NFL franchise story

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle grew from expansion novelty into an AFC contender, reached its first Super Bowl under Mike Holmgren and then built the Legion of Boom champion that gave the Pacific Northwest its defining NFL team.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Seattle Seahawks.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Seattle Seahawks official NFL team page ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1976—1982

Steve Largent

Jim Zorn

Dave Brown

Zorn and Largent make the new team entertaining

The expansion Seahawks

Seattle switched conferences after one season and quickly built a creative passing game that made the Kingdome an energetic home.

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Chapter 01

1976—1982

Franchise era

1983—1998

Steve Largent

Curt Warner

Jacob Green

Ground Chuck reaches the AFC title game

The Chuck Knox years

Knox's physical style produced the franchise's first playoffs and a 1983 run to the AFC Championship Game before years of ownership uncertainty.

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Chapter 02

1983—1998

Franchise era

1999—2009

Matt Hasselbeck

Shaun Alexander

Walter Jones

Hasselbeck and Alexander reach the Super Bowl

Holmgren builds an NFC champion

Paul Allen stabilized the club, Holmgren built around an elite line and the 2005 Seahawks won the NFC behind Alexander's MVP season.

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Chapter 03

1999—2009

Franchise era

2010—2016

Russell Wilson

Richard Sherman

Marshawn Lynch

Defense, competition and a first championship

The Legion of Boom

Pete Carroll built a young, physical roster that overwhelmed Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII and returned the next year before a goal-line interception.

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Chapter 04

2010—2016

Franchise era

2017—2021

Russell Wilson

Bobby Wagner

Tyler Lockett

The defense changes while the winning continues

Wilson carries the transition

The Legion dispersed, but Wilson's deep passing and Wagner's consistency kept Seattle in the playoffs until the partnership reached its limit.

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Chapter 05

2017—2021

Franchise era

2022—present

Geno Smith

Devon Witherspoon

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Draft capital starts a new chapter

After the Wilson trade

Seattle received a vast package for Wilson, watched Smith revive his career and began the franchise's first coaching transition in fourteen years.

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Chapter 06

2022—present

Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Seattle Seahawks games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship

Packers vs Seahawks

Jan 18, 2015

#02 · Super Bowl XLIX

Patriots vs Seahawks

Feb 1, 2015

#03 · Divisional Round