Tag: john schneider

Seahawks GM John Schneider talks about ‘Picturegate’ at the VMAC

Seahawks GM John Schneider talks about ‘Picturegate’ at the VMAC

If you have been online at all this week, you have likely seen the latest “scandal” hitting the Seattle Seahawks. New head coach Mike Macdonald reportedly took down several murals in the hallways at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center – the Seahawks team head quarters. Images such as the BeastQuake, Richard Sherman’s “tip” and even hoisting the Lombardi.

Gasp!

If you are good at reading sarcasm, you’ve probably realized how “serious” I am taking this development, and I am not alone. It seems Seahawks general manager John Schneider shares similar levels of concern. During his weekly appearance on the Wyman and Bob Show, Schneider gave his thoughts on the latest “nontroversy” gripping the internet.

It is the offseason. Free agency is over, and we are still not quite to the 2024 NFL Draft. Folks online are scrambling to pick up anything at all to talk about to satiate our collective hunger for new NFL stories… especially with a brand new head coach in charge.

Macdonald is new. With “new” comes excitement and enthusiasm. But “new” can also bring about a sense of trepidation. With Pete Carroll, we grew accustomed to his ways and how Seattle operated. Macdonald is ushering in a new regime, new ways of thinking and doing things. The hesitation and concern among fans for something that could be easily seen as history erasure is understandable.

But for now, no one at the VMAC is taking it as seriously as fans online.

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Rams ‘badly wanted’ Sam Howell before Commanders traded him to the Seahawks

Sean McVay reportedly wanted Sam Howell before he was traded to the Seahawks.

For about 10 weeks last fall, Washington Commanders’ fans believed they’d found a franchise quarterback. Despite the chaos around him, Sam Howell had some impressive moments throughout the first half of last season.

Unfortunately for Howell and Washington, it all came crashing down as the Commanders lost their final eight games.

Some of it was Howell’s fault, some was due to the talent around him, and a lot of it was coaching. When you add it all together, it meant big changes were in store for the Commanders.

After firing Ron Rivera, Washington hired Adam Peters as the new general manager, and the changes began. The Commanders hired Dan Quinn as head coach and were busy during the early stages of free agency upgrading the roster. Washington traded Howell to the Seattle Seahawks during that first week of free agency. In return, the Commanders swapped multiple draft picks, including landing Seattle’s third-round pick (No. 78 overall).

Seattle GM John Schneider was relieved to come away with Howell, admitting multiple teams were in contention for the 2022 fifth-round pick.

We’ve now learned the Los Angeles Rams were one of those teams.

In an appearance on the PuckSports podcast, NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo revealed that the Rams badly wanted Howell behind Matthew Stafford.

“They [Seattle Seahawks] outbid the Rams, who I know that there was a strong feeling from the Rams coaching staff that they wanted Sam Howell badly,” Garofolo said.

“They really liked him, so the Seahawks were able to outbid them. So that’s good. You got him. You also kept him away from a team that really could have used him as a potential successor there.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay wanted Howell, which should tell you something. Also, the Denver Broncos were reportedly among the teams interested in Sam Howell. Regardless of what you think of his work in Denver last year, Sean Payton is a future Hall of Fame head coach.

That’s two of the NFL’s premier offensive minds wanting to work with Howell.

There were hot takes from a segment of Washington’s fan base that said Howell couldn’t play. McVay, Payton and Schneider all wanted Howell. He can play. Whether it’s as a long-term starter or a high-end backup, Howell will be in the NFL for a long time.

With Stafford entering his 16th NFL season in 2024, perhaps McVay viewed Howell as the potential heir apparent.

Seahawks haven’t changed what they’re looking for under Mike Macdonald

Seahawks haven’t changed what they’re looking for under Mike Macdonald

For the first time in the better part of almost two decades, the Seattle Seahawks will be without head coach Pete Carroll. While this obviously means a change will be coming on the field, what we should also wonder is how will this affect the team when it is being constructed during the offseason? After all, Carroll had final say when it came to any draft pick, free agent or trade.

According to Seahawks general manager John Schneider, not much will change. Schneider recently spoke about how Seattle is still going to be searching for the same kinds of players under new head coach Mike Macdonald.

There are a few ways to look at this. On one hand, fans might be encouraged by the continuity. Seattle has been one of the most stable and successful franchises in the league in the 21st Century, and especially since the 2010 season. John Schneider certainly has plenty to do with said success.

