Seahawks’ light playoff bye week; Charles Cross’ big week; thanks, Josh Jones
The Seahawks aren’t taking the full week off as a reward for their division championship and top playoff seed.
Yet they aren’t exactly grinding this week, either.
The players were back inside Seattle’s team headquarters Monday for meetings, treatment plus recuperation in the training room and film review of their 13-3 win at San Francisco two days earlier. The victory earned them the number-one seed in the NFC playoffs. It includes a bye through the wild-card round this week, and a home game in the divisional round the weekend of Jan. 17-18.
League precedent for top seeds suggests the Seahawks will play on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Between now and then, the players will get what amounts to about two-thirds of a full bye week.
Macdonald, getting increased national attention for the NFL coach-of-the-year award, is giving his players Tuesday off. The only days they will be on the field practicing this week are Wednesday and Thursday.
The players have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. The team will know by the end of Sunday whom they will play and when next week.
“And we’ll be back rocking on Monday,” Macdonald said.
“It’s a little tricky because you don’t know what day you’re going to play, and you’re not sure who you’re going to play yet. So, there’s a balance of trying to stay ready, stay sharp — but also be able to take advantage of the opportunity we have to take care of our bodies and get as fresh as possible.”
The Seahawks will play the lowest-remaining seed through the wild-card games. Those games are the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at the four-seed Carolina Panthers (8-9) plus seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) at the two-seed Chicago Bears (11-6) on Saturday. Sunday, the sixth-seeded 49ers (12-5) play the third-seeded Eagles (11-6) in Philadelphia.
Seattle’s possible opponents are the Panthers, Rams, 49ers and Packers.
Macdonald said his staff’s advance-scouting work this week will study all four possible foes. The Seahawks have a head start on a preliminary game plan for next week because they have played the Rams, 49ers and Panthers within the last three weeks.
The Seahawks didn’t play the Packers this season. They did at a joint practice in Green Bay plus the final preseason game among backup players in late August.
“We’ll spend a good amount of time working on Green Bay, as well,” Macdonald said.
“So, however the weekend ends up shaking out, we should feel really great going into Monday.”
Charles Cross’ great bye
No Seahawk is going to have a better bye week than Charles Cross.
Seattle’s four-year starter at left tackle has missed the last three games. He injured his hamstring on Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal on the final play of the team’s win over Indianapolis Dec. 14.
Macdonald said the Seahawks expect Cross to be able to play in the first playoff game. The fact the team is getting this week off and won’t play for another 11 days is 11 more days for Cross to heal more fully.
So he’s healthy. And happy. He’s about to get paid.
The team is expected to announce soon an agreement with Cross on a four-year contract extension worth up to $104 million with $75 million guaranteed. The deal will put the ninth pick in the 2022 draft within the top four highest-paid offensive tackles.
Macdonald sees Cross as one of the team’s core players. Now he’s going to get paid like one, to continue playing next to rookie left guard Grey Zabel, the impressive 2025 first-round pick, for at least the next three seasons after this one.
“He’s got such a great spirit to him, and he’s a great teammate. Very unselfish. Extremely hard worker. Humble. Confident. All those things,” Macdonald said of Cross.
“I think his teammates really respect the heck out of him. He’s been great for Grey since Grey walked in the door.
“He’s just a great person. Really is. ...He’s just a great person that we really respect. And turns out he’s a great football player too.”
Thanks, Josh Jones
Macdonald again praised Josh Jones for filling in and excelling for Cross the last three games. That included Saturday night when Jones started against the 49ers despite being questionable to play with knee and ankle issues. He only practiced the last of three days last week.
Then the veteran backup tackle got hurt again in the second half. He missed the end of one drive while in the blue medical evaluation tent behind the Seahawks’ bench. Undrafted rookie Amari Kight finished the drive as the third-string left tackle.
Jones returned for the start of the next drive and finished the game, at less than 100% health.
“Josh has done a great job,” Macdonald said.
“He played really good football. He’s a great add by John (Schneider, the general manager who signed him last spring) and the gang in the offseason. He’s just been steady for us. He’s been ready to go. In camp, he was competing for significant playing time and put himself in position to really carve out a great role, (and) he has.
“Once you have to declare your starting five, he’s been great in that swing tackle role. And he was ready to go. We appreciate him playing through it on Saturday, because we really needed him.”
Brownie points at home
Macdonald was asked, of all the congratulatory messages he’s received since the nationally televised win over San Francisco focused much of the football world’s attention on how well the Seahawks are playing, which have been his favorite.
“This is cheesy,” Macdonald said, “but just to go home to Steph (wife Stephanie). Steph doesn’t go on the away trips.”
She’s home taking care of their year-old son, Jack.
Macdonald made sure to grab an extra Seahawks NFC West Champions cap and “Been There Won That” team T-shirt from the celebration in the visiting locker room after the game in Santa Clara.
“I gave her a hat and a T-shirt when we got home,” the 38-year-old coach said, “and that was pretty great.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
