Seahawks waive WR Shenault Jr.; Mike Macdonald away for baby arrival

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 1: Head coach Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks stands on the field after an NFL football game against the New York Jets, at MetLife Stadium on December 1, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brooke Sutton / Getty Images)

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks waived wide receiver and kick returner Laviska Shenault Jr. on Monday after fumbling twice, losing one on kickoff returns against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Shenault was just one part of a disastrous special teams performance against the Jets that saw two lost fumbles on kick returns, a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown allowed to Kene Nwangwu, and a blocked extra point that led to 16 points for New York.

Nwagwu punched the ball free from fellow kick returner Dee Williams, which the Jets converted for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Shenault muffed the next kick returner before managing to recover. Then, after Nwangwu's touchdown made it 21-7, Shenault again muffed a catch, recovered to field the ball before losing it again falling to the ground with the Jets recovering.

"Yesterday was definitely a challenge in a lot of ways," assistant head coach Leslie Frazier said. "You don't like to see a kickoff return for a touchdown. You don't want to see, you know, blocked field goals or extra points. I mean, that always kind of gets under your skin, and especially if the ball is on the ground, if you're putting the ball on the ground. So we've got some things that we have to get cleaned up in order for us to get to where we want to be as a team.

Shenault did score on a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown for Seattle against the Sn Francisco 49ers earlier this season. However, the Seahawks were carrying seven receivers on their active roster following the promotion of Cody White from the practice squad two weeks ago. With linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and tackle Stone Forsythe nearing a return to the roster from injured reserve, seven receivers was probably too many on its own. Throw in the kickoff return struggles on Sunday, and the Seahawks made a change.

Frazier said they are still working through who would handle their kickoff return duties moving forward. When both Williams and Shenault were injured, running back Kenny McIntosh and Cody White were dispatched.

Mike Macdonald away from the team for birth of first child:

Assistant head coach Leslie Frazier took questions from reporters on Monday afternoon in place of head coach Mike Macdonald as the Seahawks said Macdonald's wife, Stephanie, had gone into labor as the couple awaits the arrival of their first child.

"It's such an unknown right now, so we'll kind of play it by ear and just see what happens day-to-day," Frazier said of Macdonald's absence. But it could be as soon as tonight. We could get word tonight that the baby is here. It could be tomorrow, you know, could even be two or three days from now, but we'll be on guard. We're just praying that everything goes well, and we look forward to hearing the good news, and we'll adjust when we need to."

Frazier – who has previously been head coach of the Minnesota Vikings – will lead the team in the coming days in place of Macdonald until he is able to return to work.

"Really excited for Mike and Stephanie for what they're experiencing. My wife and I, we have three kids, so I remember those days, so really excited for him. But for me, I mean, Mike has put together a great foundation. It's just a matter of, you know, getting out of the way and let the coaches do what they do, and let the players do what they do. And we've got a good infrastructure set, and it should bode well for us as we go forward."

Macdonald did his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 AM on Monday morning before getting word from his wife that the time had come.