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The Seahawks are adding a behind-the-scenes chess piece from one of the NFL’s sharpest organizations. And it’s one head coach Mike Macdonald is quite familiar with. 

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday, February 13, that Ravens director of football strategy/assistant quarterbacks coach Daniel Stern is leaving Baltimore to accept a job with Seattle, “possibly as their pass-game strategist.”

Wow! This is a sneaky big addition for Seattle. Stern has contributed to game management and other areas for the Ravens. Highly regarded.

Macdonald attracting top talent. https://t.co/KcgxBlusdi

— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) February 13, 2026

Seahawks analyst Brian Nemhauser called it a “sneaky big addition,” and the angle that matters for Seattle isn’t just another coach hire; it’s what Stern actually did in Baltimore and why that skill set is perfectly timed for the Seahawks right now.

Daniel Stern’s Ravens role was bigger than a title

Baltimore’s own coaching bio spells out why Stern is coveted: he helped with the playbook and call sheet, opponent analysis, and self-scouting, and he also scripted situational practice periods. Most notably, the Ravens say Stern advised head coach John Harbaugh on in-game clock/game management and coaches’ challenges, the type of edge that can swing games at the margins.

That’s the sneaky part: teams don’t always publicly spotlight who is driving those decisions, but they absolutely feel it on Sundays.

And Stern wasn’t a short-term assistant. Pro Football Talk noted he’d been with the Ravens for 10 years before this move. That also means he and Macdonald have serious overlap during his time with the Ravens. 

Why this is a “win-the-week” hire for Mike Macdonald

Stern’s value lines up with a real “why today?” roster/coaching pressure point.

The Seahawks are in the middle of rebuilding their offensive brain trust. Seattle needs a new offensive coordinator after Klint Kubiak departed to become the Raiders’ head coach earlier this week.

In that environment, adding someone who lives in the world of situational football, weekly opponent tendencies, and game-day decision support is more than a resume bullet; it’s infrastructure.

If Stern’s Seattle title ends up being “pass-game strategist,” he’ll be stepping into a staff that already includes offensive passing game coordinator Jake Peetz (per the Seahawks’ official coaching staff listing). That doesn’t make Stern redundant; it likely means Seattle is layering roles — design + teaching + decision support, during an offseason when the offense is undergoing change.

The practical impact: margins, QB help, and weekly preparation

Stern’s Ravens bio also notes he worked in a QB room led by two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson while assisting Baltimore’s quarterbacks coach. Even if he’s not Seattle’s quarterbacks coach, that background matters because “pass-game” jobs often bleed into:

red-zone and third-down menu building 
coverage tendency breakdowns 
two-minute and end-of-half decision trees 
game-day communication support for the play caller 

Those are the areas where a “strategy” hire can produce immediate payoff, not in one highlight clip, but in 6-10 small choices that decide one-score games.

What happens next in Seattle

Schefter’s wording (“possibly”) suggests the exact title may still be getting finalized, but the move itself is happening.

The next domino is how Seattle’s offensive staff ultimately gets shaped around its new coordinator, and whether Stern’s presence hints at the Seahawks leaning even harder into Ravens-style process: situation mastery, weekly specificity, and game-management discipline.

Because if Nemhauser’s right, this is “sneaky big” for one reason: the Seahawks didn’t just hire a coach, they hired an advantage.

Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson

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