The Seattle Seahawks have been getting tons of praise from across the NFL landscape over the last few weeks, and the completion of their run to the Super Bowl has helped quarterback Sam Darnold and head coach Mike Macdonald rise from intriguing hot names to a pair of gentlemen who rank among the best of the best at what they do.
In all the celebration, Seahawks fans should remember to shout out GM John Schneider, as his ability to bring two different teams to the Super Bowl more than a decade apart has helped him do something no other executive has done before.
Per Jordan Schultz, Schneider became the first GM in NFL history to make the Super Bowl multiple times with the same team, all while having a different head coach and none of the players who made the first championship on the roster. Schneider tore it down, rebuilt, and succeeded.
If Seattle beats New England, Schneider will have three Super Bowl appearances and two wins under his belt. It will be hard to look at a resume like that, especially considering how long he has been in Seattle, and say that he shouldn't get a gold jacket at some point.
Seahawks GM John Schneider strengthens Hall of Fame case with Super Bowl appearance
Schneider not only came to town with Pete Carroll way back in 2010 and played a hand in the acquisitions of both Russell Wilson and the members of the Legion of Boom, but he also managed to retool just as effectively rather than hold on to his aging roster.
In the last few years, the decision to promote Geno Smith kept the team stable while he built up the rest of the roster. Drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a stroke of genius, as was the trade for Leonard Williams and the speed with which he rebuilt the offensive line.
The defining moves of this new era, however, were being able to bring in Darnold on a cheaper contract and the hiring of Macdonald. In tandem with much-heralded offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks have reclaimed their spot among the NFC's elite.
Schneider has had some ups and downs in his time with Seattle (hello, Jamal Adams trade), but the team remains a consistent winner. With another shot at championship glory, Seahawks fans need to give Schneider oodles of credit for helping restore this franchise to its former glory.