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R.C. Fischer
FFM

 

I came across this X/tweet (below), and I felt horrible because the top praise among all this Seattle story is due one man that I have not been a fan of his persona/personality, but whatever -- he got the job done.

You have to say that most all NFL GM are horrible (bad contract negotiators, failures in free agency, erratic drafts, rarely any trades and almost no REAL/bold trades), but GM John Schneider is not a ‘bad’ one...he’s a ‘good’ one...maybe ‘the best’ one...probably the best of the decade considering his moves just this past year which kinda caught me off guard when I saw them all stacked in one place (below). ‘Off guard’? More so, I felt like an idiot.

Most of us know the big individual moves of teams or GMs, we’ll recall any 1-2 big recent deals for teams -- but when you stack them all together in place and study it, you get better feel for the overall success or failure. When I did this for Schneider's run in Seattle...it was quite stunning what he has done compared to the rest of NFL GMs the past decade or so, considering the other GMs barely have much of a trade history anyway. 

Here’s just some of his moves...

https://x.com/frankmikesmith/status/2020997007783936505?s=43

It’s not only the trades themselves, but the timing on stuff (especially the past 5 years) is excellent...especially considering among all NFL GMs, none have anything close to this track record.

The X-post (above) doesn’t include the drafting of Grey Zabel, which I think will be one of his best moves ever. Nor the fact that he traded DK Metcalf, and with the best draft pick from that trade he drafted Nick Emmanwori.

Trade details: Seattle Seahawks traded WR DK Metcalf and a 6th-round pick (No. 185) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2nd-round pick (No. 52) and a 7th-round pick (No. 223).

Here is how those DKM trade picks were used: No. 52 Overall: Packaged with a 3rd-round pick (No. 82) to trade up to No. 35, where the Seahawks selected Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina). No. 223 Overall: Used to select Damien Martinez (RB, Miami).

 

And then consider...

Schneider built a Super Bowl team with Russell Wilson/Pete Carroll, then dumped them at near-the-right-time and rebuilt the team quickly post-Russ then post-Pete for another Super Bowl with a whole new team. Two Super Bowl eras...that’s quite amazing. I feel terrible that I have overlooked his genius.

Since 2010, Russell Wilson’s rookie year, Seattle has been under .500 just one season (2021).

Since the start of the 2012 season, here are the total records for the Seattle Seahawks:

  • Regular Season: 147–81–1
  • Playoffs: 13–10
  • Super Bowls: 2–1

 

Super impressive in this era.

 

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Below is the chronological list of John Schneider trades involving draft picks and players from 2012 through the start of the 2026 offseason.

 

2010

  • March 8: Traded QB Seneca Wallace to CLE for 2011 conditional 7th-round pick (J.R. Sweezy).
  • March 16: Traded DE Darryl Tapp to PHI for DE Chris Clemons and 2010 4th-round pick (E.J. Wilson).
  • March 17: Traded 2010 2nd-round pick (No. 40) and 2011 3rd-round pick to SD for QB Charlie Whitehurst and 2010 2nd-round pick (Golden Tate).
  • April 5: Traded G Rob Sims and 2010 7th-round pick to DET for DE Robert Henderson and 2010 5th-round pick (Kam Chancellor).
  • April 24: Traded 2010 5th-round pick to NYJ for RB Leon Washington and 2010 7th-round pick (Jameson Konz).
  • April 24: Traded 2011 6th-round pick to TEN for RB LenDale White, DT Kevin Vickerson, 2010 4th-round pick (Walter Thurmond), and 2010 6th-round pick (Anthony McCoy).
  • August 16: Traded 2011 6th-round pick to SF for DT Kentwan Balmer.
  • August 18: Traded DE Lawrence Jackson to DET for 2011 6th-round pick (Byron Maxwell).
  • August 31: Traded 2012 7th-round pick to DET for OT Tyler Polumbus.
  • August 31: Traded 2011 conditional pick to BAL for CB Josh Wilson.
  • October 5: Traded 2011 4th-round pick and 2012 5th-round pick to BUF for RB Marshawn Lynch.
  • October 11: Traded WR Deion Branch to NE for 2011 4th-round pick (K.J. Wright).

 

2011

  • April 29: Traded No. 57, No. 157, and No. 209 to DET for No. 75 (John Moffitt), No. 107 (Kris Durham), No. 154 (Richard Sherman), and No. 205 (Pep Levingston).
  • August 16: Traded 2011 6th-rounder (No. 182) to SF for DT Kentwan Balmer.
  • August 18 (2010 move): Traded DE Lawrence Jackson to DET for a 2011 6th-rounder (Byron Maxwell).
  • August 29: Traded CB Kelly Jennings to CIN for DT Clinton McDonald.
  • October 13: Traded LB Aaron Curry to OAK for 2012 7th-rounder (J.R. Sweezy) and 2013 5th-rounder (Tharold Simon).

 

2012

  • April 26: Traded No. 43 to PHI for No. 47 (Bobby Wagner), No. 154 (Richard Sherman), and No. 232 (Jeremy Lane).
  • April 28: Traded No. 181 to DET for No. 157 and No. 209 (later traded).
  • August 20: Traded LB Barrett Ruud to NO for 2013 7th-round pick (Ty Powell).

