Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wanted something that is not particularly easy to find around Seattle: space.
He found plenty of it.
Macdonald gave Graham Bensinger a tour of his 10-acre Seattle-area property for a new episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger, showing off a home that includes fruit trees, a greenhouse, a pool, a detached workspace and a golf simulator.
But the more revealing part of the tour had little to do with the amenities.
Macdonald explained why he and wife Stephanie wanted the acreage in the first place — and how one building on the property has become part of his preparation for Seahawks games.
“I found it on Redfin actually,” Macdonald told Bensinger. “It happened fast.”
Mike Macdonald Wanted Space for His Family
Macdonald said the couple previously lived on six acres while he coached for the Baltimore Ravens, with their property backing up to a reservoir.
They wanted something similar after Seattle hired Macdonald as its head coach in January 2024.
“So we wanted a yard because we knew we wanted to have the dog and the kids,” Macdonald said. “It’s hard to find a yard in Seattle, right, so we had to kind of go further away from the water to get out here, but it’s been great.”
The property includes apple and plum trees, a greenhouse and garden space. Macdonald told Bensinger there are 10 acres in all.
The decision was not purely about room to spread out.
Macdonald said the privacy of the property appealed to him because an NFL coach’s schedule is public enough that people often know when the family will be away.
“When we’re out of town, I mean it’s scary — people know our schedules and you want it to be secure for your family,” Macdonald said. “That’s a real thing in our world.”
He also recalled showing the property to Seahawks executive John Schneider before buying it.
“I showed it to John and he was like, ‘Well, have you seen your contract? You should buy it,’” Macdonald said.
Seattle has since announced that Macdonald is under contract through the 2029 season.
Macdonald Builds Part of Seahawks’ Game Plan at Home
The most Seahawks-specific part of the tour sits away from the main house.
Macdonald showed Bensinger a separate office that was designed to give him somewhere to work without bringing the football facility completely into family life.
Originally, Macdonald thought he would use it to study game film on Sunday nights.
That plan did not survive actual NFL Sundays.
“At the end of games I’m fried,” Macdonald said. “I just want to have a beer or tequila and hang out with family and go to sleep.”
Instead, Thursday became the important night.
Macdonald said that after putting his son to bed, he will head to the detached office, pour what he called a “pretty healthy tequila” and begin laying out the first version of Seattle’s game plan on his call sheet.
“That takes me a while, and then Friday morning I’ll come in after putting this together and we’ll go through it with the staff,” Macdonald said.
The routine gives a different look at the coach behind a Seattle team that went 14-3 and won Super Bowl LX in Macdonald’s second season. The Seahawks credit Macdonald with leading the franchise to a team-record 14 regular-season victories before its 29-13 championship win over New England.
Macdonald Says His Days of Sleeping at the Office Are Over
The home also reflects a broader change in how Macdonald approaches the job.
He told Bensinger that earlier in his career, spending nearly every waking hour at the facility felt normal.
“When Steph and I first started dating, I’d wake up on Monday morning and I remember telling her, ‘Okay, see you Thursday night,’” Macdonald said.
Not anymore.
Macdonald said he goes home every night and could not remember the last time he stayed away past 10 p.m.
Then came perhaps the best explanation for why.
“If I’m making decisions past 9:00 p.m.,” Macdonald said, “the Seahawks are in trouble.”
The 10 acres gave Macdonald the separation he wanted.
The detached office lets him erase some of it every Thursday night.
Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald Opens Up About 10-Acre Seattle-Area Home