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn't allow Macdonald to take any of Baltimore's other assistant coaches with him, and his wife, Stephanie, initially stayed in Baltimore with the couple's dog, Bruce, who passed away expectantly at four years old after suffering a seizure.
Not long after, Stephanie announced she was pregnant with the couple's first child. And while that was undeniably good news, it was part of what was an extremely hectic time for Macdonald, who recently opened up about his struggles during that stretch of his life.
"It was an extremely difficult time," Macdonald told Graham Bensinger. "I've never felt like that in my life. I was sick. I'd get in bed as soon as I got home and I wouldn't get out of bed until I went to work. I'd be late going to work. I wouldn't get out of bed all weekend. You know, just sit in bed. It was crazy.
"Was it depression? I don't know. Maybe. I find it hard to like self-diagnose depression. There's serious cases of depression that are clinically diagnosed. For me, it's kind of irrelevant."
Eventually, Macdonald started to get better. He did so by talking to his wife and sisters, improving his diet, working out and taking long walks that sometimes included phone conversations with players. He started stacking what he called "physical and personal wins"
"I'd work out, walk, try to eat better," he said. "I was drinking a lot. That was probably the toughest, most difficult stretch of my life. Honestly, that first few months."
Despite his struggles, Macdonald managed to guide the Seahawks to a 10-7 record in 2024. The following season, he led the Seahawks to an unexpected Super Bowl championship, culminating in a dominant win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
After the game, Macdonald celebrated the win with Stephanie and his son, Jack.
Mike Macdonald celebrates winning the Super Bowl with his wife, holding their sweet baby, talking about how that is really what matters. Mike’s wife: “You did it!” ⁰Mike: “We did it.” ⁰Mike’s wife: “And we did not care.” pic.twitter.com/xhJI29L2uH
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) February 10, 2026
As he did in previous coaching stops, Macdonald is continuing to have success on the gridiron. And after a rough start in Seattle, he's also having success off the field, too.
"I have joy," he said. "Am I always happy? ... I think I'm happy."
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