Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks entered the NFL in 1976 as an expansion franchise, playing their first season in the Kingdome — the covered stadium that would be their home for a quarter century. Jack Patera served as the first head coach, and the early years followed the typical expansion trajectory: losing, learning, and slowly accumulating talent.

The Seahawks' unique situation — they played in the AFC West from 1977 onward after a one-year stint in the NFC West — placed them in a division with the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego Chargers. It was a brutal competitive landscape for a young franchise, but the Seahawks gradually improved.

Jim Zorn and Steve Largent formed the franchise's first great partnership. Zorn, an undrafted free agent, became the starting quarterback and provided steady leadership, while Largent, acquired from Houston in a preseason trade for an eighth-round pick, became one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history. Largent's 819 career receptions were a record when he retired, and he remains the most beloved player in Seahawks history.

Chuck Knox arrived in 1983 and immediately transformed the Seahawks into a physical, run-oriented team — earning the nickname "Ground Chuck" for his commitment to the rushing attack. Behind Curt Warner, a first-round pick in 1983, and a defense built on toughness, the Seahawks made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The 1983 season was magical. Warner rushed for 1,449 yards, and the Seahawks won two playoff games before falling to the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game. The following year, Warner tore his ACL in the season opener, and the team struggled, but Knox kept the franchise competitive throughout the rest of the 1980s, making the playoffs four times in nine seasons.

Knox's teams were never flashy, but they were tough and well-coached. The Seahawks developed a defensive identity during this era that would become a franchise hallmark. Kenny Easley, one of the most fearsome safeties in NFL history, anchored the secondary and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1984. Knox departed after the 1991 season, having established the Seahawks as a legitimate NFL franchise.

The 1990s were a turbulent period for the Seahawks. Tom Flores and Dennis Erickson cycled through as head coaches, and the team made the playoffs just once (a Wild Card appearance in 1999 under Mike Holmgren). The Kingdome was aging, and the franchise's future in Seattle was uncertain.

The most perilous moment came in 1996, when owner Ken Behring attempted to relocate the team to Los Angeles. Behring physically moved the team's equipment and operations to Southern California, prompting a civic crisis in Seattle. The NFL blocked the move, and local businessman Paul Allen — co-founder of Microsoft — stepped in to purchase the team in 1997, ensuring the Seahawks would remain in Seattle.

Allen's purchase was transformational. He funded the construction of a new stadium (now known as Lumen Field), which opened in 2002 and would become one of the most raucous venues in professional sports. Allen's ownership provided financial stability and ambition that the franchise had lacked, and the hiring of Mike Holmgren as head coach in 1999 signaled that the Seahawks were serious about competing for championships.

Mike Holmgren brought credibility and a winning pedigree from Green Bay, and the Seahawks responded. Matt Hasselbeck, acquired from the Packers, developed into one of the league's better quarterbacks, and running back Shaun Alexander became the most dominant rusher in the NFC. Alexander won the NFL MVP award in 2005, rushing for 1,880 yards and a then-record 28 touchdowns.

The 2005 Seahawks were the best team in franchise history to that point, going 13-3 and steamrolling through the NFC playoffs to reach Super Bowl XL in Detroit. But the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was marred by controversial officiating — a phantom offensive pass interference call on Darrell Jackson, a questionable spot on a third-down play, and other disputed decisions — and the Seahawks lost 21-10 in what many consider one of the most poorly officiated Super Bowls in history.

Holmgren remained for three more seasons but couldn't get back to the Super Bowl. The team gradually declined, and when Holmgren departed after the 2008 season, the Seahawks appeared to be heading into a rebuilding phase. Jim Mora's lone season in 2009 (5-11) confirmed it. But the rebuild would prove far shorter than anyone expected.

Pete Carroll arrived in 2010 and, paired with general manager John Schneider, built one of the most dominant teams in modern NFL history. Carroll's scheme demanded big, physical cornerbacks who could disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage, and the secondary he assembled — Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Brandon Browner — became known as the "Legion of Boom," the most feared defensive backfield since the Steel Curtain.

The 2013 Seahawks were a force of nature. Russell Wilson, a third-round pick who won the starting job as a rookie in 2012, provided clutch quarterbacking, while Marshawn Lynch — "Beast Mode" — ran with a violent, joyful ferocity that perfectly matched the team's identity. The defense allowed just 14.4 points per game. In Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seahawks annihilated the Denver Broncos 43-8, scoring on the very first play from scrimmage and never letting up. It was the most dominant Super Bowl performance in decades.

The following year, the Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl and appeared poised to repeat. Leading the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, with the ball at the one-yard line and 26 seconds remaining, the Seahawks threw a slant pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler. The play — one of the most controversial and debated calls in sports history — cost Seattle a second consecutive championship and haunted the franchise for years. The Legion of Boom era gradually wound down as injuries took their toll on Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor.

After the Legion of Boom dissolved, Russell Wilson carried the Seahawks on his arm and his legs. The team remained competitive through Wilson's individual brilliance, making the playoffs four more times between 2018 and 2020, but the defense was no longer elite, and the roster lacked the depth of the championship years.

The relationship between Wilson and the organization gradually deteriorated. Wilson wanted more influence over personnel decisions and was frustrated by the offensive line's shortcomings. In March 2022, Seattle made the stunning decision to trade Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for multiple players and draft picks — including two first-round selections and two second-round selections.

The trade appeared to signal a lengthy rebuild, but the 2022 season told a different story. Geno Smith, a journeyman quarterback given one last chance, played the best football of his career, and the Seahawks went 9-8 and made the playoffs. The draft picks acquired in the Wilson trade — particularly cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — proved to be foundational pieces. Meanwhile, Wilson struggled in Denver, making the trade look increasingly lopsided in Seattle's favor.