HEADLINE

Seahawks extend GM, fire offensive coordinator

Field Level Media

January 13, 2021 at 1:26 am.

On the same day they moved to solidify their future by signing general manager John Schneider to a long contract extension, the Seattle Seahawks also announced Tuesday they fired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

The Seahawks struggled on offense through the second half of the season, then lost 30-20 to the visiting Los Angeles Rams last weekend in a wild-card playoff game.

The team announced on Twitter, “Citing philosophical differences, we have parted ways” with Schottenheimer, who had come under fire amid the late-season slump.

Just a day earlier, head coach Pete Carroll said on his radio show when asked whether Schottenheimer would be back next season said, “We scored more points than any team in the history of the franchise,” which didn’t sound like a change was in the works, and told the media, “I’m counting on everybody coming back.”

The club-record 459 points can be misleading, since the team averaged 35.9 points in the first eight games, then managed just 21.5 points a game in the final eight. Seattle was held to 20 or fewer points in four of the last six games, including the playoff defeat.

Schottenheimer spent three seasons as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, following the much-maligned Darrell Bevell, who was fired following the 2017 season.

Earlier in the day, the team announced that Schneider, the architect of two Super Bowl teams, signed a contract extension to remain on the job for six more years. The club did not announce financial terms for Schneider, who is in his 11th season in the role.

Speculation had been building that teams with GM openings, including the Detroit Lions, would pursue him. His previous contract would have expired after the 2022 draft.

“I am pleased to announce that we have extended the contract of general manager John Schneider through the 2027 draft,” team chairperson Jody Allen said in a news release Tuesday. “For the last decade, John and head coach Pete Carroll have formed a tremendous partnership and the Seahawks have established a successful, unique, and truly winning culture respected throughout sports. I know we are all excited to see that continue.”

Carroll is signed through the 2025 season.

Schneider and Carroll have been together since 2010. In that time, the Seahawks have reached the postseason nine times, including eight of the past nine seasons. They have won five NFC West titles, two NFC championships and Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, 2014.

The Seahawks have nine straight winning seasons — the longest mark in the NFL. They finished 2020 with a 12-4 mark and won the NFC West.

Before joining the Seahawks, Schneider, 49, held a variety of NFL jobs. He had two stretches with the Green Bay Packers, including serving as director of football operations in 2008 and ’09.