After the 2024 season, a lot of Seahawks fans wanted John Schneider to be fired. They were understandably tired of his failure to put together an even average offensive line throughout his 15 years as general manager, and they were annoyed by a 2024 offseason that seemingly had done little to help the franchise.

It’s surprising how quickly things can change. Amid a 7-2 start that has featured major contributions from half a dozen new players and proven that Sam Darnold is indeed a franchise quarterback, Schneider has been getting a lot of credit.

In fact, in a survey of 42 NFL decision makers by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, 23 voted him as the executive of the year at the midseason point.

Back in January, when many were calling for his head, we knew Schneider was not going anywhere – not after the Hawks had won 10 games in the first season with Mike Macdonald, Schneider’s handpicked replacement for Pete Carroll. Jody Allen was going to let Schneider run this show by himself for a bit. That was proven when Allen gave her GM a new contract in July.

We have criticized Schneider in the past for the O-line failures and some huge draft misses (particularly 2016-17) while lamenting along with everyone else so many ultra-conservative free agency periods.

But, aside from a couple of glaring exceptions, Schneider has been very good at acquiring veteran stars through trades – and then extending the ones who made sense. That is how he got (and kept) Marshawn Lynch, Duane Brown, Quandre Diggs, Carlos Dunlap, Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones IV. (Yeah, he whiffed on Percy Harvin and Jamal Adams, and he was unable to keep Sheldon Richardson and Jadeveon Clowney. But at least he was willing to take some big swings.)

Schneider also usually knows when to let aging or overvalued players go – even if he takes a lot of heat from emotional fans for doing so. He did it with Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. A lot of fans hated many of those moves, but almost all of them were smart actions for the franchise.

The Wilson megadeal netted Seattle nine players, including Charles Cross, Boye Mafe, Devon Witherspoon and Derick Hall. The second-rounder for Metcalf turned into Nick Emmanwori, and the third-rounder for Smith became Jalen Milroe.

This entire roster, aside from Michael Dickson and Jason Myers, has been built by Schneider over the last four years.

As the Seahawks get ready to face the Rams in an NFC West battle royale, Schneider additions Darnold, Cooper Kupp and Ernest Jones IV (if he can play) all have something to prove (Kupp and Jones vs. their former team and Darnold vs. the team that knocked him and the Vikings out of the playoffs last season).

Let’s take a look at how Schneider has put together a roster that Macdonald has poised to prove itself as a major Super Bowl contender.

2022

This was the start of this roster reset. Schneider kicked it off by parting ways with Wilson and Wagner, his 2012 superstar picks, on the same day. The blockbuster Wilson trade (which we favored) created a lot of uncertainty and fan concern over the QB spot. Geno Smith came back on a very cheap prove-it deal to battle Drew Lock (who came from Denver in the Wilson deal).

Schneider added one spendy free agent, Uchenna Nwosu for $20 million over two years, and extended Diggs, Metcalf and Will Dissly (who was way overpaid).

Armed with a top-10 pick and two second-rounders, Schneider added six immediate contributors (Cross, Mafe, Kenneth Walker III, Abe Lucas, Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen) and Dareke Young.

Cross replaced Duane Brown, and Woolen stepped into the void created when D.J. Reed got a $33 million deal from the Jets.

Smith won the QB battle, and the Hawks went 9-8 and made the playoffs in the first year without Wilson, losing 41-23 to San Francisco in the wild-card round.

There was no sign at this point that Carroll would not be around for this third attempt at building a Super Bowl contender (the successful build done 2010-15, the failed attempt 2016-21).

As Carroll said after the playoff loss, “Last year’s draft being so effective for us, the hopes are really high that we can tag on to that one and keep building. I’m pretty fired up about it. I know John is, too. This is kind of a dream opportunity here, and he’s pumped about it. It’s an enormous opportunity for us.”

2023

Schneider went to town in 2023, bringing back Wagner from the Rams and Jarran Reed, giving the biggest free-agent contract he had ever done to Dre’Mont Jones and getting a steal in another free agent, Julian Love. The GM also extended Smith for $25 million a year and gave Nwosu a new deal, too.

