The Seattle Seahawks have a huge fan base, mainly because they are the only NFL team in the pacific northwest. But their success throughout the 2000s and their hip-color schemes have made them a league favorite among millennials nationwide. Current coach Pete Carroll has stayed true to his philosophy over the years and has continually put a good product on the field year after year, making the playoffs 10 of the 13 years with Seattle. Before we get into the greatest Seahawks player of all time, we should first take a quick look at their history.
Glimpse into history of the Seahawks
The Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were part of the NFL’s expansion in 1976 from 26 to 28 teams. The franchise began play in 1976 in the NFC West but switched conferences with the Buccaneers after one season and joined the AFC West. The Seahawks, who are now part of the NFC West, are the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era.
The Seahawks have won 10 division titles and three conference championships and are the only team to have played in both the AFC and NFC Championship Games. The Seahawks' success has led to one of, if not the best, fan bases in the NFL. The “12th man” or the “12s” have twice set the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event. It's pretty impressive how much pride there is in Seattle. When you visit the city, it doesn’t take long to see the number 12 at a bar or on a jersey.
The Seahawks, like most expansion teams, took a while to find success. They made their first playoff appearance and won their first playoff game in 1984, eight seasons after becoming an NFL team. After that, it took 21 years for them to win another playoff game, losing six times in the playoffs before finally making it to the Super Bowl in 2005 (losing to the Steelers 21-10). Since that Super Bowl loss, the Seahawks have only missed the playoffs five times.
Honorable Mention GOAT
The Seahawks' success has come from a long line of great players and coaching. Even so, as one of the newer franchises in the NFL, the Seahawks only have four players inducted into the Hall of Fame who spent the bulk of their careers with the Seahawks. I will highlight some of those players on the following list, but with the success of the franchise over the last few decades, some current players have also cracked the top four.
Many members of the ‘Legion of Boom’ (Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, K.J Wright) will go down as all-time Seahawk greats, but only one member of that legendary defense made the following list. None of the players from those dominating years won a Defensive Player of the Year award, but DT Cortez Kennedy did in 1992, and he barely missed the cut. Let’s take a look at who made the final four.
3. Russell Wilson, QB (2012-2021)
Russell Wilson was a standout football and baseball player at NC State before transferring to the University of Wisconsin. At Wisconsin during his senior season, Wilson set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8), but he still fell to the third round of the 2012 draft mainly due to his height (5-foot-11). Wilson started as a rookie and led the Seahawks to the playoffs winning the Wild Card game that year. Wilson finished the 2012 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating (100.0), beating the previous rookie record set by Ben Roethlisberger (98.1). He was named to the Pro Bowl that year and would go on to make it every year but one (2016) during his ten-year career with the Seahawks.
The following season Wilson led the Seahawks to a 13-3 record and went on to win the Super Bowl. Wilson finished the season with a 101.2 passer rating, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in each of his first two seasons. Again in 2015, Wilson led the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl, this time to be upset by the Patriots. The game ended on one of the most infamous plays in Super Bowl history when Wilson threw a game-ending interception. I’ll spare Seahawks fans from the details of the play that will forever haunt them.
Year after year, Wilson was consistently one of the best QBs in the league. He only missed the playoffs twice and only had a losing record once. Wilson’s ability to scramble, extend plays, and make pin-point throws on the run made him one of the toughest QBs to defend. He has had some good seasons but never any great ones. He has never been voted as a first-team All-Pro and has only been a second-teamer once (2019).
Even though he put up great numbers and was one of the most consistent QBs in the league, many people believe the team's success was more due to the defense (Legion of Boom) and coach Carroll’s scheme. That argument became much sounder after last season when Wilson was traded to the Broncos, and he had the worst year of his career while the Seahawks made it back to the playoffs without him. Even so, Wilson owns over 20 franchise records and is the greatest QB in franchise history.
Most Touchdown Passes (2017-2020)
— Ryan Michael (@theryanmichael) August 7, 2023
1. #RussellWilson = 140
-
-
-
2. #TomBrady = 125
3. #KirkCousins = 118
4. #AaronRodgers = 115
5. #PatrickMahomes = 114#Seahawks #Broncos #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/EWNEEFqMnZ
2. Walter Jones, OT (1997–2009)
Walter Jones started his colligate career at Holmes Community College before transferring to Florida State. Jones was chosen by the Seahawks with the sixth overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft and played his 13-year career with the Seahawks. He started every game in which he played, beginning with his rookie season. In 1999, Jones made his first Pro Bowl. He became a staple in the all-star game throughout his career, and is now tied (with Wilson) for the most Pro Bowl appearances in Seahawks’ history with nine.
