John Schneider, Seahawks Agree on New Contract: Details, Comments, Reaction

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider will reportedly be with the team for the foreseeable future.

ESPN’s John Clayton cited a source on Sunday who said the team and Schneider agreed on a contract extension “that is expected to make him among the highest-paid GMs in the NFL.” Schneider’s previous contract would have expired after the 2016 campaign.

Seahawks owner Paul Allen responded to the news on Twitter:   

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the extension was for five years, while ESPN.com added it was “expected to approach the $3.75 million a year that, sources say, the [Baltimore] Ravens’ Ozzie Newsome earns as the highest-paid general manager in the league.”

ESPN.com cited sources who said the Schneider deal is “likely to lead” to an extension for head coach Pete Carroll as well. Carroll’s contract is also set to expire after the 2016 campaign.

Schneider helped build Seattle into one of the consistent winners in the NFL during his tenure. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, he has been with the Seahawks since the 2010 season and was the general manager when the franchise won its first Super Bowl title following the 2013 campaign.

Seattle has experienced sustained success under Schneider and reached the playoffs in five of his six seasons:

Season	Job Title	Record	Playoff Result
2010	General Manager	7-9	Lost Divisonal
2011	General Manager	7-9	--
2012	General Manager	11-5	Lost Divisonal
2013	Executive VP/General Manager	13-3	Won Super Bowl
2014	Executive VP/General Manager	12-4	Lost Super Bowl
2015	Executive VP/General Manager	10-6	Lost Divisonal

Kevin Clark of The Ringer reacted to Sunday’s news:

Schneider has orchestrated this successful period for the Seahawks in part because of his ability to draft and discover players for below market value. Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times noted he selected defensive backs Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Byron Maxwell, as well as linebackers K.J. Wright and Malcolm Smith, in the fourth round or later in the draft.

Jenks also wrote, “He signed undrafted free agents Doug Baldwin, Thomas Rawls and Jermaine Kearse. He traded for Marshawn Lynch when Lynch was no longer seen as a franchise centerpiece.”

With Schneider locked up as a general manager who makes moves like that, the Seahawks figure to be among the best teams in the league for years to come.