4 options for Ravens DC Mike Macdonald ahead of 2024
There is nothing to hide anymore: the Ravens are going to face competition from other NFL front offices after the season when it comes to dealing with the future of their sublime Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald ahead of the 2024 season.
That's not good now for the present, but it's definitely worrying for the future of the franchise. Of course, if Baltimore can capitalize and win the Super Bowl next February then losing Macdonald... well, so be it. If the Ravens fail to win the chip, however, they might lose both the title and their main defensive orchestrator.
The 36-year-old, second-year Ravens DC, is about to hit the offseason with many options on the table, most of them leading him to become the head coach of an NFL franchise. Will Macdonald opt to stay put in Baltimore on a DC role... or will he take the head coach train without letting him go next spring?
Here are some options Macdonald might have to study ahead of the next regular season and once the postseason is over in February.
1. Carolina Panthers - Head Coach
The Panthers have been an absolute disaster this season. They drafted a quarterback with the No. 1 pick yet they have been able to win just a meager couple of games all year long, and on top of everything they won't have their sky-high 2024 draft pick as they traded it away last spring.
Carolina fired Frank Reich mid-season and will be looking for a new head coach as soon as they can in order to get things right before losing any time so they can right their wrongs ahead of the 2024 regular season.
The Panthers have alternated between hiring offensive and defensive minds in the past, and that means Macdonald could be a prominent figure and candidate to take the reins of the franchise next season, even with his short resume within the league's higher ranks.
That said, this is perhaps one of the least appealing available jokes for anyone to take considering the precarious status of the franchise. On the other hand, the pressure would probably be non-existent so Macdonald would have ample room to operate and develop at his own pace.