Big Picture: Seahawks Insist It's Still 'Business as Usual' After Super Bowl Whirlwind, Sale
INDIANAPOLIS Nearly three hours after his media availability in the Indiana Convention Center for the NFL Scouting Combine, I bumped into Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider, breathing a sigh of relief as he exited the facility. Everyone wanted a piece of Seattles top personnel man in Indianapolis. That comes with winning a Super Bowl, and that's why its so hard to repeat. Schneider got a chance to briefly exhale after his teams Super Bowl victory parade a few weeks ago, but now hes back on the grind, figuring out how hes going to keep the foundation of his football team together with the start of free agency looming and the draft right after that. "Its really going to be about my private time, the studying and getting caught up with that," Schneider said when I asked him at the podium about the shrinking timeline this offseason after the Seahawks won 17 games this year. "We had great free agency meetings during the season, so well learn a lot about whats going on down here this week. But yeah, the timeline part of that is real. Its like the discipline on the weekends to try to figure out how to get caught up. "Well get to it." Schneider also said he does not expect the sale of the Seahawks by owner Jody Allen to impact his teams plan for this offseason. "Its just business as usual for us," Schneider said. The Seahawks only have four draft picks this year. Schneider said part of the reason for that is Seattle anticipated last years draft class would be stronger than 2026 and wanted to take advantage of a deep draft talent pool in 2025. Schneider accomplished that by hitting on the teams first-round selection in offensive guard Grey Zabel, one of the key pieces to Mike Macdonalds defense in safety Nick Emmanwori, a pass-catching tight end in Elijah Arroyo and a developmental quarterback in Jalen Milroe. While everything fell into place for the Seahawks in 2025, Schneider has done a nice job building a roster that can compete for a Super Bowl for an extended period. Seattles average roster age of 25.8 was tied for the fourth-youngest roster in the league at the start of the regular season. Still, Schneider and the Seahawks have some work to do in free agency. Seattle has some money to keep many of its foundational pieces in the fold, including potentially offering new deals to young players eligible for extensions in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattles projected over $60 million in salary cap space is the sixth-most in the NFL. The top player set to hit the market is running back Kenneth Walker III, but return specialist Rashid Shaheed, edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant and cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen also will command attention in free agency. Schneider said hed like to have Walker back. However, a Memphis native who trains in Dallas in the offseason, will have a robust market after finishing as Super Bowl MVP, potentially pricing himself out of staying in Seattle. Along with that, new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury comes from a franchise in San Francisco that has done a nice job of finding productive runners as mid-round selections in the draft. And Seattles zone blocking scheme, which originated in Denver decades ago with Mike Shanahan, is known for producing at a high level with less talented running backs. "Well start talking to all the agents and well have a better feel where were going here towards the end of the week," Schneider said, when asked about bringing back Walker. "Obviously, wed love to have everybody. We want to have everybody back, you know, right? When you get done with something special like that, you're like, Lets run it back. Lets run it back. Its going to be an interesting process." Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said he still hasnt watched a replay of the Super Bowl victory and doesnt plan on doing that anytime soon. "Im going to Hawaii next week, so I aint doing it there either," joked Macdonald at the podium last week. How Macdonald recreated the unique connectivity he established last season will be a priority once players return from a needed break this offseason. Macdonald emphasized the importance of evolving as a franchise, not being complacent about having won the Super Bowl and understanding the fragility of implementing a winning culture within a building. "The principle of how we are going to operate is we want to nail the daily goals the daily standard of what were trying to achieve to become a championship team again," Macdonald said. "Its really going to be that simple. How we build the offseason program and what we do on a daily basis, thats going to look a little different for a variety of reasons. "But how we do our business, how we interact with each other and how we attack schematically and how we put things together, that will all stay the same." Macdonald also lost continuity with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak leaving to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, he expects the core principles to remain the same on the side of the football with Fleury taking over. "Were going to be the Seattle Seahawks," Macdonald said. "Were going to have a different evolution of our offense. Its going to be built on the same principles, but how it comes to life and the exact plays were going to run, I cant answer that yet. But I know how Brian is going to operate and how our staff is going to operate, and Im really excited to see this offense come to life." The bottom line is Schneider and Macdonald both understand the arduous task ahead in defending their Super Bowl title. But Schneider believes the Seahawks will be up for the challenge. "Even in the locker room, at the parade, theyre all talking about next year," Schneider said. "Its just cool. Theres a great mix of veteran leadership dogs, young dogs, athletes, speed and then guys that are willing to buy into development and their coaches, and the people in the building that are supporting them." In the Big Picture, we contextualize key moves and moments so you can instantly understand why they matter.
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