John Schneider (American football executive)

John Schneider (born 1971 in Wisconsin) is a professional American Football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Schneider was previously a front office executive for the Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, and the Seattle Seahawks in 2000. Schneider served as the Director of Football Operations for the Green Bay Packers from 2008 to 2009. He helped architect the roster that eventually went on to win Super Bowl XLV.

Early years
Schneider grew up in Wisconsin and attended high school where he played football. He studied history and secondary education at University of St. Thomas and was on the football team his Freshman year until injuries caused him to retire. During his Junior year he wrote a letter to Ron Wolf asking if he could work as a scout. His internship that summer was the beginning of his relationship with the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay Packers
He started working in the Scouting Department for the Green Bay Packers in 1993.

Seattle Seahawks
He worked for the Seahawks in 2000 under Ted Thompson.

Washington Redskins
In 2001, Schneider became the Vice President of Player Personnel.

Green Bay Packers
Schneider went back to the Green Bay Packers as the top personnel aide to the Packers' GM. He then elevated to Director of Football Operations.

Seattle Seahawks
In January 2010, the Seahawks made a splash with the hiring of Pete Carroll as its head coach. Schneider came on board one week later. It was a rare case in which Pete Carroll had hiring control over the General Manager. The Seahawks Front Office has been a collaboration from the beginning. John Schneider has control over salary cap and contract issues and works closely with Carroll on personnel matters. Generally, John Schneider will scout the players and report to Pete who has final decision over roster moves. The relationship has been described as Schneider setting the menu and Carroll picking specific players off of it.

The first three years of the Carroll/Schneider regime has impressed in Seattle. Schneider orchestrated a complete overhaul of Seattle's roster. In 2010, Schneider completed 284 roster transactions. Schneider's philosophy focuses on improving his team through every possible avenue. Examples follow:

2012 season

 * ESPN – NFL Executive of the Year Award

Personal life
John Schneider has a wife, Traci, and two sons, Ben (age 8) and Jack (6). Ben suffers from autism, and the Schneider family has created the Ben's Fund foundation to help families suffering from the disease.