History of the Seattle Seahawks
There were three early iterations of the AFL that all went belly up. The AAFC had four years in the late 40s, the World Football League played in early 1970s, and in the National Football League there are 48 former franchises.
Not one of those leagues or teams made Seattle its home.
The city of Detroit, in contrast, had four other professional football teams before the Lions. Cleveland is on its sixth professional football team.
When the new owners of the Seahawks were chosen by the NFL in 1974, to begin play in 1976, it was the first time that professional football made it to Seattle.
In the early 1970s there was almost a Seattle Bills, as Ralph Wilson used a move to the city as leverage to get a new stadium in Buffalo. But that never materialized, which allowed for the Seahawks to come into existence a few years later.
Seahawks League Entrance and Successes
Seattle came into the league the same year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and were far more successful than their expansion cousins 3,000 miles away. In just their third season they finished with a winning record, and had back-to-back 9-7 seasons in 1978 and 1979.
By 1983 they were appearing in the AFC Championship Game, and they made the playoffs in four of six seasons in the mid-1980s. In 2002 Seattle was realigned to the NFC, and that is where they experienced their greatest success, winning nine division titles and Super Bowl XLVIII.
When Steve Largent retired in 1989 he held almost every major receiving record in the NFL. He became a Hall of Famer in 1995. His teammate, Kenny Easley, is in the Hall and recognized as one of the hardest hitting safeties in league history. And tackle Cortez Kennedy was so good that he won the Defensive Player of the Year award on a 2-14 Seahawks team.
NFL Big Changes from Last Season – Seattle Seahawks
The biggest change for the Seahawks is perhaps the biggest change for any team in the NFL. They took their franchise quarterback still in his prime, the only quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl in Seattle, and they traded him away, with no real plan for his succession.
When the Colts moved on from Peyton Manning they had Andrew Luck. When Green Bay parted ways with Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers was ready to go. For the Seahawks, they traded Russell Wilson and now turn over the quarterbacking duties to Geno Smith and Drew Lock.
It’s a bold strategy, and one not likely to pay off in the short-term. And in the long-term the returns are iffy. Coming to Seattle is tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, and Lock. Fant and Harris will start this season, but neither moves the needle.
What is Next for Seattle Seahawks
The Wilson trade did net them a first and second round picks this year and next, with this year’s number one being used to select left tackle Charles Cross, with pass rusher Boye Mafe in the second round. They also got running back Ken Walker III in the second round.
Cross will start in Week1 and both Mafe and Walker will make significant contributions this season. All of them are good draft picks and good building blocks for the future. And perhaps with the two picks the Seahawks got in 2023 from Denver they can find a quarterback that can quickly develop with the two great wide receivers in Seattle, D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Not an equal loss by any means, but another one that will be felt in Seattle is the move of All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner to the Rams. Seattle fans will miss their defensive captain and feel the pain of having to see him play in person twice in 2022.
* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
NFC West