On the other, some fans might be concerned for fears of things going the same way. Let’s be honest: for the past few seasons, the Seahawks have felt like they are stuck in a rut of mediocrity. Yes, back to back winning seasons is great. But no playoff wins since 2019 is starting to feel quite a ways away now. This, coupled with Schneider’s earlier comments about how he feels guards are overpaid and overdrafted, might leave some fans worried if this team can get out of this rut they are in.

However, we won’t know until we see what kind of plans Schneider and Seahawks brass has cooking for the 2024 NFL draft.

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John Schneider says Seahawks are not ignoring the guard position

John Schneider says Seahawks are not ignoring the guard position

For years, the Seattle Seahawks have struggled with subpar offensive line play, especially their interior. Individual players have been solid, but as a collective unit, this has always been an area of need.

Which is why it was rather surprising to hear Seahawks general manager John Schneider come off as rather dismissive of the guard position. In Schneider’s own words, he believes guards in this league are overdrafted and overpaid. I’m certain there were those out there who believes Schneider should probably spend a little more time on this position.

However, to alleviate some concerns, Schneider did offer some clarity on the position during his weekly spot on the Wyman and Bob Show. 

With only two draft picks (as of right now) in the Top 100, I don’t think Schneider is going to have to worry about over drafting just about anyone this spring. Still, focusing on this position via the 2024 NFL draft or the remaining free agents will remain a key area of focus for Schneider and the Seahawks.

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Seahawks announce new VP of football administration

The Seahawks made a notable behind-the-scenes move on Wednesday for their front office.

The Seahawks made a notable behind-the-scenes move on Wednesday for their front office. The team announced that they are hiring Joey Laine as their new vice president of football administration.

Laine had been working as a cap analyst for the Packers, where general manager John Schneider came up. He replaces Matt Thomas, who had previously held the position since 2013. Laine has also worked for the Bears as their director of football administration for seven years after spending 10 seasons with the Saints.

At least to start Laine has his work cut out for him regarding Seattle’s salary cap situation. Before they announced the signing of Laviska Shenault the team had around $2 million in cap space leftover for the 2024 season. However, that figure doesn’t account for what it will cost to sign their rookie class, so the real number is closer to $3 million over the limit.

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Macdonald has it right.

Trading for Sam Howell made it much less likely, but we can’t rule out the possibility that the Seahawks might pick a quarterback in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. General manager John Schneider has been on record many times lamenting the fact that he hasn’t drafted more QBs in his time, and has made it clear he would like to do so this year.

Head coach Mike Macdonald is open to the idea if the right prospect is available when they’re on the clock. Here’s what he told reporters about the prospect of drafting a quarterback at the league meetings last week, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.

“If there’s a guy that’s sitting, facing us in whatever round, it’s just the responsible thing to do to try to make your team better… It’s hard to find young, great quarterbacks in the league. It’s tough. Sometimes you’ve got to take swings at the plate to hit them.”

Macdonald has it right. While the Seahawks have more pressing roster needs – especially on both sides of the line of scrimmage – the best possible use of draft capital remains adding a potential new franchise quarterback to succeed Geno Smith.

The most logical target is Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., who ran Ryan Grubb’s offense at a near-Heisman level the last two seasons. However, they will likely have to use their No. 16 overall pick to get him – and they won’t be on the clock again until No. 81.

Odds are Seattle will have to settle for one of the developmental QB prospects on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. The good news there are a lot of intriguing QBs in this class – and there will probably still be some real talent left on the board in Rounds 4-5.

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Regardless of what Seattle has planned for the 2024 NFL draft, adding some more experience to this unit is a good idea.

Last week, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald admitted to reporters that the team’s offensive line is a work in progress. Now nearly three weeks removed from the beginning of free agency, the team has only signed a couple of career backups for their interior: Nick Harris from the Browns and Tremayne Anchrum from the Rams. Right now those two may project as the starters at guard, sandwiching Olu Oluwatimi at center. All together those three have only started six games in the NFL, though.

