Tag Archives: John Schneider

Free agency, Trades

Value for good vets continues to elude Schneider

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Over his 11-plus years as Seattle’s GM, John Schneider has been pretty good when it comes to making trades (we put him around .600).

But it’s also rare when Schneider gets value out of good players he lets go.

He didn’t get it for Michael Bennett or Richard Sherman or Earl Thomas. And he certainly didn’t get it with Jarran Reed, who was released Friday because the Seahawks had put themselves in a spot where they needed his $9 million in cap space and Schneider could not get a team to give up even a seventh-rounder for a solid starting defensive tackle who has 19 sacks over the past three seasons.

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Free agency, The roster

Dunlap is back: At long last, Schneider locks in a top pass rusher

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That “Whewwwwww” you heard Thursday was a collective sigh of relief from Seahawks fans as John Schneider finally secured an ace pass rusher who was more than a desperation rental.

The return of Carlos Dunlap was everything Seattle needed this offseason – easily the best move Schneider has made in the past two years, let alone the past two weeks.

Schneider has been patching his pass rush ever since trading Frank Clark in April 2019. He tried with Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney that year, then moved on to Bruce Irvin and Benson Mayowa last year, before finally landing Dunlap in a lucky desperation trade.

It took releasing Dunlap, letting him see the market and then letting Jarran Reed go to bring him back. But at least Schneider finally locked in an ace pass rusher for a couple of years.

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NFL draft

How Schneider could try to add more picks

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The official NFL draft order was released Friday, leading many fans to worry anew about the Seahawks’ lack of draft picks: They have a league-worst 0.9% of the total draft capital.

Some think John Schneider has basically punted on this draft after a pandemic-ruined college season and pre-draft period.

As Brady Henderson confirmed in December, Schneider did indeed make the big trade for Jamal Adams last summer because he knew this draft would be a bigger guessing game than usual. And he obviously was desperate to add a good guard (Gabe Jackson) to appease Russell Wilson. Those two deals cost a 1, 3 and 5. The 6 was traded in last year’s draft to move up for Stephen Sullivan, who is now in Carolina. So, Seattle has just a 2, 4 and 7 left at this point.

But, if you know Schneider, you know he will find a way to get back in the draft. After all, he has never had fewer than eight picks and is famously adept at moving down to add more selections.

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Contracts, Free agency, The roster

On Day 1, Hawks show Wilson they care

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The Seahawks seem to be making peace with (and appeasing) Russell Wilson.

After a rough Monday where they lost out on a couple of linemen and fans grumbled, they did several things over the following two days that signaled they are recommitting to their quarterback. First, they declined a huge trade offer from Chicago. Then they came back the next day and signed tight end Gerald Everett and then made a “just for you, Russ” trade for veteran guard Gabe Jackson.

Wilson indicated he liked the Jackson trade, which sets up Seattle’s line with starters everywhere but at center, which is still one of their top two needs. (UPDATE: They re-signed Ethan Pocic.)

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Free agency, Trades

Hawks denied Bears, but that does not end trade possibility

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Seahawks fans who favor Russell Wilson rejoiced today when Chicago signed Andy Dalton and word emerged that Pete Carroll and John Schneider had declined an “adamant and aggressive” offer from the Bears. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Wilson won’t be traded.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Carroll and company decided they didn’t want to rebuild – i.e., they had no guarantee of a playoff quarterback to replace Wilson. But Adam Schefter of ESPN said it is possible the Seahawks change their minds later – “next month, next year, whatever it may be.”

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Free agency, The roster

Dunlap release not a surprise, also not a good sign

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The Seahawks’ release of Carlos Dunlap, their best pass rusher, was not unexpected, but it also is probably not a good omen for the offseason.

It shows that the Seahawks did not value their most impactful defender from 2020, were not creative enough to keep him, are still not looking to the future and are likely to go the budget route in filling their few roster holes.

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Trades

Bears could bring Watson to Seattle

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John Schneider has a clear path to getting Deshaun Watson to Seattle – if only he has the will and the wile to take it.

Last week, Bears GM Ryan Pace said he had a plan for finding a new quarterback: “Everything is on the table in regard to the quarterback situation. That includes free agency, trade, the draft and a combination of all those. We have a plan in place.”

It’s no surprise that plan reportedly starts with Russell Wilson, whose agent publicly invited the Bears (and the Raiders, Saints and Cowboys) to pursue the quarterback. Wilson reportedly likes the idea of playing for an offensive coach like Chicago’s Matt Nagy (an Andy Reid disciple), and the egomaniacal QB apparently loves the thought of being a savior in the Windy City.

Perfect. Schneider needs to use Chicago as his conduit for getting a Wilson-Watson swap.

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Contracts, Free agency

What if Schneider does cut Dunlap?

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There is a lot of smoke swirling around Carlos Dunlap, with more and more insiders thinking the Seahawks will “fire” him due to his $14 million cap hit.

It wouldn’t be an advisable move, unless John Schneider had a sure plan to replace one ace pass rusher with another. The GM can’t stumble blindly along like he has the past two years, waiting until some disgruntled star becomes available in a cheap trade and adjusts his salary for Seattle. It’s not a sustainable strategy.

If the Hawks cut Dunlap, they MUST find another top pass rusher — BEFORE the season this time. It would become their No. 1 roster need — ahead of center, corner, running back or any other spot. And if Schneider let that position drift in the wind again, it would be just as detrimental to the defense as it was the last two years.

So, what can Schneider do if he cuts Dunlap?

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The roster, Trades

Is Wilson’s time up? trade still unlikely, but not impossible

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The end is nigh.

That became very clear after The Athletic detailed Russell Wilson’s losing power struggle with Pete Carroll and word emerged that Wilson has passive-aggressively asked for a trade.

And you know what? It’s OK.

All things come to an end, and the Carroll/Wilson era is nearly at its terminus. It has been a good run – the best in the NFC over the past decade – but not nearly as good as it could/should have been. And that’s why it’s about time to finish cleaning the slate from the Super Bowl team.

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Contracts, Free agency

The Dunlap dilemma

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One of the top things on our offseason to-do list for the Seahawks has been to extend Carlos Dunlap, who turned around their pass rush – and thus their defense — after his arrival in October.

A short extension for Dunlap would allow the Seahawks to greatly reduce his $14 million cap hit in 2021. However, some reporters who cover the team think Dunlap may be released, thereby freeing up the entire $14 million – and sending the Hawks on the hunt yet again for a top pass rusher.

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