AP writers name Mike Macdonald second best coach in NFC West

Posted by Admin July 13, 2026 NFL

The long, boring offseason is almost over, which means it is almost time for the Seattle Seahawks and head coach Mike Macdonald to take to the field to defend their throne as World Champions. It’s a title earned back in February by thumping the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, after having already dispatched the division rival Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers earlier in the postseason.

However, in spite of bringing the franchise its second Lombardi Trophy, and defeating Sean McVay and the Rams two out of the three times the teams faced off, AP writers voted Macdonald as the second best head coach in the NFC West behind the aforementioned McVay.

Andy Reid is voted the NFL’s top head coach by AP writers for the fourth straight season

Head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reid finishing in the top spot should come as no surprise to anyone, in spite of the Chiefs missing the postseason in 2025 after finishing 6-11. That marked the first losing season of Reid’s tenure in Kansas City, and only the second time in which KC has failed to notch double digit wins under Reid. However, even with an eleven loss season, the fact that the Chiefs had won the division nine years in a row while making the conference championship game seven times in a row and winning three Super Bowls gives Reid some leeway.

With that said, McVay’s second-place finish comes ahead of the third-place finish for the Seahawks Macdonald.

Yes, McVay has a longer track record, and they both have one Super Bowl victory each, so there’s certainly room for debate. However much one wishes to debate, 2021 marks five years since McVay led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, and Los Angeles has won just three postseason games in the four seasons since, while the Seahawks won three postseason contests during the 2025 season alone.

Obviously, offseason coach rankings don’t mean much except for bragging rights for fans and ragebaiting for bloggers, and it will be another five and a half months before these two coaches and their teams face off when the Rams come to Seattle on Christmas Day for a Week 16 showdown.

So, for now the AP voters can say whatever they want, and with teams set to start reporting for training camp, it’s only a matter of time before there will be more data points to add to the discussion.