NFL insider reveals truth on how Commanders disastrously missed on Super Bowl-winning head coach
Adam Schefter revealed the Commanders swung big on head coach Mike Macdonald with a lot of interest, but he picked the Seahawks because of their GM.
The Washington Commanders’ 2025 season was the ultimate disaster after having success in the first season under general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn.
It stings even more when you look back at what could have been with the playoffs wide open this year. One NFL insider added salt to the wounds the morning after the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX by revealing that the Commanders swung big on head coach Mike Macdonald, and why it happened.
Adam Schefter reveals the Commanders pushed for Mike Macdonald before picking the Seahawks
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl with Macdonald at the helm as the head coach, and it looks like the Seahawks will be a powerhouse to deal with for the upcoming years. Macdonald was hired in the same coaching cycle as Quinn, and the Commanders had a ton of interest in him, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, but they couldn’t get a deal done.
“When he was coming out, he interviewed in a bunch of places,” Schefter said. “He interviewed in Carolina. He interviewed in Washington. Seattle was one of his last interviews. And the interesting thing was, the Washington Commanders had a high level of interest in hiring him, and his wife, Stephanie, was a cheerleader for the Washington Football Team.”
“Stephanie’s family is from that area, so you would have thought no brainer. Wife is from the Washington area, wife worked for the Washington Football Team, like that’s where he’s going. And even when he was out in Seattle visiting, the Commanders got him on the phone and made one last-ditch effort to try to get him to come back to Washington from Seattle, Washington, where he’s visiting.”
“Mike went there because the main reason was that he believed in the general manager, John Schneider,” Schefter added. “He just trusted and believed in him. Felt like that was the right guy for him, and John Schneider rewarded his efforts. Because if you look at what they’ve done in trading Russell Wilson. That trade that nets them, amongst other things in that trade, Charles Cross, Boye Mafe, Devon Witherspoon, and all the players that they got in that Russell Wilson trade.”
Adam Peters didn’t help his case with offseason moves
Seahawks general manager John Schneider has absolutely proven Macdonald right by dominating his offseason moves, while Peters is stuck fixing an awful roster. Peters made a questionable trade for cornerback Marshon Lattimore and the New Orleans Saints’ fifth-round pick, which required their third, fourth, and sixth-round picks in 2025.
Lattimore turned into a disaster, and the loss of picks hurt them last offseason. It hasn’t been bad after trading for Laremy Tunsil and sending Brian Robinson Jr away for an extra pick, but his offseasons have been questionable. Peters went the conservative route last free agency period, and many draft picks haven’t developed into quality players yet, while the Seahawks made bold moves and won the Super Bowl.
Mike Macdonald is a much better coach than Dan Quinn
There’s no doubt that the Commanders would’ve been a much better team over the last two seasons with Macdonald as the head coach over Quinn, and they probably would’ve made the Super Bowl with a better defense in 2024. Macdonald has had a top defense in the NFL as a defensive-minded head coach, while Quinn has one of the worst defenses in the league.
Macdonald looks like one of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the league who just won a Super Bowl in only his second season as a head coach at just 38 years old. Meanwhile, Quinn will be on the hot seat in Washington if they have another losing season in 2026. The swing and miss for Washington stings when you look back at missing out on Macdonald and what could’ve been.
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