Viewing his team as a legitimate contender after sneaking into the playoffs a year ago, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider shipped away a second-round pick to land Leonard Williams, inspiring confidence from players and coaches.

When it comes to the trade deadline, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have been as good as any front office duo at giving their team a midseason shot in the arm.

Before Schneider pulled off his latest blockbuster landing defensive tackle Leonard Williams from the New York Giants for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick, the renowned executive had previously swung successful deals for tackle Duane Brown, safety Quandre Diggs, and defensive end Carlos Dunlap. All three of those veterans immediately made a positive impact upon arrival and each played at least two seasons with the franchise, proving to be more than short-term rentals.

Having been with the team when all three of those prior deals went down and now set to play alongside Williams for at least the rest of the season, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner has seen the organization’s willingness to go all-in and persistent pursuit of roster improvement first hand, something he doesn’t take for granted.

“Anytime you see a team being aggressive, always trying to improve the roster, even if we’re doing well or doing something trying to find ways to make the team better, it’s always a good thing,” Wagner told reporters prior to Wednesday’s practice, saying he found out about the Williams deal while relaxing on his day off. “We want to win and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win. I think that’s cool.”

As fans unfortunately know in the Pacific Northwest, not every professional sports franchise in the region functions with the same aggressive mindset as the Seahawks. Look no further than the Mariners in Major League Baseball, who failed to make any notable additions before the trade deadline in late July and ultimately missed the playoffs by two games.

While baseball fans continue to be told to be patient by Mariners ownership, the Seahawks don’t operate the same way and it starts from the top. Jody Allen, who took over as the Chair of the franchise when her brother Paul passed away in 2018, has been active behind the scenes working with Schneider and Carroll since day one and signed off on seismic moves, including trading Russell Wilson in March 2022.

Backed by an owner who allows Schneider and Carroll to do their jobs and build the roster as they see fit while still having input on decisions, Seattle lives up to Carroll’s “always compete” philosophy beyond the playing field. The front office and scouting department work in conjunction to ensure a stone never gets left unturned and when they sense an opportunity to improve their standing as a Super Bowl contender, as evidenced by the Brown, Diggs, and Dunlap deals, they don’t sit pat.

Last fall, the Seahawks didn’t make any moves at the deadline despite being a surprise playoff contender in the first season of the post-Wilson era, prioritizing holding onto draft picks as they continued to rebuild their roster with long-term contention in mind. They still managed to sneak into the postseason with a 9-8 record, ultimately losing to the 49ers in the wild card round.