How Jody got it done.

[D-train]

Makes me laugh my ass off at all the people that were just sure Jody was a passive owner that just couldn't wait to sell the team so she could get back to cooking and cleaning. And would do nothing to rock the boat or make any decisions or have any impact on the direction of the team. lol

By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter
They were just 23 of Mike Macdonald’s 1,367 words during his opening statement Thursday after being introduced as the ninth coach in Seahawks history.

But those 23 words about the involvement of team chair Jody Allen might have said as much as anything.

“Her investment in this city and how much she cares about this team became very obvious to me, and that was very appealing,” Macdonald said.

Maybe you’d expect Macdonald to say that, especially in a celebratory setting.

But a story Monday in The Athletic appeared to support the observation Macdonald made in his first few days after meeting Allen.

In a story detailing the Washington Commanders’ head-coaching search, The Athletic reported the team thought it was in good position to possibly hire Macdonald last week after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had pulled his name out of the running, “until the Seahawks swooped in with more money.”

Macdonald received a six-year contract, according to the NFL Network, with some conjecture putting its worth as much as $9 million annually.

Washington had held a virtual interview with Macdonald, then the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, in the week after the regular season ended, and an in-person interview last Monday, after the Ravens lost the AFC title game.

Both of those came before Seattle was able to hold its first interview with Macdonald, in person in Baltimore on Tuesday. That might have convinced the Commanders that they were in good stead with Macdonald, who wouldn’t have had to make much of a move in locale by taking the Washington job.

Pelissero: Ben Johnson will stay in Detroit as Lions OC in 2024 season 'The Insiders'

The Seahawks, meanwhile, had interviewed Johnson on Monday in Detroit having had an earlier virtual interview with him the weekend after the regular season ended.

Like Washington, the Seahawks might have thought they were assured of getting Johnson or Macdonald at that point, with those teams holding the only two openings remaining.

But when Johnson decided to remain in Detroit, everything changed.

The Athletic implied that it became a bidding war between Seattle and Washington for Macdonald.

“Though both coordinators were in play for the Seahawks, Macdonald was the one winging across the country for a Wednesday meeting in Seattle,” The Athletic story reported. “He signed a contract before the day ended. Washington more than checked in before Macdonald committed, league sources confirmed. ESPN and NBC Sports also reported late contact by Washington to Macdonald.’’

But, The Athletic says, Seattle won out by apparently offering a richer and longer contract, and because it is a franchise on better overall footing.

“Another indicator: The typical term length for head coach contracts is four to five years,’’ The Athletic story said. “Macdonald agreed to a six-year deal. Leverage is helpful. Also in Seattle’s favor: more defensive talent, a quicker path back to contention and modern practice and game day facilities.”

The news that Macdonald was expected to become Seattle’s coach broke about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday local time. The Seahawks announced it about 4:30 p.m.

It was reported Thursday morning that Washington was hiring Dan Quinn — a former Seahawks defensive coordinator who had interviewed twice with them.

Was Washington still pursuing Macdonald during that time? Possibly.

Did the Seahawks — whose search was led by general manager John Schneider, himself under contract through the 2027 draft — appear ready to do whatever it took at that point to get Macdonald to not say no?

Could some of this also be spin by the Commanders as they try to sell the Quinn hiring, with the story also including some unflattering details of their dalliance with Johnson, notably that Johnson texted the Commanders to let them know of his decision while team officials were on a plane headed to Detroit to interview him again? Unquestionably.

But the Seahawks aspect of this is worth exploring.

The Seahawks do not typically announce contract terms, and haven’t with Macdonald.

For some context on contract length, Jim Harbaugh is reported to have received a five-year deal from the Chargers for $16 million annually, the second-highest average per year for an NFL coach.

Six years would also be longer than the two lengthiest contracts Pete Carroll received with Seattle. He received a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $35 million when he became coach in 2010 and a deal in 2020 that kept him with the team through the 2024 season with an option for 2025. Carroll also received two three-year extensions and a two-year extension during his Seattle career.