Jones was one of the best left tackles in the game during the prime of his career. He cleared the way for Ricky Watters' three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, then was at his best when Shaun Alexander rushed for over 1,600 yards in 2004 and 2005. Alexander and Matt Hasselbackare remembered for producing the league's top-ranked offense and the team scoring title in 2005. But if you ask any true Seahawks fan, the key to that year's success was Jones and the offensive line.
Mike Holmgren, the coach of the 2005 Seahawks team that made it to Super Bowl XL, has called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached. All-time great coach and NFL TV announcer John Madden stated on multiple broadcasts that Jones was the best offensive lineman in the league and one of the best to ever play in the NFL --high praise from one of the best offensive line coaches.
Walter Jones... such a legend. Will be hard for the Seahawks to ever find another lineman that can compare. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/NVyye3pJBW
— Sami ON Tap (@SamiOnTap) December 29, 2022
1. Bobby Wagner, ILB (2012-2021)
Bobby Wagner was drafted in the second round with the 47th overall pick in 2012 and became a tackling machine for the Seahawks during his 10-year career. He is arguably the most important piece (the QB of the defense) of one of the greatest defenses in NFL history -- “The Legion of Boom.”
During the 2012-15 seasons, the Seahawks led the league in scoring defense, allowing the fewest points scored each year for four years straight. The Cleveland Browns of the 1950s are the only other team to accomplish this feat. The 2013 unit is widely regarded as one of the best single-season defenses ever. That unit, anchored by a young Wagner, led the league in fewest points allowed (231), fewest yards allowed (4,378), and most takeaways (39), the first team to lead all three categories since the 1985 Chicago Bears.
Wagner signed a deal this offseason to rejoin his former squad after a one-year stint with the Rams. Wagner had one of the best seasons of his career in his last season with the Seahawks in 2021 and could still have some Pro Bowl seasons left in the tank. Wagner has the most combined tackles (1,523) among active players, which is good for ninth all-time -- first is Ray Lewis with 2,059.
Bobby Wagner has been one of the best LBs in the NFL for a while
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 28, 2021
pic.twitter.com/FHUQskMETf
Unveiling the Greatest Seahawk of All Time
With a few more good seasons, Wagner may go down as the greatest Seahawk of all time, but until then, a receiver sits atop the list. The Seahawks did not have much team success during their first decade in the league, but they did have an all-time great running around catching touchdowns.
GOAT – Steve Largent (1976-1989)
Despite an All-American career at Tulsa, the Houston Oilers did not select Steve Largent until the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft. The Oilers were going to cut Largent but instead traded him to the Seahawks for a 1977 eighth-round pick. With the expansion Seahawks, he quickly earned a starting role and played every snap of his career with the franchise. In 1978, he became the first Seahawk selected to the Pro Bowl and was selected six more times.
Although Largent wasn’t fast, he had soft hands and ran impeccable routes, which earned him the nickname “Yoda.” In 1979, he led the league in receiving yards with 1,237 and six years later did it again with 1,287 in 1985. His 1,287 receiving yards were a franchise record for 35 years until broken by DK Metcalf in 2020.
Largent retired in 1989 with 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards, and 100 receiving touchdowns which arestill franchise records. At the time of his retirement, Largent held all major NFL receiving records. He possessed a then-record streak of 177 consecutive regular-season games with a reception. He also holds the distinction as the first receiver in NFL history to achieve 100 touchdown receptions in his career. Largent's record of 100 receiving touchdowns stood until 1992, when Jerry Rice broke it.
The Seahawks named their team MVP award after Steve Largent because not only did he dominate on the field butalso showed up every day with good spirit, dedication, and integrity. Fittingly, Largent was the first player to receive the award after the 1989 season. Largent was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995 -- his first year of eligibility. In 1999, he was ranked number 46 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the only Seahawk to make the list.
Steve Largent HOF resume:
— Best of Pro Sports (@pro_sports_best) September 29, 2021
- 7x Pro Bowl
- 5x All-Pro
- 2x NFl REC YDS leader
- 1988 NFL Man of the Year
- NFL 1980’s All-Decade team
- NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team
- #Seahawks #80 retired
- Retired as NFL All-Time leader in REC (819), REC YDS (13,809), & REC TD (100) https://t.co/UPVhII0NPY
