Seahawks GM Schneider named PFWA’s Executive of the Year

It’s an honor many felt was long overdue.

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider was named the NFL’s Executive of the Year by the Professional Football Writers of America on Thursday morning, marking the first time he’s received the top honor in his profession since he came to Seattle in 2010.

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Schneider surprisingly never received Executive of the Year in the early 2010s, back when he and Pete Carroll assembled an extraordinary collection of talent that resulted in the famed Legion of Boom defense and the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title.

This time, his work has been rewarded.

With a slew of masterful decisions and moves, Schneider has elevated the Seahawks back into championship contention. The Seahawks went a franchise-best 14-3 in the regular season, earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and are playing in the NFC title game on Sunday for a spot in Super Bowl 60.

Schneider’s moves in 2025 alone were massive.

Related: How Schneider built Seahawks back into a title contender

He made the difficult decision to trade away quarterback Geno Smith, then immediately pivoted by signing Sam Darnold as his replacement, which proved to be an upgrade. He traded away star wide receiver DK Metcalf, which netted a second-round draft pick and freed up considerable salary cap space.

He delivered a fourth consecutive high-impact draft class, which included the selections of rookie left guard Grey Zabel, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori and rookie wide receiver Tory Horton. He signed standout defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp in free agency. And at the trade deadline, he acquired speedy receiver/returner Rashid Shaheed.

But in reality, Schneider’s work in building this Seahawks team goes farther back than just this year.

Schneider pulled the trigger on the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade in 2022, which netted an incredible bounty of draft picks that helped kickstart a new era of Seahawks football.

He drafted a slew of young talent in the 2022-24 drafts – including NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, left tackle Charles Cross, right tackle Abraham Lucas, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, tight end AJ Barner, running back Kenneth Walker III, running back Zach Charbonnet, safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Riq Woolen, edge rusher Boye Mafe and edge rusher Derick Hall.

And he made a pair of massive trade deadline additions, acquiring All-Pro defensive lineman Leonard Williams in 2023 and linebacker Ernest Jones IV in 2024 before re-signing both players the following offseasons.

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