Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider is betting on himself. For more than a decade, Schneider was Seattle's GM and tasked with getting players to sign on the dotted line and helping Pete Carroll with roster decisions. But make no mistake, Carroll was firmly in charge of the final roster moves, and the head coach was also the Vice President of Football Operations.
Schneider got a promotion after the 2023 season, though. The team relieved Carroll of all his titles except for those as an "advisor," but he seemingly did not do much advising. He had a year left on his guaranteed contract, so Seattle had to give him some kind of title, though it was ultimately meaningless.
With Carroll gone, however, Schneider was made President of Football Operations and given full control over the roster. He also got to hire a new head coach whom he would oversee. When Carroll was in Seattle, Schneider did not have any control over him. So, the general manager was getting to do several things he had not done by himself before.
Seattle Seahawks fans must believe John Schneider's belief in himself is well-founded
Let's be real. In his first offseason as the person in full charge of the football team, Schneider failed. Sure, he brought back defensive lineman Leonard Williams as a free agent, and Williams was fantastic last season. Nearly every other free agent move Schneider made (from signing Connor Williams, who retired midseason, to linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker, who were traded or released midway through the season) did not work out.
His first draft class certainly did not have the kind of impact Seattle's 2023 and 2023 classes did. First-round pick Byron Murphy II was decent but far from great as a rookie. Linebacker Tyrice Knight and tight end A.J. Barner appear to be successes but not stars. More like glue-type players. The rest of the bunch's potential is yet to be known.
This offseason, one that if the Seahawks' 2025 season goes south, could be Schneider's last. He will not have proven he can do better than Carroll did, and Schneider took over control of a roster that was at least mediocre. The one Carroll had in 2010 was bad. He did more with less compared to Schneider.
In 2025, Seattle traded quarterback Geno Smith and released Tyler Lockett, and fellow wide receiver DK Metcalf was traded as well. There is a good chance that none of the moves go well. Seattle is searching for a quarterback currently, and one can be fairly certain the next QB1 will not initially be as productive as Smith was.
With Metcalf traded, the Seahawks have a wide receiver group that was good in 2024 but is a huge question mark in 2025 and beyond. Seattle could have an offense next season without Smith, Lockett, and Metcalf, and that could mean very bad things. Seattle did not have to begin tearing down the team, especially the offense, but Schneider has acted that way.
The general manager has to sign a great free-agent class. He needs to fix the offensive line, and that has to happen this offseason. Schneider has a lot of work to do, but is he capable of doing it well without Carroll?
If Schneider has another bad offseason, Seattle is going to be mediocre at best over the next several years. The worst-case scenario is far too bleak to entertain. Let's hope John Schneider knows what he is doing.
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