John Schneider helped build the Seahawks into Super Bowl champions early in his tenure as the team’s general manager.
Now, more than a decade later, he is once again overseeing one of the league’s most formidable teams, one that will play in the NFC championship game this weekend after a 14-3 regular season and a dominant win in the divisional round.
And for the impressive work Schneider has done to build this year’s team, he was named Executive of the Year by the Professional Football Writers of America.
It’s the first Executive of the Year award for Schneider, though considering what he and Pete Carroll did to build the Seahawks into champions early in their tenure in Seattle, it probably shouldn’t be.
The award recognizes the work Schneider did over the past year, but the Seahawks are in the position they are in now because of an incredible four-year stretch of additions, tough decisions, and of course, the hiring of Mike Macdonald as the team’s head coach.
Schneider’s 2025 resume that made him the obvious choice for Executive of the Year included three home runs in free agency with the signings of quarterback Sam Darnold, outside linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence and receiver Cooper Kupp; a fourth straight draft that added impact players to the Seahawks roster, most notably guard Grey Zabel and safety Nick Eammanwori; the trade for returner/receiver Rashid Shaheed, and a couple of tough decisions that help set the team up for current and future success, including trades that sent Geno Smith to Oakland and DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh.