SEATTLE -- Two years before his Seahawks won Super Bowl LX, Mike Macdonald was mired in what he described as the most difficult stretch of his life. In a recent appearance on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," the Seahawks' third-year head coach detailed the personal struggles he went through for months after Seattle hired him in January 2024, saying they were such that he had a hard time getting out of bed.

"It was paralyzing," Macdonald said in an interview that took place over the summer and was released Wednesday. "It was hard to move." Macdonald, 39, stopped short of saying he was dealing with depression. "It was an extremely difficult time," he said. "I've never felt like that in my life. I was sick."

Macdonald, previously the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, became the NFL's youngest head coach when the Seahawks hired him to replace Pete Carroll. The root of Macdonald's struggles, he said, was the pressure he had put on himself when he became a head coach for the first time. He and his wife, Stephanie, were also reeling from the sudden, unexpected death of their 4-year-old dog.

Macdonald told Bensinger that his two sisters and his wife were the people he talked to about his struggles. He also began to prioritize his physical health and return to a regular routine. It wasn't until some point during the 2024 season, Macdonald said, that he walked up to general manager John Schneider and told him that he was feeling like himself again. The Seahawks went 10-7 in 2024, missing the playoffs, before going 14-3 during the 2025 regular season and then claiming the franchise's second Super Bowl title.