Schneider grew up in Wisconsin and attended high school in De Pere at Abbot Pennings High School, where he played football and graduated in 1989. 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.[2]
Professional executive career
As an assistant
Green Bay Packers
He started working in the Scouting Department for the Green Bay Packers in 1993.
Kansas City Chiefs
He was the director of pro personnel for the Chiefs from 1997 to 2000.
Seattle Seahawks
He worked for the Seahawks in 2000 under Ted Thompson as director of player personnel.
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.
As general manager
Seattle Seahawks
On January 11, 2010, the Seahawks announced the hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach and vice president of football operations. One week later, on January 18, 2010, the Seahawks announced the hiring of Schneider as their general manager. Schneider added the distinction of executive vice president in 2013. In his role, he manages all aspects of the Seahawks roster and draft process while working collaboratively with Carroll in all facets of the football operations department.[3]
Early years, rise of the Legion of Boom and Super Bowl appearances (2010 to 2014)
Since arriving in Seattle, Schneider and Carroll orchestrated a complete overhaul of Seattle's roster. In 2010, Schneider completed 284 roster transactions, including trading for Marshawn Lynch.[4] On February 2, 2014, the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, their first and only championship in their existence. Of those on the championship roster, only Max Unger, Red Bryant, Jon Ryan, and Brandon Mebane were Seahawks prior to Schneider's arrival in Seattle. Schneider and Seattle followed their Super Bowl win with another NFC Championship, but lost to New England in Super Bowl XLIX.
In 2015, the Seahawks clinched a wild-card berth, but fell in the NFC Divisional Round to the Panthers. Schneider signed a 5-year contract extension with the Seahawks in July 2016 that kept him in Seattle through the 2021 season. The Seahawks won their fourth NFC West title under Schneider in 2016, but were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second straight year. In 2021, Schneider signed a 6-year contract extension with the Seahawks that will keep him in Seattle through the 2027 draft.[5][6]
Years of transition (2018 to 2023)
Despite the regression of the defense, the Seahawks remained a top team in the NFL due to the stellar play of quarterback Russell Wilson and the emergence of the receiver duo of 2015 3rd-round pick Tyler Lockett and 2019 2nd-round pick DK Metcalf. Schneider also traded for Duane Brown, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams during that time.
In 2024 Schneider needed to hire a new head coach after Pete Carroll moved to an advisory role for the Seattle Seahawks. During the process he and the search committee interviewed Ejiro Evero, Patrick Graham, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka, Bobby Slowik, Frank Smith, the eventual new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, and Raheem Morris, who became the Falcons head coach. In the end, he hired Mike Macdonald as the new head coach for the Seahawks, signing him to a six-year contract.[7] This made Macdonald the youngest active head coach in the NFL to date.
Schneider and his wife, Traci, have two sons, Ben and Jack. Schneider and wife Traci founded Ben's Fund in 2012 in honor of their son, Ben, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. The intent of Ben’s Fund is to provide financial support to children and young adults with autism in Washington State along with guidance and support as they continue their journey.[8]
