Since replacing Ryan Grigson as the Colts general manager in 2017, Chris Ballard has rapidly transformed the franchise back into a dark horse Super Bowl contender in the AFC.

Indianapolis entered Ballard’s first season at the helm with quarterback Andrew Luck sidelined by a shoulder injury and won only four games, leading to the dismissal of coach Chuck Pagano. But fortunes changed quickly in the Circle City, thanks in large part to brilliant drafting and Luck’s triumphant return after missing an entire season.

Leaning on his background as a former scout for the Bears, Ballard selected guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard with the Colts first two picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. The duo became the first set of rookies from the same team in modern NFL history to earn First-Team All-Pro honors, with Leonard additionally being named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

With a rejuvenated Luck steering coach Frank Reich’s innovative offense, the Colts overcame a 1-5 start to finish 10-6 and defeated the Texans in the Wild Card round, creating plenty of buzz about the future. As the architect of the rapid turnaround, Ballard received the 2018 Pro Football Writers Association Executive of the Year award.

While Ballard continues to swiftly build his own title contender in Indianapolis, however, he’s also taken notice of the excellent rebuilding effort done by one of his peers. Admiring from afar, he praised Seahawks general manager John Schneider during his guest column for Peter King’s Football Morning in America.

“I think John Schneider and his staff in Seattle do not get enough credit for what they have done in the past two years.” Ballard wrote. “They built a great team, won a Super Bowl, and lost another on one of the great plays in NFL history by New England. Like all great things, they eventually come to an end, but what John and his staff have done to retool Seattle’s roster on the fly is tremendous work.”

As noted by Ballard, Schneider already constructed one of the best teams of this era, transforming the Seahawks from a 7-9 team in 2011 to Super Bowl champions two years later through strong drafting and smart free agent signings. If not for an interception thrown by Russell Wilson at the goal line, he could easily have two Super Bowl rings.

During his first six seasons as general manager, Schneider’s Seahawks made the postseason five times and won at least one playoff game in each of those seasons. Somehow, he never earned Executive of the Year accolades at any point during that span.

But in the “Not For Long” league, Schneider was forced to make several difficult, unpopular moves over the past two seasons to turn over the roster. Among other notable transactions, he released star cornerback Richard Sherman, traded defensive end Michael Bennett, and most recently allowed safety Earl Thomas to depart in free agency.

Without Sherman, Bennett, and Kam Chancellor, who suffered a career-ending neck injury in 2017, Seattle wasn’t expected to contend for a playoff spot last season. In fact, some prognosticators believed the team would have a difficult time winning more than four or five games, even with Wilson still under center.

But as Ballard has done in Indianapolis, Schneider and his staff did a superb job adding young talent during the past two drafts and several short-term free agent deals also worked in the team’s favor. As a result, Seattle also managed to reach the 10-win mark and returned to the playoffs as a wild card team.

The Seahawks continued to replenish their roster this spring, with Schneider showing off his wizardry by transforming a league-low four draft picks into 11 through a series of trades. Among the players selected, he drafted defensive end L.J. Collier, safety Marquise Blair, and linebacker Cody Barton in the first three rounds.

While these selections have been met with skepticism by some, Ballard seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, believing the Seahawks are building another defensive juggernaut.

“They have completely rebuilt what was one of the greatest defenses in NFL history and acquired a bunch of young, talented defenders and have a chance to dominate again on defense.”

Ballard clearly has taken some cues from Schneider, as the Colts traded down multiple times in their own draft in April. He continued to overhaul the roster by landing cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, defensive end Ben Banogu, and receiver Parris Campbell with three second round picks.

With both franchises appearing to be on the rise and led by excellent quarterbacks in the midst of their primes, if everything plays out perfectly, the two masterful general managers may be able to watch their teams battle for a Lombardi Trophy in February.