Seahawks GM Reveals 2026 NFL Draft Plans amid Trade Rumors, 'It's No Secret with Us'

It's not very often a general manager of an NFL team is publicly open about his intention to trade during the draft.

Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider must have missed the memo.

"It's no secret with us," he said Monday, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "We have four picks, so we'll be looking to move back."

No team in the league has fewer picks than the Seahawks, who will not pick until No. 32 as the reigning Super Bowl champions. If they don't make a trade to accumulate more picks, it will put plenty of pressure on those four selections.

Even one poor pick could set the roster construction back at least another offseason.

Schneider surely knows this and even said he would be willing to trade within the NFC West, which Henderson noted could be important should the Arizona Cardinals choose to trade back into the first round to get ahead of the New York Jets at No. 33 and select a quarterback such as Alabama's Ty Simpson.

Ty Simpson highlights

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"We've talked within our division," Schneider said. "That was kind of frowned upon for a while, like you don't trade within your division. Everybody in our division, we would trade with. We have good relationships with all three of those teams. You're maneuvering around the board to try to help your team no matter what. So, when you look at it through that lens, you're basically not concerned about [helping another team]."

Seattle is the reigning champion and has one of the most talented rosters in the league, but it also lost running back Kenneth Walker III, pass-rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen and safety Coby Bryant in free agency. 

Given the departures of Bryant and Woolen in particular, targeting the secondary would seemingly make sense. With that as the backdrop, B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected Seattle to take San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson in its latest mock draft.

Perhaps that is what Schneider chooses to do, but he has been very clear he would be open to trading the selection as well.