It’s hard to beat Seattle in the Summer. It’s even harder to beat having your training facility off the coast of Lake Washington in Renton, minutes south of Seattle. Years ago, the Seattle Seahawks migrated here for training camp; this season, they’re embarking on their 50th season in the National Football League. This setting has bred champions, and it’s no surprise that the current ownership wanted to lock in their general manager for the foreseeable future.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider, now in his 16th season with the Seahawks took over a team that suffered through consecutive losing seasons. Aside from those initial losing seasons as general manager, the Seahawks have made 10 playoff appearances while playing in consecutive Super Bowls and enduring only one season under .500 in that time frame. Schneider was also instrumental in bringing the franchises only Super Bowl Championship and the city’s first professional championship since 1979.
Having suffered only one losing season in their past 13 seasons under Schneider’s tutelage, it’s no wonder that the Seahawks want to lock him in. This deal will keep him with the Seahawks through the 2030 NFL Draft mirroring 36-year-old Mike Macdonald, who was the NFL’s youngest head coach at the time of his hiring.
“Just a ton of gratitude. Obviously very thankful, a ton of gratitude to Jody (Allen), Bert (Kolde), and Chuck (Arnold). I appreciate Chuck’s time and effort in this whole thing,” GM John Scheider said. “Everybody on the third floor, everybody in our building, second floor, everybody we love in the cafeteria, all the scouts, sports science, football operations, all the current players, and all the great former players that have been through here that we appreciate. And just being able to move forward with Coach Mike (Macdonald) here and go win some championships.”
Scheider acknowledged that he has been guided by the Golden Rule when he shared that he and Pete (Carroll) made a conscious effort to establish the competitive culture and atmosphere we have come to attribute to the Seahawks.
“Just treating people the way you want to be treated and putting your egos aside. When Pete (Carroll) and I got together, we made a conscious effort, we had both been fired before, so it’s like, ‘Hey, neither one of us cares who’s going to get the credit, we want to go and win world championships together, and create an atmosphere that, the players want to play here, coaches want to coach here,’” GM Scheider explained.
“So, in the process of recruiting Coach Mike (Macdonald), I don’t want to say it was an easy sell, but it was a great sell for us because we had done it, and had that reputation,” stated Scheider. “It’s extremely important to be as honest as you can in every negotiation without hurting people’s feelings in trades and releasing people, and all that kind of stuff. So just honesty, being ethical, integrity, for it’s me relying on my faith, putting our heads down, working together with everybody, and making strong, tough decisions every day.”
Scheider referenced his wife, Traci, multiple times when speaking to the media about his extension. In this forum, Schneider felt comfortable enough to share that he journals, “I write a lot. I journal a lot and that’s just keeping your integrity and keeping things above board, and knowing what’s guiding you, obviously your faith, but just what’s best for the team, what’s best for the organization?”
Winning a championship remains the goal of the players, coaches, and the Seahawks front office. The environment and culture that the franchise has established under the guidance of Scheider have been remarkable, yet he feels there is more work to be done.
“Just walking through the building, giving people crud,” Scheider admits. “That’s kind of my leadership style, just having fun and messing with people.”
Even this week, Schneider continues to do what he enjoys doing, evaluating players and identifying talent. He still sits with the scouts and maintains consistent communication with coach MacDonald to discuss team needs, stating, “At the heart of it, that is how I started; I was an evaluator.”
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