Seahawks general manager John Schneider isn’t new to this. And this could mean any of these things:
Seattle itself. He’s been with the Seahawks since 2010, making him one of the league’s longest-tenured GMs.
The playoffs. His teams have made the postseason in 11 of his 16 seasons, posting the league’s fifth-best regular-season record (161-99-1) in that span.
Super Bowls. This is his third, with his Seahawks nearly winning back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
Schneider’s also no stranger to bold moves. As our Seahawks beat reporter Michael-Shawn Dugar explained in his story on how Schneider built this contender, Seattle did all of the following during six days last March:
💬 “Released longtime receiver Tyler Lockett, agreed to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the Raiders, sent DK Metcalf to the Steelers and then came to terms with Sam Darnold in free agency.”
Busy, but not Schneider’s boldest. That was trading Russell Wilson four years ago, an obvious coup in hindsight, though it was a major risk at the time. Wilson was one of Schneider’s best draft picks (a third-rounder) and had been named a Pro Bowler for the ninth time in the QB’s 10 seasons.
How the Seahawks got here
That trade was the first step toward this contender. Seattle avoided Wilson’s decline and his five-year, $245 million extension, instead being rewarded with two of Denver’s first-round picks (which became current starting left tackle Charles Cross and corner Devon Witherspoon) and two second-round picks (rotational edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall).
While other dealings also played roles, this team was built through the draft. Seattle’s strong two-year draft run in 2022 and 2023 also included Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Overall, 13 of the Seahawks’ 22 starters began their careers in Seattle (the below graphic include team icons for the players’ first NFL team).
That’s rare. And it might continue; our draft expert Dane Brugler graded the Seahawks’ 2025 class among the league’s best.
Most crucially, the front office’s first-round picks have been hits. Seattle’s five most recent first-rounders will be key starters on Sunday: Cross (2022), Witherspoon (2023), Smith-Njigba (2023), defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (2024) and guard Grey Zabel (2025).
Beyond that, the most important move of Schneider’s recent tenure was hiring coach Mike Macdonald. The second-year coach whom some consider the “Sean McVay of defense,” Macdonald helped the Seahawks recapture the cohesiveness of Pete Carroll’s Super Bowl teams.
But wait, there’s more. They also nailed free agency. A year after an underwhelming 2024 offseason, the Seahawks hit on big signings. Darnold ($100.5 million), Cooper Kupp ($45 million) and DeMarcus Lawrence ($32.5 million) proved smart replacements for Pro Bowlers, and the midseason trade for receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed was the cherry on top.
Everything is working, so it’s worth assessing how Schneider’s group makes these personnel decisions. Notably:
1. They target familiar free agents. As a 49er in 2023, Darnold overlapped there with eventual Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (more below on the OC). Kupp had worked with passing game coordinator Jake Peetz on the Rams. Defensive coordinator Aden Durde had been Lawrence’s position coach in Dallas for three years.
2. It’s all about players with “Seahawk DNA.” Schneider emphasizes the right people, not just the right talent. Matt Berry, vice president of player acquisition, describes it as: “If you’re not all about ball, you’re probably not gonna fit here. You’re not gonna fit in that locker room and have the credibility.”
My colleague Dan Pompei has the story on how Schneider got here, which included plenty of rejection letters, prayer and a significant personal connection to de facto Patriots GM Eliot Wolf: Schneider’s was mentored by Wolf’s father.
Tomorrow, we’ll examine how Wolf and Mike Vrabel rebuilt New England. Over to Dianna for a coaching update before we share a surprising note from the weekend.
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What Dianna’s Hearing: Coaching dust settles
Greetings from San Francisco, where the 2026 head-coaching field is finally set — well, sort of.
The Raiders’ hiring of Seahawks OC Kubiak cannot be finalized until after Super Bowl LX. But the Raiders have zeroed in on Kubiak and are expected to hire him to pair with the upcoming draft’s No. 1 selection.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals kept Rams OC Mike LaFleur in the NFC West, poaching him from McVay’s staff to be their head coach. That led to another domino falling: Raheem Morris, a finalist for the Arizona job, will become the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
With all 10 head-coaching openings projected to be filled, only one minority candidate was hired: the Titans’ Robert Saleh, who is Lebanese American. The wildest head-coaching cycle in recent memory appears to have reached an end, just in time for the Super Bowl. I’ll report back on Thursday about what I’m hearing on Radio Row. — Dianna Russini
Back to you, Jacob.
Vikings GM fired
Sam Darnold’s 2025 success was a boon to Schneider’s team-building credentials. It had the opposite effect in Minnesota. After letting the QB walk, the Vikings just dismissed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
They had no playoff victories during Adofo-Mensah’s four-year tenure, but it wasn’t all bad in Minnesota. The Vikings tied with the Ravens and 49ers for the fifth-best regular-season record (43-25) during his tenure, and he even received an extension after last year’s 14-win season.
Still, declining to re-sign Darnold wasn’t his only miss. Unlike his peer in Seattle, he didn’t quite hit on every first-round pick:
2022: DB Lewis Cine (32nd pick, never started for the Vikings)
2023: WR Jordan Addison (23rd, arguably a hit)
2024: QB J.J. McCarthy (10th, expected to compete for the starting role after a rough debut season)
2024: edge Dallas Turner (17th, improved in year two)
2025: OL Donovan Jackson (24th, fine, but jury still out)
Zooming out only makes it worse. As Alec Lewis explains in his story on the firing, only four of Adofo-Mensah’s 28 draft picks are sure-fire future starters. And the team has major questions at quarterback.
“I’m not shocked that he was let go,” one team source texted my colleagues. “I’m just shocked at the timing.”
This process was put into motion three weeks ago, when Minnesota’s ownership group met to review the season. Those discussions took time, with Adofo-Mensah dismissed nearly a month after the end of the Vikings’ season.
A former commodities trader on Wall Street, the analytics-minded Adofo-Mensah wasn’t your typical NFL executive. Back to Alec:
💬 “Following the birth of his first child, the general manager left for paternity leave, missing about two weeks of training camp meetings and practices and working remotely during that stretch. Word of his time away from the team traveled quickly around the league. Among some rival executives and coaches, it was met with disbelief.”
Like it or not, that stark departure from the norm seemed to further isolate the non-traditional general manager in a league where coaches tend to make family sacrifices. So don’t blame Darnold, as Mike Sando writes.
Side note: Just 24 hours before Adofo-Mensah’s dismissal, he was scouting prospects at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Dane Brugler was there too, and shared the Senior Bowl risers you should know. Keep an eye on former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the MVP of Saturday’s game.
Extra Points
🔧 HOF fix? Sando’s fresh Pick Six column offers a solution to the Hall of Fame’s Bill Belichick problem.
👀 Robert Kraft tabbed Mike Vrabel as head coach, and a Super Bowl appearance followed. Chad Graff sat with the Patriots owner to discuss the bold decision.
📓 Questions for Roger Goodell. The NFL commissioner holds his annual news conference this afternoon, and Mike Jones shares the most pressing topics. It starts with politics and ends with … Jeffrey Epstein, a topic connected to Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.
🎤 NBC’s Mike Tirico is covering both the Super Bowl and Olympics this month, and has the opportunity to establish himself as the announcer of this generation. Andrew Marchand profiles Tirico’s unique journey.
▶️ Last week’s most-clicked: One Hall of Fame voter explains why they didn’t tab Belichick.
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