Mike Macdonald is set to face many new challenges that come with being a first-year NFL head coach this season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Mike Macdonald era starts as Seattle Seahawks open training camp

On the first day of training camp, Macdonald and his staff were working to get ahead of some of those obstacles.

While the team worked its way down the field in scrimmage on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Macdonald and company communicated on the headsets they use on gamedays. The idea spawned from another first-year NFL coach with the team, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

“We’re just trying to do the best things, and it’s something that we’re testing out right now,” Macdonald said. “I think it’s probably gonna stick around, and it’s just another opportunity for us to really sharpen our operation.”

Macdonald also highlighted how it could be particularly helpful for situational game management, an aspect that can often be a challenge for a rookie head coach. That could be further compounded for the Seahawks this year while also breaking in an offensive coordinator that’s new at the NFL level. Although, Grubb has a strong track record of more than capably running offenses from his time at the college level, including two stellar seasons with the UW Huskies.

“It’s just another opportunity for us to really sharpen our operation, especially when you get into situational periods,” Macdonald said. “Me being able to go back and forth between calling the defense and then being (able to communicate) with Ryan Grubb during situation times and how we’re gonna handle the clock. So just maximize those reps is definitely the idea.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seahawks Injury Update: Latest on Abraham Lucas, more
• Seahawks, Julian Love agree on 3-year contract extension
• How Seahawks’ offense will differ under new OC Ryan Grubb
• Where Seahawks QB Geno Smith excels, where he’s improved
• Rost: Ranking the Seahawks who are under the most pressure
• Five questions as Seahawks’ training camp begins

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The Seattle Seahawks hit the practice field for the opening day of training camp Wednesday, and then head coach Mike Macdonald met with the media to provide insight and perspective on several topics.

However, some of the biggest news of the day for the team may be coming off the field, as NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that after releasing both Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams for cap reasons in March, the Hawks have reached an agreement to sign Julian Love to a three-year contract extension.

The three year, $36M deal, combined with the one season left on the original two year contract he inked in the spring of 2023, would keep Love in Seattle for four more seasons for a total of somewhere right around $44M.

Given the way the Hawks tend to structure their contract extensions, the move likely free up a small amount of cap space for the team, though with a new salary cap analyst in house, the amount freed up could be more substantial if John Schneider wants to get aggressive.

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to improve on the offensive side of the ball this upcoming season, specifically in the passing game.

After a historic 2022 campaign, Geno Smith didn’t meet those same standards in 2023, leading the Seahawks to trade for Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders. On top of that, there’s a new coaching staff in town. The offense will be led by Ryan Grubb, and he hopes his adjusted college passing attack can translate to the NFL.

“Ryan Grubb’s explosive passing game helped the University of Washington make it all the way to this past season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game,” NFL.com’s Eric Edholm writes. “Will the offensive coordinator’s scheme translate to the professional team in town? Seattle’s receiving corps — headlined by DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba — gives Grubb plenty of firepower, even if there are big worries with other elements of the offense.”

The Seahawks may boast one of the best receiving corps in the NFL, but that will mean nothing if Smith cannot learn Grubb’s new system the way he needs to. It may be a little different than what the Seahawks were running before, but there’s potential for it to be even better.

It all comes down to whether Smith (or Howell) can run the offense effectively. If the Seahawks have a steady hand leading the way, they could make a return to the postseason in 2024. The Seahawks are set to begin training camp practices on Wednesday.