Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t pretend the coaching carousel doesn’t matter in January. But at a January 12 press conference, he made it clear Seattle had a plan for handling staff interviews during its bye week, and he framed it as a benefit other playoff teams don’t get.
Macdonald was asked about assistant coaches Klint Kubiak and Aden Durde interviewing for head coaching jobs over the weekend and how that works logistically in the middle of postseason prep. His answer: Seattle tried to get ahead early, then used the time off as a natural window for interviews before snapping back into game mode.
Seahawks Coach Explains How Staff Interviews Worked During the Bye
Macdonald said the week wasn’t “work intensive” from a coaching perspective because the team was trying to get ahead on preparation, while also doing self-scout work.
“It’s not a work intensive week coaching wise because you’re really trying to get ahead on all these things,” Macdonald said, adding the Seahawks had spent time doing “a lot of work on the Packers,” only for that to become irrelevant. He then explained why the timing of the bye created a cleaner split for interviews.
Macdonald said the early part of the week was focused on planning and evaluation, then the two days off gave coaches a chance to “shift their focus,” and once the interview process was over, the staff could move forward together.
The biggest takeaway was what he said about teams that don’t get the off week.
“The teams that are going into it this week with interviews, I think that’s significantly tougher,” Macdonald said, describing how difficult it is when you have to “shift your brain” late in the week while staying locked in on game plan responsibilities.
In other words: Seattle wasn’t treating this as chaos. It was scheduled, compartmentalized, and — in Macdonald’s view — made easier by the bye-week setup.
What It Means for Seattle Heading Into the Next Game
For Seahawks fans, staff interviews are always a double-edged sword. It’s a compliment — other organizations want your people — but it also raises a real fear: distraction now, departures later.
Macdonald’s message was essentially, “We’ve accounted for it.” He painted the bye as an advantage not only for player recovery, but for staff logistics too. Seattle could do front-loaded prep and self-scouting, take the brief reset, then return to “regular scheduled programming” once the weekend passed.
That matters because the postseason magnifies everything, including preparation habits and communication. It also matters because, if Seattle keeps winning, the interview attention likely won’t slow down.
The most important part for Seattle is what happens this week: the Seahawks are back on a normal cadence, and Macdonald emphasized his focus on routine and process; not the outside noise.
Stats, Context and What to Watch Next
A few quick things to monitor as this develops:
- Interview news: Whether Kubiak or Durde land second interviews or additional requests this week.
- Seahawks practice week: Any changes in who’s coordinating install periods or handling media responsibilities.
- Serial angle: If Seattle advances, the carousel ramps up, and the “bye week advantage” disappears.
For now, Macdonald gave Seattle a clean talking point: interviews happened, the staff planned for it, and the Seahawks believe they’re better positioned than teams trying to balance everything without a break.
Seahawks Send Clear Message About Coaches Interviewing With Other Teams