Seahawks GM John Schneider Built Two Super Bowl Rosters Without Holdovers

As the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots prepare for Super Bowl LX, one individual is flying scarily below the radar.

That man? Seahawks general manager. The 54-year-old has now successfully built two completely different Super Bowl rosters for the same franchise, putting him in rarified air. 

A win on Sunday would only add to Schneider’s legacy and put him in the conversation for the league’s top executive. Here’s a look at how he did what most teams only dream of doing twice in just about a decade.

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Schneider’s Seahawks History

Schneider joined the Seahawks in 2010 as the general manager and earned the title of executive vice president in 2013. He was promoted to general manager and president of football operations in 2024.

Schneider was hired by the Seahawks one week after Pete Caroll in January, 2010.

Rather than trying not to upset the apple cart, the De Pere, Wisconsin native completed 284 roster transactions in 2010 alone. That included trading for Marshawn Lynch, who would go on to have highs of 1,590 yards and 13 touchdowns in a season wearing the Seahawks’ uniform. 

In 2013, Seattle’s GM helped assemble one of the best defenses in NFL history. A unit that featured Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, K.J. Wright, Malcolm Smith, Bruce Irvin, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril went on to allow just 14.6 points per game.

Schneider’s fingerprints were also all over the offense. He drafted Russell Wilson in the third round the year before, signed Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent, traded for Percy Harvin, and positioned Lynch, another trade acquisition, as the focal point of the attack.

The Seahawks finished their 2013 regular season with a record of 13-3 and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. They capped off their historic campaign with a 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, the joint-third-largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history.

Seahawks on the Verge of Another Super Bowl

Schneider’s impeccable resume includes other major successes, such as drafting Frank Clark and Tyler Lockett in the second and third rounds. However, one of his best happened at the end of 2024.

It was reported on March 9, 2025, that the Seahawks traded wide receiver DK Metcalf – a former 64th-overall pick – to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 52nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a seventh-round pick, and a sixth-round pick swap. Schneider used that pick in a deal that allowed him to trade up and select South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori with the 35th pick.

Emmanwori, only 21 years old, has arguably been the best player in the entire playoffs. In just two games, he logged eight tackles, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. 

The star safety is just one standout of several recent draft picks. Across the last four drafts, the Seahawks selected: 

• Grey Zabel (OL)

• Byron Murphy (DT)

• AJ Barner (TE)

• Devon Witherspoon (CB)

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR)

• Zach Charbonnet (RB)

• Charles Cross

• Boye Mafe

• Kenneth Walker III

• Coby Bryant

• Riq Woolen

Schnieder also pulled the trigger on signing QB Sam Darnold, who has turned out to be an overwhelming success.

Most impressively, there isn’t a single holdover from the Seahawks’ 2014 Super Bowl roster that is still on their roster. Schneider completely overhauled one iteration of the team, built it into a Super Bowl winner, tore it down, and got back to the Super Bowl in the same time that 22 other franchises didn’t reach that stage. 

The Seahawks are 4.5-point favorites with -115 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Regardless of the final score in Super Bowl LX, John Schneider of the Seahawks has done an unbelievable job.

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