National Football League

Seahawks GM John Schneider now in charge; his first decision: Pete Carroll’s replacement

Published Jan. 17, 2024 1:48 p.m. ET

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

During his 14 years as the top personnel man for the Seattle Seahawks, John Schneider collaborated with head coach Pete Carroll on several roster-building and big-picture moves that led to championship-caliber teams, including the drafting of Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, and trading for Marshawn Lynch.

However, with Carroll holding the title of Vice President of Football Operations, he always had the final say over personnel and coaching decisions. But with the Seahawks moving Carroll to an advisory role last week, those decisions will now be made by Schneider, he announced during a press conference with reporters on Tuesday.

Schneider put his time in and has earned the right to be the guy in charge. His first decision with his newfound control will be to hire a replacement for the most successful head coach in franchise history.

The Seahawks already have requested permission to speak to eight candidates: Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Rams DC Raheem Morris, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Lions OC Ben Johnson, Dolphins OC Frank Smith, Texans OC Bobby Slowik, Raiders DC Patrick Graham and Panthers DC Ejiro Evero.

Schneider said the Seahawks are in this situation because the entire organization underachieved in 2023, missing the playoffs at 9-8 after surprisingly reaching the postseason a year earlier after trading Wilson.

"I think everyone was disappointed," Schneider told reporters Tuesday. "We had several games that just got out of control a little bit."

The plan is to cast a wide net and put no timetable on making a final decision on hiring a new coach. Schneider said the team has a clear directive from owner Jody Allen to keep the organization's foundation of a positive culture created through his partnership with Carroll. 

"If you're stagnant in this league, then you're behind," Schneider said. "So I think that's probably the most intriguing thing — to learn and be open-minded." 

Schneider believes the Seahawks are close to being a championship-caliber team. 

"I think it's a young, talented team that feels like it's right on the cusp," he said. "I think there's a lot of guys that have a ton of confidence in their abilities. They are all very highly disappointed in what happened. … It's a great core. I think we're a very attractive job because of that. There's young talent all over the place."

In terms of hiring a new leader for his team, Schneider said he's not opposed to bringing someone in who does not have head-coaching experience. 

"It's definitely a balance," Schneider said. "Are you going to take a shot with somebody who has never been a head coach that hasn't necessarily had those ups and downs when there's some hard things to go through?

"I think Pete alluded to that in his press conference the other day. It's a hard job. You're going to go through some pretty dark times. You're going to go through some great times, too. The key is to stay right in the middle of that and not be on a roller coaster."

Along with hiring a head coach, Schneider will have to decide if Seattle will move forward with Geno Smith at quarterback, along with making decisions on veterans like Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner. 

It's Schneider's team now.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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