As he spoke at the NFL scouting combine on Feb. 25, John Schneider wiped sweat off his brow with a damp white towel. Soon, the 53-year-old executive would shockingly shed his offense’s most popular players — releasing Tyler Lockett and trading Geno Smith and DK Metcalf in a franchise-shifting flurry.
Schneider would enter the league’s free-agency period with considerable salary-cap space, 10 draft picks …
And gaudy goals.
“We want to be a smart, tough, physical, fast football team,” the Seahawks’ general manager and president of football operations said at the combine. “We want to be able to get our home-field advantage back and win multiple championships for our fans.”
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Of course, want is a worthless word. Actions are everything.
When the offseason ends, will the Seahawks be closer to — or further from — those goals?
The answer should determine Schneider’s future with the franchise.
That may sound severe, given Schneider’s proven success in Seattle. But with just one playoff appearance in the past four years, the Seahawks can sit only so long in the mediocre middle.
After arriving alongside coach Pete Carroll in 2010, the De Pere, Wis., native converted draft picks into a championship core — selecting Earl Thomas, Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, etc., in his first three classes. The Seahawks subsequently made nine playoff appearances between 2012 and 2022, delivering the franchise’s first Super Bowl and a string of consistent contention.
But in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, the Seahawks have stagnated. They cut ties with Carroll after a second consecutive nine-win season, then fell agonizingly short of the playoffs (despite going 10-7) in Mike Macdonald’s debut. With an eroding home-field advantage and key players demanding new contracts …
Schneider bet on his ability to build it all again.
But what about his recent résumé should create confidence? The Seahawks’ 2024 free-agent class — inside linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker, safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and K’Von Wallace, offensive linemen Nick Harris, George Fant and Laken Tomlinson, tight end Pharaoh Brown, nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and receiver/returner Laviska Shenault — was a collective calamity. Dodson, Baker, Harris and Shenault were waived or traded before season’s end, and Jenkins, Fant, Brown and Wallace made minimal impact.
Plus, despite all that initial draft success, Schneider and Co. have failed to fix their greatest flaw. Though the team took starting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas in 2022, the Seahawks are (again) searching for new starters along the interior of their offensive line. They sat 28th in rushing (1,627 yards) in 2024, and allowed the third-most sacks in the NFL (54).
Which isn’t to say Schneider doesn’t also deserve credit. Last offseason he successfully re-signed defensive lineman Leonard Williams — who terrorized opposing offenses to the tune of 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and an interception in 2024. And when the Dodson-Baker experiment wasn’t working, he traded for Tennessee’s Ernest Jones IV, who almost single-handedly sparked a defensive turnaround.
But entering the free-agency period, the Seahawks’ holes were easily identifiable:
- Quarterback
- Guard/center
- Wide receiver
(Feel free to repeat “guard/center” until you’re satisfied.)
On Monday the Seahawks made an expected move — reportedly signing quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with $55 million guaranteed. Seattle essentially saved money by flipping the 34-year-old Smith for the 27-year-old Darnold and a third-round pick.
Given Darnold’s rocky seven-season stint in the NFL, it’s a risky proposition. But it’s also a pivot with obvious upside, as evidenced by Darnold’s 4,319 passing yards (fifth in the NFL), 35 passing touchdowns (fifth) and 102.5 quarterback rating (sixth) in 2024. He’s a former No. 3 overall pick in the prime of his career, coming off a career season, and he signed for less than what Smith wanted a week ago. He also worked with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in San Francisco in 2023 and arrives with an understanding of the Seahawks’ system.
But Darnold’s career renaissance was supported by supreme offensive line and wide receiver play in Minnesota.
Can Seattle provide the same?
Thus far, the Seahawks — who hope to support Darnold by rediscovering their running game — have significant work to do. Coveted center Drew Dalman (Bears) and guard Will Fries (Vikings) are reportedly signing elsewhere, leaving Seattle (still) with money to spend and problems to solve. As of Tuesday afternoon, guards Teven Jenkins, Mekhi Becton and Kevin Zeitler remained viable options.
But frustrated Seahawks fans have seen this all before.
It’s not as if the Seahawks have stood completely still. Darnold could serve as an answer under center, and they signed Baltimore offensive lineman Josh Jones to provide depth as a backup tackle or guard. They maintained key continuity on defense as well, re-signing Jones and veteran defensive lineman Jarran Reed.
But when will the Seahawks meaningfully invest on the interior of their offensive line?
It’s an evergreen question without an answer.
Which is why this is a make-or-break offseason for Schneider specifically. With significant cap space and a flood of draft picks, the Seahawks’ 15th-year general manager has all the resources to meaningfully, immediately improve. And without Carroll to share decision-making duties, he also has his stamp on every major move.
What he doesn’t have is excuses, or room to rebuild.
“I feel bad for our fans, not making the playoffs two years in a row,” he said at the combine. “We’ve got to get Lumen (Field) rocking again. We’ve got to get speed on defense and be able to run the ball and get our identity.”
Schneider’s contract runs through the 2027 NFL draft. But his success or failure this offseason — and his ability to do the above — will determine his future with the franchise.
For Schneider, the heat is on.
