\ud83d\udcac \u201cReleased 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Busy, but not Schneider\u2019s boldest.\u00a0That was trading\u00a0Russell\u00a0Wilson four years ago, an obvious coup in hindsight, though it was a major risk at the time. Wilson was one of Schneider\u2019s best draft picks (a third-rounder) and had been named a Pro Bowler for the ninth time in the QB\u2019s 10 seasons.<\/p>\n
How the Seahawks got here<\/p>\n
That trade was the first step toward this contender.\u00a0Seattle avoided Wilson\u2019s decline and his five-year, $245 million extension,\u00a0instead being rewarded with two of Denver\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n
While other dealings also played roles, this team was built through the draft. Seattle\u2019s strong two-year draft run in 2022 and 2023 also included Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Overall, 13 of the Seahawks\u2019 22 starters began their careers in Seattle (the below graphic include team icons for the players\u2019 first NFL team).<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c3341bffabd143c790aeb2757aa80b7e-frame-3-3.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
That\u2019s rare. And it might continue; our draft expert Dane Brugler graded the\u00a0Seahawks\u2019 2025 class among the league\u2019s best<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most crucially, the front office\u2019s first-round picks have been hits.\u00a0Seattle\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n Beyond that, the most important move of Schneider\u2019s recent tenure was hiring coach Mike Macdonald.\u00a0The second-year coach whom some consider the \u201cSean McVay of defense,\u201d Macdonald helped the\u00a0Seahawks recapture the cohesiveness<\/a>\u00a0of Pete Carroll\u2019s Super Bowl teams.<\/p>\n But wait, there\u2019s more. They also nailed free agency.\u00a0A year after\u00a0an underwhelming 2024 offseason<\/a>, the Seahawks hit on big signings.\u00a0Darnold ($100.5 million), Cooper Kupp ($45 million) and DeMarcus Lawrence ($32.5 million) proved smart replacements for Pro Bowlers, and the midseason trade for\u00a0receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed<\/a>\u00a0was the cherry on top.<\/p>\n Everything is working, so it\u2019s worth assessing\u00a0how Schneider\u2019s group makes these personnel decisions<\/a>. Notably:<\/p>\n 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\u2019s position coach in Dallas for three years.<\/p>\n 2. It\u2019s all about players with \u201cSeahawk DNA<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0Schneider emphasizes the right\u00a0people, not just the right talent. Matt Berry, vice president of player acquisition, describes it as: \u201cIf you\u2019re not all about ball, you\u2019re probably not gonna fit here. You\u2019re not gonna fit in that locker room and have the credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n My colleague\u00a0Dan 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\u2019s was\u00a0mentored by Wolf\u2019s father<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, we\u2019ll examine how Wolf and Mike Vrabel rebuilt New England.\u00a0Over to Dianna for a coaching update before we share a surprising note from the weekend.<\/p>\n This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic\u2019s NFL newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive it directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n What Dianna\u2019s Hearing: Coaching dust settles<\/p>\n Greetings from San Francisco, where the 2026 head-coaching field is finally set \u2014 well, sort of.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Raiders\u2019 hiring of Seahawks OC Kubiak\u00a0cannot be finalized until after Super Bowl LX. But the Raiders have\u00a0zeroed in on Kubiak<\/a>\u00a0and are expected to hire him to pair with the upcoming draft\u2019s No. 1 selection.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the\u00a0Cardinals kept Rams OC Mike LaFleur\u00a0in the NFC West,\u00a0poaching him from McVay\u2019s staff<\/a>\u00a0to be their head coach. That led to another domino falling: Raheem Morris, a finalist for the Arizona job, will become the 49ers\u2019 defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n With all 10 head-coaching openings projected to be filled,\u00a0only one minority candidate<\/a> was hired: the Titans\u2019 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\u2019ll report back on Thursday about what I\u2019m hearing on Radio Row. \u2014\u00a0Dianna Russini<\/p>\n Back to you, Jacob.<\/p>\n Vikings GM fired<\/p>\n Sam Darnold\u2019s 2025 success was a boon to Schneider\u2019s team-building credentials. It had the opposite effect in Minnesota. After letting the QB walk, the Vikings just\u00a0dismissed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah<\/a>.<\/p>\n They had no playoff victories during Adofo-Mensah\u2019s four-year tenure, but it wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s 14-win season.<\/p>\n Still, declining to re-sign Darnold wasn\u2019t his only miss. Unlike his peer in Seattle, he didn\u2019t quite hit on every first-round pick:<\/p>\n 2022: DB Lewis Cine (32nd pick, never started for the Vikings)<\/p>\n 2023: WR Jordan Addison (23rd, arguably a hit)<\/p>\n 2024: QB J.J. McCarthy (10th, expected to\u00a0compete for the starting role<\/a>\u00a0after a rough debut season)<\/p>\n 2024: edge Dallas Turner (17th,\u00a0improved in year two<\/a>)<\/p>\n 2025: OL Donovan Jackson (24th, fine, but jury still out)<\/p>\n Zooming out only makes it worse.\u00a0As Alec Lewis explains in\u00a0his story on the firing<\/a>, only four of Adofo-Mensah\u2019s 28 draft picks are sure-fire future starters. And the team has major questions at quarterback.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not shocked that he was let go,\u201d one team source\u00a0texted my colleagues<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m just shocked at the timing.\u201d<\/p>\n This process was put into motion three weeks ago, when Minnesota\u2019s ownership group met to review the season. Those discussions took time, with Adofo-Mensah dismissed nearly a month after the end of the Vikings\u2019 season.<\/p>\n A former commodities trader on Wall Street, the analytics-minded Adofo-Mensah wasn\u2019t your typical NFL executive.\u00a0Back to Alec<\/a>:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cFollowing 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u00a0make family sacrifices<\/a>. So don\u2019t blame Darnold<\/a>, as Mike Sando writes.<\/p>\n Side note:\u00a0Just 24 hours before Adofo-Mensah\u2019s dismissal, he was scouting prospects at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Dane Brugler was there too, and shared the\u00a0Senior Bowl risers you should know<\/a>. Keep an eye on former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the MVP of Saturday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Extra Points<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd27\u00a0HOF fix?\u00a0Sando\u2019s fresh Pick Six column offers a\u00a0solution to the Hall of Fame\u2019s Bill Belichick problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 Robert Kraft tabbed Mike Vrabel\u00a0as head coach, and a Super Bowl appearance followed. Chad Graff sat with the Patriots owner to\u00a0discuss the bold decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd3 Questions for Roger Goodell.\u00a0The NFL commissioner holds his annual news conference this afternoon, and Mike Jones shares the most pressing topics. It\u00a0starts with politics and ends with \u2026 Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>, a topic\u00a0connected to Giants co-owner Steve Tisch<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4\u00a0NBC\u2019s Mike Tirico is covering both the Super Bowl and Olympics\u00a0this month, and has the opportunity to establish himself as the announcer of this generation. Andrew Marchand profiles\u00a0Tirico\u2019s unique journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u25b6\ufe0f\u00a0Last week\u2019s most-clicked:\u00a0One Hall of Fame voter explains\u00a0why they didn\u2019t tab Belichick<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udceb Enjoyed this read? Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Athletic\u2019s free NFL newsletter in your inbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n