RENTON, Wash. – Stepping up to the podium at the VMAC on January 16, mere days after making the difficult decision to move on from legendary coach Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider highlighted several factors that would impact the decision-making process pursuing a successor.

Among the criteria needing to be met before making a hire, at the directive of chair Jody Allen, Schneider desired a candidate who would be able to maintain the positive culture implemented under Carroll’s watch for nearly 15 years. After interviewing nine prospective coaches during an extensive search over a three-week period, nobody checked off that box more impressively than Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was offered and accepted the job on Wednesday.

Though Macdonald has never been a head coach previously at any level, Schneider wasn’t deterred by his lack of experience, seeing him as a “marketplace changer” ready for the challenge of leading the Seahawks in large part due to the organization where he came from and the coaches who mentored him along the way.