 

2013

  • March 12: Traded 2013 1st (No. 25), 2013 7th, and 2014 3rd to MIN for WR Percy Harvin.
  • April 1: Traded QB Matt Flynn to OAK for 2014 5th (Kevin Norwood) and 2015 conditional pick.
  • April 26: Traded No. 56 to BAL for No. 62 (Christine Michael), No. 165, and No. 199.
  • April 27: Traded No. 165 and No. 199 to DET for No. 137 (Jesse Williams).

 

2014

  • April 26: Traded No. 32 to MIN for No. 40 and No. 108 (Cassius Marsh).
  • April 26: Traded No. 40 to DET for No. 45 (Paul Richardson), No. 75, No. 107, No. 154, and No. 205.
  • August 30: Traded 2015 6th-rounder to KC for S Kelcie McCray.
  • October 17: Traded WR Percy Harvin to NYJ for 2015 6th-rounder (Kristjan Sokoli).

 

2015

  • March 10: Traded C Max Unger and 2015 1st (No. 31) to NO for TE Jimmy Graham and 2015 4th (Glowinski).
  • May 1: Traded No. 95, No. 112, No. 167, and No. 181 to WAS for No. 69 (Tyler Lockett).

 

2016

  • April 28: Traded No. 26 to DEN for No. 31 (Germain Ifedi) and No. 94 (Nick Vannett).
  • April 29: Traded No. 56 to CHI for No. 49 (Jarran Reed).
  • April 30: Traded 2017 4th to NE for No. 147 (Quinton Jefferson).

 

2017

  • April 27: Traded No. 26 to ATL for No. 31, No. 95 (Delano Hill), and No. 249 (Chris Carson).
  • April 27: Traded No. 31 to SF for No. 34 (Malik McDowell) and No. 111 (Tedric Thompson).
  • April 28: Traded No. 34 to JAX for No. 35 and No. 187 (Michael Tyson).
  • August 21: Traded DE Cassius Marsh to NE for 2018 5th and 7th picks.
  • September 1: Traded WR Jermaine Kearse and 2018 2nd to NYJ for DT Sheldon Richardson.
  • October 30: Traded 2018 3rd and 2019 2nd to HOU for LT Duane Brown.

 

2018

  • April 26: Traded No. 18 to GB for No. 27 (Rashaad Penny), No. 76, and No. 186.
  • August 29: Traded 2019 6th to GB for QB Brett Hundley.

 

2019

  • April 23: Traded DE Frank Clark to KC for 2019 1st (L.J. Collier), 2020 2nd, and a 3rd-round swap.
  • April 26: Traded No. 21 to GB for No. 30, No. 114, and No. 118.
  • April 26: Traded No. 30 to NYG for No. 37, No. 132, and No. 142.
  • April 26: Traded No. 37 to CAR for No. 47 (Marquise Blair) and No. 77.
  • April 27: Traded No. 92 to MIN for No. 114 (Gary Jennings) and No. 204 (Travis Homer).
  • April 27: Traded No. 118 to NE for No. 142 and No. 203 (Ben Burr-Kirven).
  • August 31: Traded Barkevious Mingo, Jacob Martin, and 2020 3rd to HOU for DE Jadeveon Clowney.
  • October 22: Traded 2020 5th to DET for S Quandre Diggs.

 

2020

  • July 25: Traded S Bradley McDougald, 2021 1st, 2022 1st, and 2021 4th to NYJ for S Jamal Adams.
  • October 28: Traded C B.J. Finney and 2021 7th to CIN for DE Carlos Dunlap.

 

2021

  • March 17: Traded 2021 5th to LV for OG Gabe Jackson.
  • August 25: Traded 2023 6th to JAX for CB Sidney Jones.

 

2022

  • March 8: Traded QB Russell Wilson and 2022 4th to DEN for 2022 1st (Charles Cross), 2022 2nd (Boye Mafe), 2022 5th (Tyreke Smith), 2023 1st (Devon Witherspoon), 2023 2nd (Derick Hall), DL Shelby Harris, QB Drew Lock, and TE Noah Fant.
  • August 16: Traded DB Ugo Amadi to PHI for WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

 

2023

  • October 30: Traded 2024 2nd and 2025 5th to NYG for DL Leonard Williams.

 

2024

  • March 14: Traded 2024 3rd (No. 78) and 5th (No. 152) to WAS for QB Sam Howell, 2024 4th (No. 102), and 6th (No. 179).
  • October 14: Traded 2026 6th to JAX for DT Roy Robertson-Harris.
  • October 23: Traded LB Jerome Baker and 2025 4th to TEN for LB Ernest Jones IV.

 

2025

  • March 7: Traded QB Geno Smith to LV for 2025 3rd (Jalen Milroe).
  • March 9: Traded WR DK Metcalf and 2025 6th to PIT for 2025 2nd (traded) and 2025 7th (Damien Martinez).
  • April 25: Traded No. 52 and No. 82 to TEN for No. 35 (Nick Emmanwori).
  • October: Traded 2026 4th and 5th to NO for WR Rashid Shaheed.
  • February: Traded OT Michael Jerrell to ATL for 2027 conditional 7th.