Pete Carroll’s departure from the role of Seahawks head coach last week after 14 seasons shifted the power to the general manager who started with him in Seattle back in 2010.
John Schneider confirmed during a Tuesday news conference that for the first time in his career he will have authority over both the team’s coaching staff and all football personnel matters.
That was previously Carroll’s domain, and the two excelled with such a dynamic to reach the postseason in 10 of 14 years, with two Super Bowl appearances and one win back in 2013.
As Carroll shifts into his new position as an advisor, Schneider will be on the search for a new head coach to return the Seahawks to the postseason after a narrow miss in 2023.
Seattle has currently requested interviews with seven different coordinators to take that mantle, and Schneider is confident it remains a highly attractive job even though Carroll’s eventual successor will have far less control.
“I think it’s a young, talented team that feels like they’re right on the cusp,” Schneider said on Tuesday. “I think there’s a lot of guys that have a ton of confidence in their abilities. They’re all very disappointed in what just happened. I think to a man they would all tell you, and I know this from the exit interviews that I’ve had, everybody was disappointed. I think it’s a great core. I think, again, we’re a very attractive job because of that. I think there’s young talent all over the place. I think we’re the fourth-youngest team in the league or something like that.”
Although Seattle fell short of its playoff goal, the roster Carroll and Schneider put together is full of potential, and it already displayed a resilience the NFL requires to be successful despite its youth.
The Seahawks appeared down and out after a four-game losing streak between Weeks 11-14 dropped them to 6-7, but Seattle won three of its last four, including two on game-winning drives, to reach the cusp of a second consecutive playoff berth as the NFC’s No. 7 seed.
Instead, they finished in the eighth spot, the first team out — but the future remains bright nonetheless.
Both of their 2023 first-round draft picks were slam dunks. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon looked the part of a No. 5 overall pick and is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba came on late and finished with 63 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns to round out Seattle’s WR trio of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, who will still be just 26 when the 2024 season begins.
The team’s burgeoning running back committee is made up of two 23-year-olds, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
Seattle’s interception leader with four on the season, Julian Love, and one of the defensive leaders in the middle, Jordyn Brooks will be 26 like Metcalf at the start of training camp next season.
Schneider knows the talented group fell below expectations. He admitted as much to open his news conference: “We’re all here today because we underachieved in 2023. We all did.”
Regardless, the foundation is there.
Schneider’s goal now, with considerably more control, will be to nail the next pick for head coach, ensure the coaching staff is where it needs to be and continue arming the Seahawks with playmakers.
With veteran leadership like quarterback Geno Smith on the offense and potentially Bobby Wagner in charge of the defense once again — should he return for a 13th year and stick with the Seahawks — Seattle has the right combination of youth and experience to return in 2024 and make some noise.
Asked if they’re close to being a championship-level team, the new man in charge answered simply: “I do.”
