Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald makes a concerted effort to spend more time at home with his son, Jack, on Thursday nights. He wishes more of his staff would do the same.
They don’t get home at all.
It is not a secret that the life of an NFL head coach revolves only around football from late August to early January, and/or through early February if a team makes a run to the Super Bowl. This latest revelation really puts things into perspective.
NFL coaches work long hours.
Even though his team is just one win away from its first Super Bowl appearance since 2014, Mike Macdonald is one of the least recognizable figures in the league. Most NFL fans know his name at this point but could not pick him out of a lineup. (Or they just don’t even know his name.)
And yet, here we are. The Seahawks are in position to win the Super Bowl. Seattle can lift the Lombardi Trophy in just a few weeks with a head coach who is largely unknown. He is not even a household name like Mike Vrabel, Sean McVay or Sean Payton.
A large part of success obviously stems from preparation. Talent can only take a team so far. The coaches have to put together the right game plan, pick the right lineup, and lead the players to victory.
That requires countless hours of film, practice and staff meetings. Coaches typically work between 80-100 hours per week, around 16 hours per day during the season. Most days start at 7:00 a.m. and end after 10:00 p.m. They get to sleep as much as they want from February to July.
Mike Macdonald makes time to see his son.
No matter how busy he might be preparing for the Los Angeles Rams, Mike Macdonald always makes time to see his son during the week. He recently spoke with King 5 Sports about his schedule.
Thursday nights are for family. Instead of leaving the office well after Jack Macdonald has gone to bed, the head coach of the Seahawks leaves the office in time to spend 30 minutes with him before bedtime and then it’s right back to work.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald explains how he tries to spend more time with his son, Jack.
— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) January 23, 2026
Plus, he gives the reason why it gives him an edge. pic.twitter.com/5xzqptFkmc
That really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
Macdonald has to make a concerted effort to spend 30 minutes with his son one night a week. He wishes other coaches on his staff would do the same, which means they aren’t getting home to see their kids at all during the season. The NFL grind stops for no one. Nobody said it was easy.