Few debates ignite NFL circles like ranking the league’s elite vs. one another. Conversations about the top quarterbacks and how they should be stacked can last four hours. Jalen Hurts and Sam Darnold are both largely responsible for the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks‘ success. Yet we can promise you that next season we’ll be told Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson are all better than both of them.
Now don’t read what hasn’t been written, and don’t quote what hasn’t been said. Allen, Burrow, and Jackson are amazing. They should be mentioned among the best that pro football has to offer. Still, something must also be stated about winning, and Hurts and Darnold have done a lot of that lately.
They’re the two most recent starting quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl, and both deserve a ton of credit for their success. They also need to send a bottle of champagne to the general managers of the teams they both play for.
Howie Roseman has some company in the discussion about the NFL’s top general managers.
We’ve all given credit to the great Howie Roseman for the job he has done, and for good reason. He has been excellent and has long been a leading candidate for the NFL’s top general manager. Still, Seattle’s John Schneider is making the case that he deserves equal footing, especially now that Seattle has won Super Bowl LX.
Roseman and Schneider have two different styles. They work in two different markets, but they’ve produced strikingly similar results. Both have won multiple Super Bowls with the same franchise. Both have done so with different coaches and quarterbacks. That speaks to their adaptability and excellence over time.
Roseman’s brilliance is well-known to the Eagles‘ contingent. They may not be as familiar with Schneider’s. He’s been with the Seahawks since 2010, and his résumé begins with one of the greatest roster builds in NFL history.
The Seahawks’ Super Bowl teams of the early 2010s were constructed through elite drafting, shrewd trades, and a rare ability to identify undervalued talent. Does that sound like anyone that Eagles fans might be familiar with?
We’ve seen some elite defenses under Roseman’s watch, including one that befuddled Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. Schneider’s Legion of Boom is a story unto itself. The LOB reshaped how defense was evaluated across the league, and it represents a cultural imprint that Schneider should be proud to have constructed.
Roseman and Schneider’s claim to fame is that their teams don’t crater when eras end. The Eagles transitioned from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni. They moved on from Carson Wentz in favor of Jalen Hurts.
Seattle has also navigated multiple retools. They have pivoted through quarterback transitions. They rebuilt a contender without bottoming out. The Eagles qualified for three Super Bowls in eight seasons. The Seahawks visited three times in 13 years. Both Roseman and Schneider have raised the Lombardi Trophy twice.
Roseman’s edge has long been creativity, aggressiveness, and the weaponization of draft picks. Schneider counters with consistency in talent evaluation. Most importantly, both have built franchises that rarely disappear from relevance.
Championships and playoff runs remain the measuring sticks. So is quarterback development and roster sustainability. Those benchmarks define elite executives, not style points.
In a league built on parity and continual turnover, John Schneider continues to win. He’s nipping at Howie Rosema’s heels now.
Philadelphia’s GM has done what the elite always do: win, reset, and win again. He still sets the standard, but Schneider is closing the gap. Then again, some might say after Super Bowl LX, there’s no longer a gap. Some would argue that Schneider is already standing right beside the best in the business.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Seahawks GM John Schneider now sits on equal footing with Howie Roseman