Top 10 Seattle Seahawks in NFL History

They had to go through a lot before achieving their first championship in 2013. Today, I rank the top 10 Seattle Seahawks of all time.

He is the most productive quarterback in franchise history.

Over the last decade, Matt Hasselbeck has managed to claw his way onto almost every statistical list that matters for a quarterback. Hasselbeck is 16th in completions, 21st in passing yards and 32nd in passing touchdowns. In passing yards, Hasselbeck is ahead of Troy Aikman, Kurt Warner, Steve Young and Phil Simms. By no means am I saying that Hasselbeck is better than these elite quarterbacks, it's just worth noting that he is ranked ahead of some pretty respected gunslingers. Hasselbeck failed miserably the eye test due to his cautious, boring and even vanilla style of play. Yet despite his lack of ability as an entertainer, he did what was needed and led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance. For his role as the quarterback of one of the greatest Seahawks teams of all time, he deserves far more credit than he is given.

Hasselbeck left Seattle after 2010 as a three time pro bowler, the 2005 passing touchdowns leader, and the Seahawks all time leading passer.

He was an essential part of the 80’s Seattle defenses.

A first round pick in 1980, Jacob Green made an instant impact on the defense. He anchored the defensive line for more than a decade for the Seahawks. He had five seasons of double digit sack totals. He recorded 97.5 career sacks for the Seahawks, a team record and at the time of his retirement and good for number three on the all time sacks leaderboard behind only Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor.

Green spent his final season in San Francisco before retiring in 1992. He was a two time All-Pro, two time pro bowler, and is the father in law of former Seahawks defensive end Red Bryant.

I know I've called him overrated, but he is still the most productive running back in team history.

A first round pick in 2000, Shaun Alexander saw limited action as a rookie. In his first season as a starter, he rushed for 1,318 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. In 2001, he rushed for a franchise record 266 yards on 35 carries and scored on a 88 yard touchdown. In 2002, he led the NFC in rushing touchdowns including an NFL record five in one half in a game against Minnesota. In 2005, Alexander became the franchise's all time leading rusher while helping the team reach its first Super Bowl. That year, he also broke the single season touchdown record and win the NFL MVP.

Alexander spent his final season in Washington before retiring in 2008. He was a three time pro bowler, two time All-Pro, the 2005 rushing leader, and 2005 NFL MVP

He's been able to backup his mouth with his play.

A fifth round pick in 2011, Richard Sherman led all NFL rookie with 17 passes defended despite only starting 10 games. By his second year, he was starting fulltime and consistently made game changing plays. In 2013, Sherman and the "Legion of Boom" secondary allowed the fewest passing yards in the league anchoring the NFL's top defense en route to a victory of the highest ranked offense in history Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. That year, Sherman led the NFL in interceptions with eight.

In his seven seasons so far, Sherman has been a four time All-Pro, four time Pro Bowler, the 2013 NFL Interceptions Leader, two time NFC Champion, and Super Bowl XLVIII champion. He's recorded 32 interceptions, 99 passes defended, and three touchdowns.

He is the most productive defensive tackle in team history.

A first round pick in 1990, Cortez Kennedy was the Seattle defense for a long time. He was often the bright spot on some pretty dismal Seahawks squads as was the case in 1992 when he recorded 14 sacks and was named the defensive player of the year despite the team's 2-14. Kennedy bridged the gap between the old Seahawks and the new by playing for both Chuck Knox and Mike Holmgren. In all, he registered 58 sacks, intercepted three passes and scored one touchdown on a fumble recovery during his 167 game career.

Kennedy retired after the 2000 season as an eight time pro bowler, five time All-Pro, and the 1992 defensive player of the year. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

He is one of the greatest strong safeties in league history.

