It’s been a long time since the Seattle Seahawks opened a season with a head coach other than Pete Carroll lurking on the sidelines, but when the Seahawks host the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Mike Macdonald will lead the franchise.

The coaching change came despite the Seahawks winning nine games and narrowly missing the playoffs. But while Macdonald is likely to get some leeway in his first season with the team, quarterback Geno Smith has a much shorter leash. Smith was the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year, but last year he took significant steps back after a lucrative contract extension.

Macdonald told reporters that despite last year’s difficulties, he has complete confidence that Smith can bring Seattle back to the playoffs.

“A tremendous amount of trust,” Macdonald said. “I mean, the whole thing is about the quarterback, and he’s our quarterback. And we’re thrilled that he is. Quarterback is obviously the most important position, but like anybody else that goes out there, I can’t imagine how you can send somebody out there that you don’t trust 100 percent. And they’ve earned that opportunity, but Geno (Smith) is the most important thing, he’s right there leading the charge.”

“Seattle is a difficult team to assess because you can’t really say how Mike Macdonald will perform in his first stint as head coach,” he said. “I think he will improve a defense that finished 30th last season. That alone could be enough to get the Seahawks back into the playoffs.”

“It’s easy to forget that Seattle won nine games last season despite having a bad defense and one of the worst offensive lines in the league,” Knox wrote. “I see the Seahawks just outside of playoff chances in Week 1, largely due to the unknowns at coaching – offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is getting his first chance in the NFL. However, Seattle has the seventh-easiest schedule in the league (tied) and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a significant factor in the NFC West this season.”