Mike Macdonald and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed their son Jack in 2024
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Mike-Macdonald-of-the-Seattle-Seahawks-looks-on-prior-to-an-NFL-preseason-020426--0e443606630b4bfea7a91287031bf6e7.jpg "Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks looks on prior to an NFL preseason football game")
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Mike Macdonald is trying to find time for family despite the demands of the NFL season and 2026 Super Bowl.
The Seahawks coach and his wife, Stephanie Macdonald, first met in 2015 while they were both working for the Baltimore Ravens. Stephanie was a cheerleader and Mike served as the defensive coordinator, according to his biography on the Seahawks website. The couple wed in 2021.
Mike and Stephanie welcomed their first child, Jack David MacDonald, on Dec. 3, 2024. The coach announced the birth during a press conference, calling Stephanie “a warrior.”
Jack celebrated his first birthday in the middle of one of the busiest seasons for the Seahawks since their 2015 Super Bowl run. Mike made headlines after revealing that, in the weeks leading up to the 2026 Super Bowl, he could only squeeze in about 30-minutes of time with his son per week.
“I don’t get to see Jack throughout the week as much so Thursdays I try to get home pretty quick to be with him,” he told King 5 News in January 2026.
Here’s everything to know about Mike Macdonald’s son, Jack.
He was born in 2024
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The Macdonalds announced the birth of their first child, a baby boy named Jack, in December 2024. Mike shared the news during a press conference, where he revealed that Stephanie had given birth the night before and that both mother and child were doing well.
“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag by now,” Mike said. “Steph had our boy last night, and both are happy and healthy. It’s a crazy statement to say out loud, but we’re really excited and incredibly blessed.”
He went on to reflect on the experience and praised Stephanie for her strength throughout the process, adding, “What women can do is just unbelievable. What a warrior she is, she’s amazing.”
His dad sometimes only gets 30 minutes with him during the week
Mike made headlines after sharing that his busy schedule in coaching the 2026 Super Bowl team sometimes means he’s only able to squeeze in 30 minutes of time with his son during the week.
“I don’t get to see Jack throughout the week as much so Thursdays I try to get home pretty quick to be with him for an half hour, maybe an hour, before he goes to bed, and then I have a set-up in my house where I go work on the game plan,” he told King 5 News.
Mike explained that becoming a father helped him realize the importance of prioritizing family across the whole team.
“It’s easy to go up and tell the guys ‘family first,’ but now when I’m living it everyday, you realize the effect that it has on these guys and how important it is,” he told King 5.
They go on family walks
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Mike shared that spending time with Stephanie and their son, Jack, has become his top priority during the offseason.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference in December 2024, he reflected on how much he values the quieter moments away from his professional schedule, noting that his favorite thing to do between seasons is going on family walks.
“Just taking a walk with my wife and my kid when the sun is out,” he said. “I literally haven’t seen my son when the sun’s been out since he’s been born.”
The team gave Mike parenting advice
The dads on the team were ready to lend their coach advice about becoming a father. Julian Love, safety for the Seahawks, gave Mike advice after welcoming his own child in December 2023 according to the Seahawks website.
"The main thing is, having a kid gave me so much perspective on everything I was doing," he said. "Now, no matter what happens in the day, good or bad, I go home somewhat happy at least because I have the baby there and I can play with him and just forget about what happened throughout the day, and know I just have to be present for him, and it's been so freeing this past year of my son's life to have that.”
Love recalled that Mike had already experienced that shift in perspective shortly after Jack arrived.
"That's the biggest thing, he'll learn it—you just naturally feel it. He mentioned today, he was seeing in black and white before, but now he feels like he sees in color. It is kind of that, something's unlocked in you,” he said.
Other members of the team, like cornerback Tre Brown and linebacker Ernest Jones IV, stressed the importance of patience.
"You might not do things in the daytime, but you will be up at night time, I tell you that," said Brown. "But the advice I give, you're going to learn patience that you didn't think you had, and it's going to translate out into the real world. You'll see how patient you'll become with certain things that you've been impatient with, because you're dealing with a kid.”
They celebrated an “all-time great Christmas”
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Mike spoke about a special holiday moment off the field, sharing that he spent Christmas with his one-year-old son shortly before leading his team to the 2026 Super Bowl. During a Christmas Day press conference, the Seahawks head coach reflected on spending the day with Jack amid a demanding season.
“He had no idea what was going on,” Mike said. “He was funny, and he had a great day. We had an awesome day, probably an all-time great Christmas for us so far. I feel really blessed. It was a great day."
The holiday offered a rare chance for Mike to slow down and enjoy time at home before turning his attention back to the big game.
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