Carroll was said to be making about $15 million a year at the end. Unlike player contracts, which are publicly revealed in part to assure compliance with the salary cap, coaches’ salaries are not typically made public.

If the rumors are true, Macdonald is obviously making a bit less than Carroll at the end.

But it’s also a deal the NFL Network reported as the highest for a first-time coach in league history. It also would rank eighth in the NFL among reported coaches salaries, according to a ranking compiled last week by sportsnaut.com.

Via that list, if Macdonald is making $9 million a year he would slot between San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan (seventh, $10 million annually) and Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson (eighth, $8.5 million). Denver’s Sean Payton is reportedly the highest-paid coach in 2024 at $18 million per year, followed by Harbaugh.

Though some facts may be hard to verify, the bigger picture is that the Seahawks are perceived to have done what it took to get the guy they wanted.

And sure, maybe a few million here or there seems like nothing when considering the total value of Paul Allen’s estate was said to be worth $20 billion at the time of his death in October 2018, when his sister, Jody Allen, took over as Seahawks team chair.

Paul Allen’s death raised understandable questions about the franchise’s future, and Jody Allen’s silence — she has given no interviews since taking over, with her only comments coming via team statements — has fueled the mystery.

News revealed in 2022 that there was a clause in an agreement with the state mandating that the estate would have to give 10% of the gross proceeds of any sale before May 2024, has had many pointing to that as a key date.

But one league source noted that the clause is complicated enough that sorting out the legal issues involved means that is hardly a cut-and-dried date for when a sale could happen, and that 2025 would be a more likely time for a possible sale if Allen were so inclined.

Allen, though, has done nothing to indicate that selling the team is on the horizon.

She released a statement a couple of months after the revelation of the May 2024 clause that read in part: “Estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no preordained timeline by which the teams [also referring to the Portland Trail Blazers] must be sold.”

Maybe Allen is in it for a much longer haul than anyone anticipated in 2018. We’ll be able to truly assess that on the day the Seahawks are finally sold.

The evidence points to her not doing anything to short shrift the team in the meantime.

[douche]

I never had any doubts. Paul Allen saved this franchise, resurrected it and he wants to win. He would have made that perfectly clear to her.

[D-train]

I never had any doubts. Paul Allen saved this franchise, resurrected it and he wants to win. He would have made that perfectly clear to her.

I have never had a sister but if I had I might have kissed her.

[trharder]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

[D-train]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

For me living 3000 miles away, I don't get to listen to Seattle radio but this KIRO website is fantastic and free:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/

[trharder]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

For me living 3000 miles away, I don't get to listen to Seattle radio but this KIRO website is fantastic and free:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/

I mainly listen to Brock and Salk's podcast. But Bump and Stacy are good too. Personally, I wish they would give Stacy a new partner
and move Bump to Wyman in the afternoon and fire Bob Stelton.

[D-train]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

For me living 3000 miles away, I don't get to listen to Seattle radio but this KIRO website is fantastic and free:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/

I mainly listen to Brock and Salk's podcast. But Bump and Stacy are good too. Personally, I wish they would give Stacy a new partner
and move Bump to Wyman in the afternoon and fire Bob Stelton.

In my next life I want to be Stacy's boyfriend or husband. Having a Gorgeous woman like that totally into Sports would be absolute Nirvana.

[Nwadventure]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

For me living 3000 miles away, I don't get to listen to Seattle radio but this KIRO website is fantastic and free:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/

KJR/Sports 93.3 is on Iheart- Just saying

[D-train]

I literally would prefer to read what the members of this group have to say before I give a shit about what Bob Condotta writes.
Same for other ST writers and other Seahawk BS narrative crafters.
I do listen to 710 and 93.3 for their takes and often think they do a decent job.

For me living 3000 miles away, I don't get to listen to Seattle radio but this KIRO website is fantastic and free:

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/

KJR/Sports 93.3 is on Iheart- Just saying

Yeah I could go to the website but I always only listened in the car.....

[D-train]

M's claim JSN's brother

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/seattle-mariners