Three days before the Seahawks were crowned Super Bowl champions, head coach Mike Macdonald lost the Coach of the Year award, finishing third in the voting behind Liam Coen and the winner, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Both Vrabel and Macdonald were among a number of coaches deserving of the award this season, but Vrabel won after turning the Patriots from a 4-13 squad to the No. 2 seed in the AFC in just one year.
Ultimately, Macdonald got the last laugh as he led the Seahawks to a 29-13 victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl, a game that saw him out-coach Vrabel when it mattered most.
As the Seahawks celebrated their championship victory with a parade and festivities at Lumen Field on Wednesday, team play-by-play broadcaster Steve Raible introduced Macdonald to the podium by saying, “He should have been recognized as NFL Coach of the Year, but instead he will gladly take Super Bowl champion.”
— OWN U (@Fatslob1123) February 11, 2026
Macdonald, with the Lombardi trophy in hand, came up to the mic and said, “I think I’ll take this trophy instead.”
This wasn’t the only jab the Seahawks took at the NFL Honors ceremony during their celebrations. Seahawks wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba was crowned Offensive Player of the Year, but presenter Druski pronounced his name wrong while announcing him as the winner.
After Smith-Njigba addressed the crowd on Wednesday, Macdonald came back up to the mic and said, “Put some respect on that man’s name.”
#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald got on the mic after Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished his speech...
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 11, 2026
“PUT SOME RESPECT ON THAT MAN’S NAME.”
Clearly a shot at Druski botching his name at NFL Honors — which the Seahawks were pissed at. https://t.co/PqJoy8IcDA pic.twitter.com/PoN7xqj57S
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Had Ice-Cold Message About Losing Coach of the Year Award.
