RENTON, Wash. — For the people who spend countless hours inside the Seattle Seahawks’ headquarters, a five-day stretch in March that seemed like a spur-of-the-moment, seismic shift to everyone else felt like standard operating procedure with general manager John Schneider running the show.
From March 5 to March 10, Seattle released longtime receiver Tyler Lockett, agreed to trade Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, honored Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf’s trade request and sent him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then came to terms with Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency.
It was jarring to see a 10-win team undergo such a transformation in a short period. Although such a shakeup wasn’t necessarily the plan when Seattle began its offseason after falling short of the postseason in 2024, managing all those franchise-altering moves was the result of a Schneider-led operation establishing a game plan while also being ready to call audibles at a moment’s notice.
Every offseason, Schneider, who has overseen the Seahawks’ roster since 2010, makes sure his staff knows the landscape of the NFL well before the start of the new league year in March. They identify players and map out scenarios, leaning on relationships around the league so they can pivot quickly if a bomb drops or negotiations with one of their players break down.
“That just reflects how prepared and comprehensive our process is,” vice president of player acquisition Matt Berry said. “And that starts with John and his vision.”
Schneider’s vision is responsible for the Seahawks reaching the Super Bowl for the third time under his leadership. In tandem with former head coach Pete Carroll, who was hired before Schneider, he constructed the league’s best roster — headlined by an iconic defense — and captured the franchise’s only championship in the 2013 season. Their repeat bid fell short the following year, but on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium, they will have a rematch with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.
This time, Schneider built a championship-caliber roster alongside coach Mike Macdonald, who was hired by Schneider and team ownership in January 2024. No shot-caller in the NFL bats 1.000, and Schneider certainly whiffed on several major transactions in the decade between Super Bowl appearances. But Seattle’s return to the sport’s pinnacle is the product of his willingness to roll the dice, superb drafting and never-ending quest to improve the roster, even in the middle of the season.
Schneider traded Russell Wilson for first- and second-round picks in consecutive drafts right before the quarterback’s play declined. After that trade, he re-signed Smith twice at below-market rates, and Smith led the team to three straight winning seasons and a playoff berth. Schneider then replaced Smith with Darnold, who also signed at a below-market rate. Darnold just had the game of his life in the NFC Championship Game and led Seattle to the Super Bowl.
The successes and failures of general managers can often be traced back to their handling of the quarterback position. Seattle has had consistently competent quarterback play for more than a decade. The Wilson trade might be Schneider’s magnum opus.
The picks acquired in the deal that sent Wilson to the Denver Broncos were used to select left tackle Charles Cross (No. 9 in 2022), who just inked a four-year, $104.4 million extension; outside linebacker Boye Mafe (No. 40 in 2022); cornerback Devon Witherspoon (No. 5 in 2023), a three-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro this season; and outside linebacker Derick Hall (No. 37 in 2023).
Devon Witherspoon (No. 21), Boye Mafe (53) and Derick Hall (58) were all drafted with picks from Denver via the Russell Wilson trade. (Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images)
Beyond the actual players selected with those picks, the extra capital gave Schneider what he has always needed to be at his best on draft weekend: multiple bites at the apple. When the Wilson deal was finalized in March 2022, Carroll relayed a sentiment from team owner Jody Allen about the stockpile of picks — a year after Seattle made only three selections — to build a younger squad.
“John, you’re back in your wheelhouse,” she said then, according to Carroll.
Schneider’s draft haul from 2022 included Cross, Mafe and four other starters on this Super Bowl team: running back Ken Walker III (No. 41), right tackle Abe Lucas (72), safety Coby Bryant (109) and cornerback Riq Woolen (153). Seattle’s 2023 class also included Jaxon Smith-Njigba (20), the franchise’s first first-team All-Pro receiver in 40 years, running back Zach Charbonnet (52) and right guard Anthony Bradford (108).
The Seahawks wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl without their current quarterback. Nor would they be here without the assets acquired by trading their previous Super Bowl-winning signal caller.
For years, the relatively inexpensive contracts that defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril signed in March 2013 were by far the best free-agent deals of Schneider’s tenure. Darnold might have already snatched that title. If Seattle wins another championship, Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence’s three-year, $32.5 million deal will enter that runner-up discussion.
The signings of outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (2022), safety Julian Love (2023) and Cooper Kupp (2025) are more hits for Schneider’s resume.
Midseason trades also turned Seattle into a contender. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams (second-team All-Pro), inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV (second-team All-Pro) and receiver Rashid Shaheed (Pro Bowl return specialist) have been difference makers this season. All were acquired ahead of the trade deadline: Williams from the New York Giants in 2023 for second- and fifth-round picks; Jones from the Tennessee Titans in 2024 for a fourth-round pick; and Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints in November for fourth- and fifth-round picks.
