The Seahawks All-Century Team: 25 Years of Legends, Ranked by Peak Seasons
Ranking the top Seahawks players from the past 25 seasons based on their best single-year performances, from Russell Wilson to the Legion of Boom.
The last 25 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks have been the most successful in team history. Three Super Bowl appearances, 15 playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl victory in 2014 highlight the major accomplishments of the century so far.
In those 25 seasons, Seattle has seen some premier talent, but out of all the quality players that have suited up for the Seahawks, who makes the cut for the All-Century team?
The Criteria
Before the list, I would like to make a few disclaimers. This list will be comprised of players who had the best single seasons over the past 25 years, valuing peak over longevity. The list will also not include every member of the 53-man active roster typically seen for an NFL team, only the starters plus a few reserves.
To determine who had the best single season at each position I used a combination of stats, awards, and the nifty approximate value stat on pro football reference. The final criterion I used was ultimately my opinion. I was born in 2003, so I will instinctively lean more towards recent players because that's who I watched growing up. For all the elder fans reading, I apologize in advance.
There were a lot of tough decisions and close calls creating this list, and I will try to explain my reasoning behind each close pick to the best of my ability, so without further ado, here is my Seahawks All-Century team.
Quarterback: Russell Wilson 2015
Honorable Mentions: 2005 Matt Hasselbeck, 2022 Geno Smith
Realistically, I could have picked any season of Wilson’s from his rookie year in 2012 to his 40-touchdown campaign in 2020, ultimately, I decided on 2015.
2015 marked the first 4000-yard season for Wilson while also rushing for 500 yards and throwing for 34 touchdowns. Russ finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting and led the Seahawks to a Divisional Round loss to the Panthers.
While some seasons may have had better individual statistics, team success, or accolades (a second-team All-Pro selection in 2019), I felt 2015 offered a quality combination of all three, while also appealing to the peak-Russ play style we all remember so fondly.
Running backs: 2005 Shaun Alexander, 2012 Marshawn Lynch, 2000 Ricky Watters
Honorable Mentions: 2019 Chris Carson, 2022 Kenneth Walker III
Some of the easier decisions to make on this team, the running back position has been an embarrassment of riches for the Hawks.
The obvious choices, of course, Alexander and Lynch, were both bell-cow beasts on Super Bowl caliber teams. In 2005, Shaun Alexander was every fantasy football manager’s dream, scoring a whopping 28 total touchdowns and earning league MVP honors in the process.
On the other hand, Marshawn Lynch was a defender’s worst nightmare, and in 2012, Lynch was at the peak of his powers. 1590 rushing yards, a first-team All-Pro selection, and too many facemasks to count put in the turf.
The final selection was the criminally underrated Ricky Watters. At the ripe age of 31, Watters put together his best season with Seattle, 1855 all-purpose yards, and nine total touchdowns. The should-be future Hall of Famer adds a nice change-of-pace to the bruising styles of Alexander and Lynch.
Wide Receivers: 2020 D.K. Metcalf, 2024 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 2021 Tyler Lockett
Honorable Mentions: 2015 Doug Baldwin, 2002 Koren Robinson, 2003 Darrell Jackson
It’s weird to think that all three of these guys played on the same team for two seasons, but not all of them were at the peak of their powers over that span.
In Russ’s 40-touchdown season in 2020, a young D.K. benefited mightily from Russ’s signature “moon balls” and in just his sophomore season delivered the best of his career — 1303 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns, and a second-team All-Pro selection. Metcalf never quite reproduced this level of production in a Seahawks uniform, but at his peak, he was arguably the best receiver since the great Steve Largent.
A polar opposite receiver, Tyler Lockett, proved to be just as effective in his own herky-jerky style. In a third-and-medium situation, you’d be hard-pressed not to fight Lockett sitting down right behind the sticks to inevitably move the chains. Lockett was a beacon of consistency for half a decade in Seattle. In 2021 the franchise’s second all-time leading receiver recorded his single-season career high mark for yards with 1175.
The final selection could turn out to be the best of the three. Like Metcalf, JSN soared to new heights in his sophomore season, earning Pro-Bowl honors and finishing with 100 catches. Smith-Njigba commands respect at every level of the route tree and will likely get all he can eat next season with Sam Darnold coming to town and Metcalf and Lockett out the door.
Offensive Line: 2007 Walter Jones, 2018 Duane Brown, 2012 Max Unger, 2005 Steve Hutchinson, 2015 Justin Britt
Honorable Mentions: 2005 Robbie Tobeck, 2015 Gary Gilliam, 2022 Charles Cross
Just like the running backs, Seattle is spoiled with two Hall of Famers in Jones and Hutchinson, and another future Canton inductee in Brown.
