Report: Lions one of two teams expected to pursue Seahawks GM John Schneider

In recent years, several teams have shown interest in Seahawks executives Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner for vacant general manager jobs. While teams are expected to circle back to Fitterer and Kirchner during the upcoming hiring cycle, a pair of teams are reportedly set to aim their sights even higher.

On Sunday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Detroit Lions are planning a potential league-shaking hire, with sources telling Rapoport they are targeting Seattle general manager John Schneider for their vacant GM job.

Though Schneider and head coach/Executive Vice President Pete Carroll have worked in tandem to great success over the last decade, it’s Carroll, not Schneider, with final say over personnel. As a result, Schneider is not protected under the league’s anti-tampering policy. Should a team offer full personnel control to Schneider, he would be free to interview for and accept the position.

Rapoport added in the same report that a second team is also expected to pursue Schneider to run their front office.

Earlier this season, the Seahawks and Carroll agreed to a contract extension through the 2025 season. Schneider, however, has just one year remaining on the extension he signed in July 2016. With teams beginning to look toward Seattle’s trade maven, it seems likely he ends up with a new deal in the next few months—whether it’s with the Seahawks or another NFL team.