RENTON — For all the hoopla of the Seattle Seahawks’ offseason, from free agency arrivals and departures to rookie draft picks and free agents, from organized team activities to veteran minicamp, perhaps the most important piece of team business was announced in the quietest possible manner — via a single tweet from owner Paul Allen on a Sunday evening when all of Seattle was still basking in the afterglow of Ken Griffey Jr.’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It read: “@seahawks extend top GM John Schneider, key architect of our roster. … Congrats!”
The Seahawks kick off training camp Saturday morning, and they do so knowing their GM is in it for the long haul.
Schneider, the architect of a Seahawks team that’s gone 60-36 since his arrival in 2010 — including a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII — was entering the final season of his contract. But he committed his future to Seattle when he signed an extension last Sunday that is reportedly for five years and will last through 2021.
“I really didn’t (have any concerns a deal would get done), just because I knew how hard Peter (McLoughlin, team president) and Paul were working on this and how important it was to those guys,” Schneider said Thursday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
“This is clearly a top-three, top-five team in terms of ownership in the league, and obviously we’re biased so we would say it’s No. 1,” Schneider added. “Having a strong owner and a strong president is extremely important.”
Both Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll arrived in 2010, with Carroll beating Schneider to the punch by a matter of days. But though Schneider was unable to hire his own coach, he and Carroll have been able to forge a unique working relationship that’s made the Seahawks one of the NFL’s model franchises.
Carroll signed his contract extension two days after Schneider, meaning the duo will be together until at least 2019. Was the timing of the two extensions, thus maintaining that unique working relationship, significant?
“Absolutely,” Schneider responded.
“I was hoping they would go as quickly and as close together as possible.”
Schneider and Carroll are renown for working together more than the typical general manager-head coach pairing in the NFL. That’s been crucial to Seattle’s success.
“The attractive thing about the position was it was, ‘We’re going to strive for uniqueness and greatness. We’re going to be working together and it’s not going to be about the ego and it’s not going to be about who gets credit for this and who gets credit for that,’” Schneider said.
“I think the times you appreciate it are the times that are tough and you have to make tough decisions,” Schneider explained. “Coach Carroll, he doesn’t have to have this philosophy. He’s Pete Carroll, right? And I’m John Schneider. This guy won national championships (collegiately at USC) and was basically running Los Angeles for a couple years. He could have come into this thing with guns blazing, it’s my way or the highway. That’s not his philosophical approach at all. That part of it is extremely refreshing, especially when you’re at these tough points.”
In addition to his own contract, Schneider was asked Thursday about the contract of star defensive end Michael Bennett. Bennett, who led the team with 10 sacks last season, has been vocal about his displeasure with the four-year, $28.5 million contract he signed in 2014. Bennett wants his contract renegotiated, but he has two years remaining on the deal and the Seahawks have had a policy of refusing to redo contracts until there’s only one year left. Last year Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor tested Seattle’s resolve by holding out, but the Seahawks refused to blink and Chancellor eventually returned without receiving any financial concessions.
Would Schneider consider breaking with policy to renegotiate Bennett’s contract with two years remaining? He wasn’t answering Thursday.
“I’m not going to get into Michael’s situation specifically,” Schneider said. “What I would say is that 90 percent of my job is being a good listener. So that’s all I can say on that.”
There’s been speculation that Bennett could choose to hold out. Bennett himself said he considered holding out of last year’s training camp before deciding to attend at the last minute. He then went on to have a fantastic season in which he was named to his first Pro Bowl. Bennett attended mandatory minicamp in June, but did not participate because of an ankle injury.
Does Schneider expect Bennett to report when players arrive Friday?
“I do,” Schneider responded. “I haven’t heard otherwise.”
On the injury front, Schneider said Seattle’s two injured offensive starters, tight end Jimmy Graham (knee) and running back Thomas Rawls (ankle), will not take part in Saturday’s opening practice session. Schneider said both could be placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the start of camp, but that the duo remains on track to be ready for the start of the regular season.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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