In recent years, several teams have shown interest in Seahawks executives, Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner, for vacant general manager jobs. While the teams are expected to circulate back to Fitterer and Kirchner during the next hiring cycle, a pair of teams should have their goals even higher.
On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Detroit Lions are planning a possible hiring to disrupt the league, with sources telling Rapoport that they are targeting Seattle general manager John Schneider for the vacant position of GM.
Although Schneider and chief coach / executive vice president Pete Carroll have worked together with great success in the past decade, it is Carroll, not Schneider, with the final say on staff. As a result, Schneider is not protected by the league’s anti-tamper policy. If a team offers Schneider full control of personnel, he will be free to interview and accept the position.
Rapoport added in the same report that a second team must also pursue Schneider to manage his front office.
Earlier this season, the Seahawks and Carroll agreed to extend the contract until the 2025 season. Schneider, however, has only one year left in the extension he signed in July 2016. With the teams starting to look for the specialist in Seattle commerce, it seems likely that he will end up with a new business in the coming months – whether with the Seahawks or another NFL team.