That means regardless of what Seattle has planned for the 2024 NFL draft, adding some more experience to this unit is a good idea. General manager John Schneider seems to agree and says the team will be bringing in a couple of free agent veterans for visits. Here’s what he told ESPN radio about the OL on Friday:

“We’re going to be bringing a couple veteran offensive linemen through (for visits during) this second phase of free agency and then (be) comparing that to what the draft looks like… Anytime you’re just drafting for need – that is a need on our team right now, I think it’s fairly obvious – but we like so many young guys (like Raiqwon) O’Neil, McClendon Curtis. I mean, there’s some guys in there, some younger guys that we like, too, that we’ve added … There’s some young players that a fan may not necessarily know, but that we’re excited about in the mix.”

Schneider has a point about O’Neil and Curtis, two highly-regarded members of the 2023 rookie class who combined for just 27 snaps as rookies – most of them coming on special teams. If either one can grow into a reliable contributor this year it might make a big difference at an exceedingly low cost – both are under salary for less than $1 million in 2024.

However, we would be surprised if the team doesn’t sign at least one veteran who has extensive experience as a starter at guard. We’ll be reviewing some of their best options tomorrow.

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John Schneider watches offensive tackles at Washington Pro Day

John Schneider watches offensive tackles at Washington Pro Day

The University of Washington held their Pro Day recently, and it should come as little surprise that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider was in attendance. Certainly, making the trip from Renton to Montlake is perhaps the easiest trip for a Pro Day Schneider gets to make as Seattle’s general manager.

Ease of travel aside, Schneider visiting the Huskies makes perfect sense as Washington boasted the best offense in college football last season, especially with a quality offensive line. The Seahawks, once again, are in dire need to improve their offensive line, and build better depth.

Seattle dealt with an incredible string of terrible injury luck up front, dealing with near-countless different combinations of lineman last year. They held up remarkably well early on, but eventually wore down and were a weakness as the season progressed.

Additionally, it almost goes without saying that the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator is Ryan Grubb, who was in charge of the Huskies offense last year. Grubb most assuredly knows what his former players are capable of, and it is probably safe to assume Schneider is taking interest in what Grubb has to say about his Huskies.

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Seahawks GM on Sam Howell: ‘I love the way he plays the game’

Seahawks GM on Sam Howell: ‘I love the way he plays the game’

The Seattle Seahawks made quite the interesting move earlier this offseason when they traded for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. The move was one to bring in a backup, and Seattle has made that much clear by affirming Geno Smith as the starter.

However, there is a clear interest in Howell as a potential reclamation prospect. The former Commanders signal caller had 21 touchdowns against 21 interceptions last year, but showed plenty of flashes along the way – such as his 312 passing yard and three touchdown performance against the Seahawks last year.

Seattle’s general manager John Schneider was rather effusive in his praise of Howell. Per John Boyle at Seahawks.com, Schneider had this to say:

“He’s a football player, tough, square,” Schneider said. “I think you guys will find him to be kind of quiet, but our game (against Washington), he was super tough, super strong. He’s got a really cool upside… I love the way he plays the game.”

Boyle went on to elaborate how Schneider added that he “absolutely” could see Howell becoming a full-time starter again down the road.

Whether or not that road involves the Seahawks remains to be seen. Still, it should be noted Howell is younger than both 2024 NFL draft prospects Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, but with two more years experience in the league.

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There’s not a whole lot Smith can do better than he already is to push the Seahawks to the next level.

Geno Smith is still the man at quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, and his position as QB1 has arguably never been more secure than it is right now. Trading for Sam Howell made it much less likely that Seattle will target a potential new starter in the 2024 NFL draft, giving Smith more breathing room and time to prove he can lead this team on a deep playoff run.

Smith also has the full confidence of the front office – at least according to their public statements. After the Howell trade general manager John Schneider told the media that he will be backing up Smith. Head coach Mike Macdonald echoed the same sentiment this weekend at the league owners meetings in Orlando. Here’s what he said when he was asked if he expects a QB competition, per Tom Pelissero at NFL Network.

“l don’t. I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam (Howell) knows he’s going to be our backup, but Sam is a great young player, and he’s got a really bright future that we believe in.”

Smith will turn 34 years old about a month into the 2024 season, but if anything he seems to be getting better with age rather than declining. While Smith’s numbers from last season were down compared to 2023 that ignores the context of a league-wide offensive turndown. In many ways, Smith got even better in his second full year as Seattle’s starter, especially in avoiding sacks and throwing under pressure.

Truthfully, there’s not a lot more Smith can do than he already is to push the Seahawks to the next level. The team needs to radically improve on defense and give him a respectable offensive line. If those two things happen a push to the NFC title game is certainly a possibility.

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