John Schneider, Seahawks Back to Business Fresh Off Super Bowl Title at NFL Combine
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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images [/caption]
Capturing the ultimate prize in professional sports in Santa Clara, John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks made the most of their opportunity to bask in the limelight as Super Bowl champions earlier this month, including celebrating with nearly a million fans in downtown in a parade for the ages as they stood atop the NFL world.
But eventually, the confetti disappears and the suds stop flowing. After climbing back to the mountaintop for the second time in franchise history, it’s time for Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and the Seahawks to get back to work with sights on defending their title, and that process officially starts with the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week.
From the outside, the combine draws the most attention for the measurements and athletic testing that takes place in Lucas Oil Stadium as more than 300 NFL hopefuls descend upon the Circle City, and the league milks that process with live televised workouts starting on Thursday. But for Schneider, Macdonald, and the rest of Seattle’s brass that flies in for the festivities, while they will be monitoring the testing process closely and value athleticism as much as anyone, it’s far from the most important business to tend to.
Before prospects have a chance to even see the field to run the 40-yard dash, show off their explosive chops in the broad and vertical jump, or rack up a bunch of reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, they undergo extensive medical evaluations that loom large for all 32 NFL teams. While fans see interviews with media that happen amid a circus at the convention center, the interviews with the utmost value happen elsewhere in the building with teams spending 15 minutes with a variety of prospects getting to know what makes them tick in the latest step to finalize big boards for April’s draft.
Teams also have the ability to speak with players informally in Indianapolis, and those discussions hold plenty of value as well. In the past, the Seahawks have prioritized these formal/informal meetings as a major component of their prospect evaluation leading up to the draft, often citing these visits after selecting players during their post-draft press conferences at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Beyond continuing to construct a draft board via interviews, medical assessments, and testing numbers, the NFL combine also ramps up the negotiations process for Schneider working with agents for pending free agents. Behind closed doors, or in some cases out in plain sight while enjoying a spicy shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s or a drink at a local Marriott or Hilton hotel, discussions will heat up in earnest as the Seahawks try to navigate the landscape figuring out how much players such as Super Bowl MVP running back Ken Walker III and receiver Rashid Shaheed will be looking to earn on new contracts weeks before hitting the market.
Aiding that process, the Seahawks have nearly $60 million in effective cap space, giving Schneider more financial flexibility than he has had at this time of year for several seasons. But that doesn’t mean he will be able to throw Monopoly money at every single unrestricted free agent either, and as always, tough decisions will have to be made deciding who to keep and who to let test the market.
Referencing Walker specifically on a recent interview with Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton on Seattle Sports 710, Schneider emphasized the importance of those critical communications with agents and other teams away from the draft-related chaos going on with the new league year rapidly approaching on March 11.
“Ken went on a great run,” Schneider said. “And we’ll go down to the combine next week and sit down with everybody and get a lay of the land and see where everybody’s heads are at – the agents and that world – and talk to other teams.”
These conversations go well beyond retaining soon-to-be free agents for Schneider and Seattle’s front office brass. While the team hopes to retain as many players from the Super Bowl-winning squad as possible and those negotiations will take top priority with free agency kicking off in less than three weeks, extensions for young stars such as All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon sit high on the to-do list as well.
In addition, veteran mainstays such as defensive tackle Leonard Williams and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu could also be in line for extended contracts that have the core tenants of the agreements reached in principle in Indianapolis. Even if those deals don’t officially happen until later in the spring, potentially coming during OTAs or even training camp, the details hashed out now will be crucial to making those signings come to fruition down the line.
While the NFL has written rules against tampering with upcoming free agents from other teams, if the quiet part is actually said out loud, Schneider and every other general manager on site will be speaking with agents about players from other teams who will be hitting the market with March 11 just around the corner. There’s a reason signings get reported immediately after the new league year kicks off, after all, even if Seattle doesn’t always jump into the fray in the first couple days of spending.
This is also the time of year where trades come together verbally or on a napkin at a local restaurant, whether they actually get signed off on or not. While the Seahawks likely won’t be looking to deal away any significant assets as they did when they jettisoned quarterback Geno Smith and receiver DK Metcalf last March, Schneider always has his ears open exploring potential trades to acquire talent or land additional draft picks, and he will have his phone on ring ready to field calls throughout the week on that front.
When it’s all said and done, Schneider will eventually be able to take a step back and truly reflect on everything he has accomplished calling the shots for Seattle, including building a second Super Bowl winner with a different coach and an entirely different roster 12 years apart. By that point, he may have more hardware and even a gold jacket in tow.
But the time for such rumination won’t be in Indianapolis. While he will certainly enjoy a few discussions about winning the big game, it’s time to get back to business as the pursuit of a third Lombardi Trophy begins in earnest for the Seahawks with no shortage of work to do retaining players, exploring trades, and wrapping up draft evaluations in what will undoubtedly be a whirlwind of a week.
