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With the news coming down recently that the Green Bay Packers would be looking for a new General Manager, many Seattle Seahawks fans immediately feared the worst; that John Schneider could be leaving Seattle to return to the state where he grew up and to the organization where he began his NFL career as an intern while in college.
Those fears started to take roots, as reports have now emerged that the Packers submitted the necessary paperwork to request an interview with Schneider. However, the Seahawks apparently told the Packers to kick rocks and find their GM interviewees elsewhere.
The #Packers are swinging big on their GM search. Green Bay submitted paperwork for permission to interview #Seahawks Super Bowl-winning GM John Schneider, I’m told. The request for the Green Bay native was denied.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2018
Thus, it appears any fears about Schneider leaving are overblown, and it appears there is no question that he will be at the helm for Seattle through the offseason and into 2018. But the reality for some isn’t that simple.
Schneider does not have “full” control of the final 53-man roster, as Pete Carroll is Executive VP of Football Operations, a position he wanted in order to be lured from USC in 2010. Carroll also led the search to hire a GM at the time, and he chose Schneider out of the Green Bay organization. It signifies, as do many things, that Schneider is not quite the full-control GM that many teams have. If the Packers could offer that, would it then be a “promotion” and deem Schneider’s can’t-go-to-Green-Bay clause moot?
At this time, I don’t think so.
Teams can deny permission to interview Assistant GMs until employing team's season is over. Thus, Vikings can prevent Paton from interviewing until after Vikings are eliminated/win Super Bowl, but adter that they cannot stop him from interviewing with GB.
— John Gilbert (@SeahawksMachine) January 6, 2018
Promotion is determined simply by title. Could file a grievance if they want, but since it would be GM to GM they would have to demonstrate to the league why the job would in fact be a promotion.
— John Gilbert (@SeahawksMachine) January 6, 2018
This news will come as a welcome relief for many fans, as it means that as the Hawks enter into a crucial offseason with many decisions to make regarding core players and their status with the team, the front office will be led by the man who built the team and has deep relationships with those players with whom negotiations and discussions of the future will be necessary.