In the draft, Schneider added Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Anthony Bradford, Mike Morris, Olu Oluwatimi, Jerrick Reed and Kenny McIntosh.

Schneider had remade the D-line, dumping pretty much all of the 2023 crew and replacing them with Reed, Jones and the young edge rushers. It was still not enough at midseason, so Schneider acquired Leonard Williams from the Giants.

But Williams was not enough to save the Seahawks from themselves. The defense was one of the worst in the NFL as players refused to do what they were coached to do. They had finally tuned out Carroll. It was obvious – after six years of trying – that he was never going to build a strong defense in Seattle again. And that is what got him fired after another middling 9-8 season (thankfully with no blowout playoff loss this time).

As Schneider said after Allen fired Carroll, “If you’re stagnant in this league, you are behind.”

2024

When he hired Macdonald to replace Carroll, Schneider had a pretty solid core in place for the rookie coach.

Macdonald said, “There (are) a lot of great players on this team. We’ve done a great job of drafting. It’s a young core. We’ve got a great opportunity to build a really competitive team sooner than later.”

That matched what Schneider had said after Carroll was fired: “I think it’s a young, talented team that feels like it’s right on the cusp. … I think it’s a great core.”

The problem is Schneider did not do much to add to it in 2024, and he made a bad recommendation to hire Ryan Grubb from the Huskies to be Macdonald’s first offensive coordinator.

In personnel, it was more addition through subtraction as Schneider cut Adams, Diggs and Dissly and declined to pay Damien Lewis (an admitted mistake in retrospect) and Jordyn Brooks.

The GM’s best move was re-signing Williams. And he also extended Love and Noah Fant (who lasted one year).

The draft was middling, especially in the first year. But Byron Murphy II (16^th overall pick) has excelled in Year 2, as has fourth-rounder A.J. Barner. And fellow fourth-rounder Tyrice Knight just had the game of his career with two sack-fumbles that turned into touchdowns by DeMarcus Lawrence against Arizona.

Schneider made several trades in 2024 – the best and most lasting being acquiring Ernest Jones IV.

In 2024, the Hawks won 10 games, but they missed the playoffs because they had the franchise’s worst offensive line since 2016 and Grubb was routinely outcoached by experienced NFL defensive coordinators. Macdonald smartly let him go after one year.

2025

The first order of business this year was to find a new play caller.

As he started that hunt, Macdonald said, “We want our offense to be a physical unit, dictate terms to the defense, play complementary football and get the ball to our playmakers frequently in space. Let our quarterback play fast.”

He landed on Klint Kubiak, and the two of them thought they were planning an offense around Smith and Metcalf. But then both players asked for trades; and, before anyone knew it, Darnold and Cooper Kupp had replaced Smith and Metcalf on the roster. Talk about sudden change.

It was a smooth pivot by Schneider (even if it was criticized by fans who hate change). He still needed an offensive line though. He struggled to find interior offensive linemen in free agency (despite being willing to pay), so he used the Hawks’ top pick on Grey Zabel. It didn’t entirely fix the line, but it set up what should be a very solid left side for the next five years, at least.

Schneider also added Emmanwori, Elijah Arroyo, Robbie Ouzts and Tory Horton – who all have become contributors as rookies.

This season also has seen major contributions from former fringe players Josh Jobe, Drake Thomas and Ty Okada. Schneider signed Okada undrafted out of Montana State in 2023, and the safety bounced up and down from the practice squad in his first two years before sticking as Julian Love’s backup this season (and now having started six games). Thomas, another undrafted free agent in 2023, was added off waivers from Las Vegas that year and has turned into a playmaking starter this season. Schneider picked up Jobe in August 2024, and Macdonald turned him into a starter.

Other unsung role players Schneider has unearthed include George Holani, Brady Russell, Jake Bobo, Cody White, Brandon Pili and Derion Kendrick.

This team that Schneider has put together has been coached superbly by the incredible football savant Macdonald. It is poised to make a major run toward the Super Bowl this season and again in 2026. This is the best window for the Hawks to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Carroll’s 2013-14 club – built on historic drafts by Schneider — narrowly missed that feat.

Schneider has never won an Executive of the Year award – from either The Sporting News or Pro Football Writers of America – but this could be the year that happens.