A first round pick in 1981, Kenny Easley was the back bone of the defense. In his rookie year, he recorded three interceptions for 155 yards and a touchdown and was named the AFC rookie of the year. In 1984, Easley was named the NFL defensive player of the year after recording a league leading 10 interceptions and helped the Seahawks return a league record four interceptions for touchdowns in a game against Kansas City. In his seven year career, he recorded 32 interceptions for 538 yards and three touchdowns while also returning 27 punts for 302 yards.

Easley's career ended after the 1987 season, when he was diagnosed with severe kidney disease. he was a five time pro bowler and All-Pro, the 1983 AFC defensive player of the year, and the 1984 NFL defensive player of the year. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Nobody wanted to tackle "Beast Mode."

After 3 1/2 seasons in Buffalo, Marshawn Lynch was traded to Seattle for two mid round picks. It might go down as the biggest steal in team history. In his first career playoff game, Lynch ran for a 67 yard touchdown where he broke nine tackles to seal the game for Seattle. The run has sense been named the "Beast Quake" as the noise generated from Seahawks fans during the run registered on a seismograph 100 yards away from the stadium. In 2011, he began his first of four consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons in which he helped Seattle to a Super Bowl victory.

Lynch initial retired in 2016 before coming out of retirement to play for Oakland. In his six seasons with Seattle, he was a four time All-Pro, four time Pro Bowler, two time NFL rushing touchdowns leader, two time NFC Champion, and Super Bowl XLVIII champion.

He's overcome his shortcomings to become one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league.

A third round pick in 2012, Russell Wilson beat out high priced, free agent acquisition Matt Flynn to be the Seahawks starter as a rookie. Despite being just 5'11", he tied Peyton Manning's record for passing touchdowns by a rookie with 26 and helped Seattle reach the Divisional round of the playoffs. In 2013, he lead the Seahawks to a 13-3 record and a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII while becoming the first quarterback to post an 100+ passer rating in each of his first two seasons. Despite throwing four interceptions in the NFC Championship in 2014, Wilson rallied his team from a 19-7 deficit with five minutes remaining to force overtime and get the victory. In 2015, he broke the Seahawks record for single season passing yards and touchdowns while finishing first in the league in passer rating.

In his six seasons, Wilson has been a four time Pro Bowler, the 2015 NFL passer rating leader, the 2017 passing touchdowns leader, the 2015 Pro Bowl Offensive MVP, the Pro Football Focus Rookie of the Year, two time NFC Champion, and Super Bowl XLVIII champion.

He is one of the best blindside tackles in league history.

A first round pick in 1997, Walter Jones started every game in which he played. He solidified himself as the cornerstone of the Seahawks offensive line while becoming one of the finest tackles in the NFL. His ability on the football field was evident from the start. Jones provided blindside protection for quarterback Warren Moon as the Seahawks topped the NFL in total passing yards that season. Seattle possessed what was arguably the NFL’s finest left side at the time with Jones entrenched at tackle alongside perennial Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson. A team leader, Jones was an integral part of Alexander’s MVP season in 2005. He helped his running back chalk up a franchise-record and league-high 1,880 yards while establishing the then NFL mark for touchdowns in a season.

Jones retired after 2009 as a nine time pro bowler, seven time All-Pro, and the 2005 offensive lineman of the year. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

He is one of the most productive receivers in league history.

A fourth round pick in 1976 by Houston, Steve Largent was traded to the expansion Seahawks for an eighth round pick. While not particularly fast or big, he had great hands. Largent became an almost instant star with the Seahawks with 54 receptions, third best in the NFC, in his rookie season. In 1978, he led the AFC in receptions with 71. The sure-handed receiver, who ran nearly perfect pass routes, also led the NFL in pass-receiving yardage in 1979 and 1985. he held all major NFL receiving records, including most receptions in a career, most receiving yards in a career, most touchdown receptions, and was the first wide receiver to record 100 career touchdowns.

Largent retired after the 1989 season as a seven time pro bowler, five time All-Pro, and a member of the 80's all decade team. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.