With NFL free agency set to begin next week, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider sat down with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Thursday for the latest edition of The John Schneider Show.
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Here are three things that stood out.
Schneider’s free agency philosophy
Schneider elaborated on his approach to free agency, stressing that it’s about putting together the best possible 70-man roster – a reference to the 53-man active roster and the 17-man practice squad. He also emphasized the importance of leaving enough salary cap and cash flexibility to make midseason moves ahead at the trade deadline.
“You have to be pliable and you have to be ready to pivot,” Schneider said. “… It’s like, what’s the guy’s value for us? Like, his value around the league, that’s that. What’s his value for us and how do we fit that in to our budget, to a certain extent, but (while) keeping that whole 70 together and having the best 53-man roster and 70 guys? What does that look like in totality?
“Like, how can we maximize this guy’s earning power, as well as keeping as many people together as we possibly can?” he added. “… And then still having some available cap room (and) a little bit of cash for (when) you get to the trade deadline, so you can still do things at that time of the year, because then you have a little bit better feel for where you’re going and what your team looks like.”
The personal side of being a GM
The Seahawks have six key players from their Super Bowl-winning team this past season who are on track to become unrestricted free agents next week. And simply put, Seattle won’t be able to re-sign all of them.
Schneider discussed the challenges of dealing with that on a personal level.
“Your empathy level at this time of the year is through the roof, because we have so many amazing people,” Schneider said. “… We do such a great job of building these relationships and this cool bond you have, and then, you know, it’s just hard. But at some point, you have to you have to make these decisions and keep putting the best 70 players together and moving forward.”
“That stuff’s hard, but it’s part of our job,” Schneider added. “And what guides us (is) doing what’s best for the organization. … Because you feel that right now. You feel it.”
The Shaheed report
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that speedy wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed is not close to a contract extension with the Seahawks and is expected to test the market when NFL free agency begins next week. Shaheed is one of Seattle’s aforementioned six starting-caliber pending free agents.
Schneider made an unprompted comment on the report.
“I saw the report yesterday and I was like, I think he and his representatives, I think they’ve been testing free agency for over a week now,” Schneider said. “I mean, I’m not sure why that was news yesterday.”
The John Schneider Show will air on Wyman and Bob every Thursday at 4 p.m. leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage
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• ESPN’s Fowler: Seattle Seahawks likely to lose ‘a bunch’ of their FA class
• Bump: Why Seattle Seahawks can replace free agent losses on defense
• Report: Seattle Seahawks’ Rashid Shaheed to test free agent market
• Brock: Rams’ blockbuster trade a ‘direct’ response to Seattle Seahawks