Jones, Unger, and Hutchinson all were stalwarts on Super Bowl teams allowing for Lynch and Alexander to have monster seasons in the process. Brown played one of his best seasons of his career in his first with the Seahawks, making second team All-Pro in his 11th season as a pro.
Britt is the obvious “weak” link of the unit, but that is not to discredit his six years of above-average play at three different positions on the line.
Defensive Line: 2007 Patrick Kerney, 2024 Leonard Williams, 2015 Michael Bennett, 2016 Cliff Avril
Honorable Mentions: 2001 John Randle
The highlight from the Seahawks dominant defensive units was the Legion of Boom secondary, but the Hawks churned out some pretty solid talent in the trenches as well.
Kerney recorded the best single season of the bunch, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and making First Team All-Pro. In his first season in Seattle the defensive end recorded 14.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Bennett and Avril played similar roles on the dominant Hawks teams of the early 2010’s. Both had many solid seasons, but in both the seasons selected the duo had double-digit sacks.
Leonard Williams is the only true DT of the bunch, but despite lining up on the inside, Williams recorded 11.0 sacks in his first full season with Seattle after being traded by the Giants in 2023. The gargantuan Williams had arguably his best season of his career in 2024 and will look to continue the success come September.
Linebackers: 2014 Bobby Wagner, 2007 Lofa Tatupu, 2016 K.J. Wright, 2007 Julian Peterson
Honorable Mentions: 2001 Chad Brown, 2021 Jordyn Brooks
How good was Bobby Wagner in 2014? Well, despite playing just 11 games, B-Wags finished fifth in MVP voting and was a First Team All-Pro selection. I realistically could have put any season of Wagner’s 11-year tenure with Seattle, but if he had stayed healthy for a full 16 games in 2014, we could have potentially seen the League’s first defensive MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986.
Tatupu anchored Seattle’s defense as a rookie in 2005 and reached his full potential two seasons later with a First Team All-Pro nod. His teammate Julian Peterson cracked the roster and is the only non-pure middle linebacker of the bunch, adding a bit of versatility to a talented group.
K.J. Wright finishes out the room, and as the running mate of Wagner, was often overshadowed; however, Wright put together some pretty impressive seasons of his own including a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
Defensive Backs: 2013 Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, & Kam Chancellor, 2011 Brandon Browner, 2007 Marcus Trufant
Honorable Mentions: 2022 Riq Woolen, 2024 Devon Witherspoon, 2020 Jamal Adams
Who else but all four members of arguably the greatest secondary of all-time (and Marcus Trufant)?
In 2013, Richard Sherman not only had a case for the best cornerback on the planet, but the best player as well. The braggadocious star wreaked havoc on opposing offenses week in and week out, routinely shutting down some of the game’s most dominant receivers (and Michael Crabtree that one time).
The dynamic duo of Chancellor and Thomas struck fear into any receiver who dared traverse the middle of the field. The hard-hitting, downhill style of Chancellor was complemented nicely by the rangy, free-flowing nature of Thomas. Although both had different styles, they were equally aggressive and dominant.
As was the case with K.J. Wright, Brandon Browner was often overshadowed when compared to his All-Pro counterparts. However, you could not have asked for a much better sidekick when Browner was on the field. The 6-foot-4 cornerback burst onto the scene with a Pro Bowl selection and six interceptions as a rookie in 2011.
Yet another selection from Seattle’s top 10 defense in 2007, Trufant recorded a team-high seven interceptions and added another 78-yard pick-six to seal the deal in the Wild Card round against the then-Washington Redskins.
Special Teams: 2015 Tyler Lockett, 2020 Jason Myers, 2020 Tyler Ott, 2020 Nick Bellore, 2018 Michael Dickson
Honorable Mentions: 2015 Stephen Hauschka, 2021 Travis Homer
Before Tyler Lockett was known as the sure-handed receiver he is today, in his rookie season the Kansas State product was the Hawk’s primary return man, and a dang good one at that. In his rookie season, Lockett made First Team All-Pro as a returner, scoring two touchdowns.
Ott and Bellore both made Pro Bowls as special teamers in 2020, and Jason Myers was automatic (literally) that same year, going 24-for-24 on field goal attempts, including a league-leading 61-yard bomb.
Dickson made First Team All-Pro in his rookie year and has continued to be a quality punter for the Hawks, not missing a single game in his seven-year career.