We’re in the midst of finding out a lot about Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
It won’t come from his words, as Schneider has declined to speak to the media since the preseason. With the shadow of Pete Caroll gone, it’s his baby now. There will be no one else with a larger share of credit or blame for the 2025 season.
On January 11, 2010, the Seahawks entered the greatest era in franchise history when Pete Carroll was announced as the team’s head coach. One week later, John Schneider signed on as general manager.
This was backward from how it typically goes. Usually, the GM is hired and the coach follows. Carroll and Schneider spoke of working collaboratively, though Carroll always had the final say when he wanted to speak it. We may never know how exactly that worked, and who was responsible for what. The Seahawks have been one of the more tight-lipped franchises in professional sports during the Schneider era.
When Seahawks owner Jody Allen — likely with input from Bert Kolde, Vice Chair of the Seahawks — let Carroll go after the 2023 season, that made Schneider the man.
Draft, free agency, trades, coaching hires — all his.
We’re about to find out if that’s a good thing. It’s been impossible to fully judge Schneider in the past because he didn’t have final say. Who decided to draft running back Christine Michael one spot before Travis Kelce when Marshawn Lynch was still a beast? Who decided to use Seahawks top picks on James Carpenter, Paul Richardson, Germain Ifedi, Malik McDowell, Rashaad Penny, L.J. Collier, and D’Wayne Eskridge? The list of questions is very long — for any franchise — when it comes to the draft.
Putting together a championship roster is not an easy feat. A championship offensive line has proven to be particularly problematic for Seattle.
If the Seahawks are unable to improve the offensive line this offseason, they’ll likely be watching the playoffs from couches again. With Schneider’s first-ever draft pick, he selected Russell Okung with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 draft. Okung played well at left tackle, anchoring a line that played in two Super Bowls, and Okung made two Pro Bowls.
Since Okung, Schneider has selected 23 offensive linemen in the draft. Okung remains the only Pro Bowler.
While Schneider seems to be a collaborative GM who will listen to his player personnel department and coaches, every aspect of the roster in 2024 and 2025 was/will be his call. His first offseason was a mixed bag.
The draft
Schneider will head to Green Bay in late April for his second draft as the top dog. While it’s still too early to evaluate his first, early on it looks to be pretty solid. It will always be measured by the development of first-round pick Byron Murphy II, who showed promise at times but hasn’t dominated yet. But, at worst, Schneider found some players who are solid contributors.
Free agency
Defensive end Leonard Williams was re-signed, and that was a big win. TE Noah Fant contributed, though perhaps not at a 2-year, $21 million contract level. Safeties K’Von Wallace and Rayshawn Jenkins played well at times. DT Johnathan Hankins was a solid rotational piece.
The rest was a whole lot of yikes. G Laken Tomlinson started but did not play well. He’s unlikely to return. RT George Fant was injured. LB Jerome Baker was traded away. LB Tyrel Dodson was waived. WR/KR Leviska Shenault was waived after fumble issues. TE Pharoah Brown didn’t contribute much. C Nick Harris was sent back to Cleveland.
Schneider traded for linebacker Ernest Jones IV during the season. That’s a big win — if the soon-to-be free agent re-signs with Seattle.
For the 2025 Seahawks, Scheider will have his prints fully on two draft and free-agent cycles. He hired his coach, 37-year-old Mike Macdonald. The two sent offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb packing on Monday after the offense struggled this season. There’s no one else to blame if the team fails again in 2025.
This story originally appeared in seattlesportsnow.com, of which Aaron Coe is a co-founder.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