Schneider has a history of impactful in-season swings, going back to the October 2010 deal to acquire Marshawn Lynch from the Buffalo Bills for fourth- and fifth-round picks. Lynch became the engine of a Super Bowl-winning offense.
Williams and Jones are two of the best players on the league’s No. 1 defense. Shaheed looks like a cost-effective version of the 2013 Percy Harvin deal, with his penchant for big plays as a runner and receiver in addition to special teams. It has taken time, but Schneider’s belief in using the entire NFL calendar to tweak the roster has once again paid off.
“It’s always, ‘What’s next?’ And always, ‘Your team is never good; we’re never set,’” Berry said of Schneider’s team-building principles. “‘Who’s gonna be the next player up? Who’s going to be the practice-squad player?’ That’s just something he’s instilled in all of us.”
The same mindset applies to less-heralded moves like claiming inside linebacker Drake Thomas off waivers in August 2023, signing North Dakota State center Jalen Sundell as a rookie free agent in July 2024 and adding cornerback Josh Jobe to the practice squad a month later. They’ve all been impact players while making a combined $3.35 million in base salary this season.
Under Schneider, Seattle never stops searching for every advantage possible, throughout the year.
“There’s a lot of pride in that,” assistant general manager Nolan Teasley said. “That’s why we put in the work at certain times of the year. Drake Thomas is an example of why we have the process that we have throughout training camp and the preseason, looking for ways to supplement our roster, supplement our depth.”
Entering the Super Bowl, the Seahawks have arguably better offensive and defensive lines than the Patriots. Their past two drafts have been significant contributors. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II was selected with the 16th pick in 2024, and left guard Grey Zabel was the 18th pick in April. Both made the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team, and both received All-Pro votes this season.
This past offseason, Schneider said he keeps his eyes on the trenches when he watches the Seahawks play live. That was a notable statement from Schneider — before 2025, Seattle hadn’t fielded a good offensive line in years, and the defensive line got pushed around the last time the team made the postseason. Now the Seahawks are dominant up front on both sides of the ball.
John Schneider, right, was named the Pro Football Writers Association’s Executive of the Year for 2025. Mike Macdonald, left, is a finalist for the Associated Press’ Coach of the Year award. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
From 2013 to 2019, Schneider used first-round picks on right tackle Germain Ifedi, running back Rashaad Penny, and defensive lineman LJ Collier. Jordyn Brooks was a good use of a first-round pick in 2020. However, Seattle let him walk in free agency, and he was a first-team All-Pro linebacker this year for the Miami Dolphins. In the past four drafts, Seattle is 5-for-5 in getting the proper value from its first-round picks: Cross, Witherspoon, Smith-Njigba, Murphy and Zabel.
“The throughline between all those drafts in the last four or five is the type of person, the type of competitor, how unique those guys are,” Berry said. “And you can see it in the connection here in the locker room. And you keep stacking those types of players, I think you can build something pretty special.”
The extra draft ammunition in 2023 allowed Schneider to use two first-rounders for the first time since 2010, when he selected left tackle Russell Okung and safety Earl Thomas, two cornerstone players on their championship team. Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba, two of the best in the league at their positions, are on a similar track.
“Spoon is the heartbeat — the whole building feels him,” Schneider said Thursday. “Everybody totally respects Jax, the way he handles himself. It was amazing to have two guys that we thought were top 5-7 players in that draft and be able to draft both those guys. It was pretty incredible.”
The second round of the draft has long been kind to Seattle, and the trade-up this year — with the extra capital from the Metcalf deal — to select Nick Emmanwori with the 35th pick is the latest example. Emmanwori is a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year and received All-Pro votes as a nickelback, though he wears multiple hats in Macdonald’s defense. On any given snap, he can be an edge rusher, inside linebacker, nickel or safety. He represents an archetype that is becoming increasingly valuable in today’s game.
“I think me and Grey, even the whole rookie draft class, may be the best rookie class in the whole NFL,” Emmanwori said Sunday after their NFC title game victory. “John did a great job. The whole team, scouting did a good job. But me and Grey, I mean, we may be the best first-two-pick duo in the NFL, honestly. Great, A-plus draft. Huge impact to our team as rookies.”
The Pro Football Writers of America voted Schneider the 2025 Executive of the Year, the first time in his career he’s won that award. When addressing the award on Thursday, Schneider gave shoutouts to nearly everyone in the building.
“It’s the ultimate organizational award because of everything that goes into all the decisions that we’re making throughout the acquisition process every single year,” said Schneider, who then rattled off members of the sports science, analytics and medical staffs, along with the coaches and players. He referred to the behind-the-scenes staffers as “The guts of the organization that help us be our best every single day.”
Schneider is known for making everyone in the building feel valued and part of what makes the organization special. Many around the team consider it his superpower, one that strengthens his ability to assemble a roster.
The Seahawks dominated the regular season and are favored to win the Super Bowl. There are undoubtedly many people responsible, but it all starts with Schneider, who once again built one of the best teams in football.