John Schneider

John Schneider enters his ninth season as General Manager of the Seattle Seahawks, having been named to the position January 19, 2010. Schneider added the distinction of Executive Vice President in 2013. In his role, he manages all aspects of the Seahawks roster and draft process while working collaboratively with Pete Carroll in all facets of the football operations department. Schneider begins his 26th season working in the professional ranks.

Schneider's philosophy is one primarily focused on building through the draft while making strategic acquisitions via trade and free agency that foster a competitive culture through a mix of youthful playmakers and veteran leadership. He continues to build and maintain a younger roster that breeds a sustained winning atmosphere. The signs of that philosophy have been evident during his first eight years in a leading role, advancing to the Divisional Playoffs or better six times. He has constructed a team that appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls and won Super Bowl XLVIII, the first NFL title in franchise history. The 2013 championship was won with the youngest 53-man roster to ever win a Super Bowl. He was named Sports Illustrated's Executive of the Year for 2012 after the Seahawks made the playoffs and just missed playing for the NFC Championship.

Schneider has continued to turn the roster over since 2010, totaling more than 1,800 transactions through the end of the 2017 season, helping to cultivate depth on one of the NFL's most talented rosters.

He has shown a willingness and creativity to acquire extra draft picks and young talent via trade and free agency. Presented with two of the top 14 picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, he was able to acquire what many considered the best tackle prospect in two-time Pro Bowler Russell Okung and a starting free safety with the selection of the three-time, first-team All Pro Earl Thomas.

Without a Pro Bowl selection on the roster from 2009-10, Schneider's roster has seen 18 different players selected from 2011-17: Thomas (6), Russell Wilson (5), Kam Chancellor (4), Marshawn Lynch (4), Richard Sherman (4), Bobby Wagner (4), Michael Bennett (3), Doug Baldwin (2), Jimmy Graham (2), Okung (2), Max Unger (2), Cliff Avril, Duane Brown, Brandon Browner, Tyler Lockett, Michael Robinson, Leon Washington and K.J. Wright. His roster has also included 12 first-team All Pro selections since 2012. All of these players, except Unger, were added via draft, trade and free agency after Schneider took over.

Schneider serves as the chair of the College Relations Committee, and is also on the GM Advisory Committee and the CEC Working Group. He's also a member of National Football Scouting, Inc.'s board of directors.

Before joining the Seahawks, Schneider produced eight successful seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Originally joining the Packers March 1, 2002, as a personnel analyst to the general manager, he was promoted in May of 2008 to director of football operations. In his role, Schneider served as strategic counsel to General Manager Ted Thompson, addressing and evaluating the needs of the team in both free agency and in the draft while incorporating long-range planning processes that examined the Packers' roster, as well as the rosters of all NFL teams.

Before rejoining the Packers in 2002, he spent three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1997-99), one year with the Seahawks (2000) and a year with the Washington Redskins (2001) as vice president of player personnel.

Schneider, a native of De Pere, Wis., first learned the tools of his trade with the Packers, beginning as an intern during the summer of 1992 under then-Executive Vice President/ General Manager Ron Wolf. After graduating from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., Schneider returned to Green Bay, serving as pro personnel assistant for four years (1993-96) and played an integral role in the signing of several free agents who would help make up the team that won Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans.

Schneider moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997 as director of pro personnel. It was in Kansas City that Schneider first worked with Marty Schottenheimer, whom he would later join in Washington. With the Chiefs, Schneider oversaw the scouting of all players with pro playing experience, including NFL Europe and the CFL, as well as the NFL. He also conducted advance scouting of all Kansas City opponents and was responsible for free agent acquisition.

In 2000, he subsequently signed on as director of player personnel for the Seahawks, joining Thompson and Mike Holmgren, with whom he had worked in Green Bay.

Schneider joined Schottenheimer with the Redskins in 2001 as vice president of player personnel, overseeing all aspects of the player personnel department, including college scouting, the college draft, pro scouting, free agency and day-to-day player personnel evaluations and operations. His duties included assembling and managing Washington's scouting staff, a process which involved the hiring of 15 personnel staff members and implementation of a new scouting system. In his role, Schneider advised Schottenheimer on all personnel matters.

In 2012, John and his wife Traci launched "Ben's Fund" in partnership with Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington. Named after their oldest son, "Ben's Fund" provides grants to families in order to help cover costs associated with medical bills, therapies and numerous other aspects of supporting a child, or children, on the autism spectrum. With the support of team and community, they have partnered to raise more than $3.5 million for "Ben's Fund" in seven years.

He also serves on the board of directors for InitiativeOne, a transformative leadership organization.

Schneider earned a degree in history and also studied education at St. Thomas, playing football for one year before a shoulder injury cut short his career.

Born May 25, 1971, Schneider attended De Pere's Abbot Pennings High School and finished as one of the school's all-time leading rushers. He and Traci have two sons, Ben, 15, and Jack, 13.