The Seahawks have seen the Rams and 49ers dramatically improve their rosters, but Macdonald isn't the least bit worried...yet.
The NFC West was one of the best divisions in football last season, with the Seattle Seahawks claiming the crown after a 14-win regular season.
But it was far from a one-horse race, as both the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers finished with 12 wins each. So a dropped game here or there, and we'd have a different NFC West champ.
Fast forward to now, and the Seahawks have seen a couple of starters/rotational players leave (Kenneth Walker, Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant), while the Rams and 49ers have improved.
Myles Garrett, Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie highlight L.A.'s additions, while the 49ers have added Mike Evans, plus the roster is poised to finally be healthy.
That all adds up to a tough assignment in 2026 for Mike Macdonald's Seahawks.
Although he doesn't exactly see it as the bug hurdle others do.
"Every team is going to grow every year, that's just the way the NFL goes," Macdonald said via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. "We don't play them tomorrow, so I'm not really worried about them right now.
"No reaction, I mean, look, those are great players, and they're doing what they do. It probably feels like that's what's best for their teams, what they need to do, and that's good. When it's time to play those guys, we'll be ready and put together a game plan and go rock and roll."
And in truth, Macdonald is right.
When it comes to the Rams, the Seahawks don't face Sean McVay's team until Week 16, when they play them twice in the final three weeks of the season. So the dye could be cast by then.
As for the 49ers, both matchups against Kyle Shanahan's will be completed by Week 12, with the first clash coming in Week 5 at Lumen Field.
So yes, the arms race in the NFC West has seen the Rams and 49ers improve, but it doesn't feel like Macdonald is all too worried about it at the moment. After all, we are still in July.
But the Seahawks will have confidence in their roster to go toe-to-toe with the Rams and 49ers in 2026 as the defending Super Bowl champion.
And Macdonald's calm approach is further evidence of that.
