Tag Archives: John Schneider

Franchise history, Trades

Will Hawks & Pack trade another GM?

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John Schneider draftingAre the Seahawks and Packers about to engage in another deal involving a football boss?

In 1999, the Seahawks sent the Packers a second-round pick for Mike Holmgren, who became Seattle’s coach and general manager. Among the former Packers personnel guys Holmgren hired early in his Seattle tenure was John Schneider, who then bounced back to Green Bay in 2002 and returned to Seattle to join Pete Carroll in 2010.

Now, 19 years after that Holmgren trade, the Packers reportedly are trying to get Schneider back for a third stint with the team.

The Seahawks reportedly turned down the Packers’ request to interview Schneider, so the story is over unless: (1) Schneider really wants to go back to Green Bay and (2) the Packers want to give up a draft pick or two for him.

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Contracts, State of the team, The roster

Thomas bracing for departure, but Hawks will pay him

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Earl in DallasEarl Thomas is creating a lot of negative-energy waves as this season winds down. To some, it might seem like he is trying to build up a trade tsunami.

But it’s just Earl being Earl — the Pro Bowl safety who wears his heart on his sleeve and sometimes puts his foot in his mouth. And you can expect him to be a happy camper, with feet firmly on the ground, again as soon as John Schneider gives him another contract extension in the coming offseason.

Thomas’ contract — which has one year left — clearly is on his mind, and he seems to be bracing for Seattle to trade him in 2018 or lowball him and force him to go play somewhere else in 2019.

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Contracts, Trades

Schneider should tag-and-trade Sheldon

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John Schneider (via Fresh Files)John Schneider has not been afraid to make bold gambles with the Seahawks’ roster — Percy Harvin, Jimmy Graham and Sheldon Richardson being prominent examples. As the 2018 offseason approaches, he has a chance to make another one.

Richardson figures to command a hefty contract on the open market, and he and the Jets reportedly are interested in a reunion — just months after the Jets traded him to Seattle for a second-round pick and Jermaine Kearse (and a swap of seventh-rounders).

Schneider could shrug and let the defensive tackle go, content to look forward to the third-round comp pick Seattle likely would get in 2019 — a partial offset for that trade. Or Schneider could be a lot more devious and daring, if he felt he could manipulate the situation to Seattle’s advantage.

Schneider has not used the franchise tag since his first year in Seattle, 2010, when he retained kicker Olindo Mare. But he should consider it for Richardson. And then trade him.

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Contracts, The roster

Looking ahead to 2018

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Salary cap logoWith playoff hopes slim for the Seahawks, and a Super Bowl hardly a consideration even if they do make the postseason, many people already are looking ahead to 2018.

Some overreactive fools are suggesting the Seahawks blow up the entire team, fire Pete Carroll, trade Russell Wilson and get rid of every defender over 30. That’s complete silliness, obviously.

Carroll and Wilson have presided over the greatest era of Seahawks football — a six-year run that has included 64 wins, five playoff appearances, two Super Bowls and one NFL title. Yeah, it has been a relative disappointment ever since Carroll’s botched XLIX decision — the potential dynasty fizzled out with that huge gaffe.

But these guys have plenty left.

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Contracts, The roster

Head-scratching moves by Carroll, Schneider

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Salary cap logoPete Carroll and John Schneider have made some head-scratching decisions this week.

First, Carroll made a string of admitted errors that helped his team lose at home to Atlanta on Monday. And now Schneider is backstepping on a key move he made a few weeks ago, dropping Dwight Freeney because the Seahawks decided they can no longer afford him.

Schneider chose to drop the productive 37-year-old pass rusher because the Hawks suddenly ran into a big injury storm — losing Richard Sherman and possibly Kam Chancellor for the season. Schneider could have gone to another vet, perhaps Bobby Wagner, for some cap relief. But, the Hawks had 11 defensive linemen and Dion Jordan has played well in his two games, so Schneider decided to lop one of his few luxury players.

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Franchise history, State of the team, Week 9: Washington

Seahawks are always scrambling on offense

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Logo -- WashingtonThe Seahawks say they aim to be the best scrambling offense in the NFL — so it figures that’s what they’re doing this week: Scrambling once again to fix their offense.

The trade for Duane Brown, an excellent if belated move to shore up left tackle, and the decision to ride one running back are steps that should have been taken long ago. These moves at this late date are emblematic of Pete Carroll’s offense: They never seem to have a good plan.

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Contracts, The roster, Trades

Schneider had to be ready for backfire

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Salary cap logoJohn Schneider was ready for this. He had to be.

He knew it was possible — if not probable — that Jeremy Lane could fail his physical. After all, Lane suffered yet another injury Sunday.

Seattle’s trade filed Tuesday indicated a conditional fifth-rounder going to Houston, and the condition probably was Lane passing his physical. Schneider and Houston GM Rick Smith probably wrote in the upgrade to a third in that case, which is how Seattle ended up giving up a 2018 third-rounder and 2019 second and getting back a 2018 fifth along with Duane Brown.

The bigger issue now is cap space: With Lane’s $2.1 million staying on the books, the Seahawks have around $500,000 in room — even after Russell Wilson signed off on a simple restructure to accommodate Brown’s remaining $5 million.

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The roster, Trades

Hawks finally tired of wasting a great defense

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Draft -- Schneider and CarrollJohn Schneider and Pete Carroll know they have wasted two years of their great defense because of a poor offensive line — one that is even worse than the middling units they had as they reached the Super Bowl in 2013 and 2014 — and the team’s chiefs apparently have had enough.

Fans have been calling for them to add a good left tackle since Russell Okung left after the 2015 season. After using Bradley Sowell, George Fant and Rees Odhiambo over the past two seasons, they finally did it — Schneider pulling off his second blockbuster deal in two months to add another Pro Bowl player.

Some think Schneider is selling the future for one last hurrah, but he’s really just making sure the Hawks don’t waste this window any more than they already have. And he’s doing it at little cost to the future.

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It's bigger than football, Trades, Week 8: Houston

Perfect time to try to get Brown again

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Logo -- HoustonDuane Brown probably would love a trade to the Seahawks at this point.

He probably would love to play for an owner who supports him off the field just as much as he does on the field — an owner who considers his players partners, not “inmates.”

The Houston Texans are not happy campers as they get ready to come to Seattle. Like a moron, Bob McNair has stoked the fires of discontent some more with his tone-deaf comments implying players should shut up and just play ball.

The Texans almost boycotted practice on Friday — star receiver DeAndre Hopkins did — and we can expect Texans and Seahawks players to band together in a show of solidarity before the game in Seattle on Sunday.

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Injury report, The roster

Another lost vet bet, and we’re on O-line No. 3

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Seahawks bandagesThe Seahawks’ $8 million gamble failed.

Luke Joeckel made it five games before hitting the shelf again. He’s out at least a month, and it could be a lot longer. He’s just the latest big-money addition that hasn’t turned out for Seattle.

In eight offseasons in charge of the Seahawks, John Schneider has paid 11 outside veterans at least $4.8 million a year. For a variety of reasons, just two of them — Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril — have turned out to be worth it.

Unless Joeckel returns for the final five or six games and helps steady the offense through the playoffs, he will end up joining the likes of Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery, Matt Flynn, Percy Harvin, Cary Williams and Jimmy Graham as big-money busts.

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