Seahawks 2010s All-Decade Team: Offensive Skill Players
The 2010s undeniably were the best decade in Seahawks franchise history.
With coach Pete Carroll at the helm, Seattle made the postseason eight out of the past 10 seasons, won four NFC West titles, and captured the franchise’s first Super Bowl trophy. Aside from New England, no other franchise was more consistent in this decade, as Carroll led his team to seven 10-plus win seasons and 100 regular season victories.
To put these numbers in perspective, the Seahawks had five 10-plus win seasons, 10 playoff appearances, and six division titles combined from 1976 to 2009.
To celebrate the best 10-year span in franchise history, our writing staff assembled a 2010s Seahawks All-Decade 53-Man Roster. Which offensive skill players made the final cut?
Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson
Seahawks Tenure: 2012-Present
Stats: 29,734 passing yards, 227 touchdowns, 64.5 percent completion rate
Analysis: Drafted in the third round out of Wisconsin in 2012, Wilson wasted little time becoming a franchise quarterback for the Seahawks. Shining in his first preseason, he beat out highly-paid free agent signee Matt Flynn to become Seattle’s opening day starter and never looked back. In eight seasons, Wilson has led the ‘Hawks to seven playoff appearances and two Super Bowls behind his cannon throwing arm and uncanny ability to extend plays as an escape artist like Houdini. He also recently made his seventh Pro Bowl team and has shattered the franchise record books, now owning sole possession for career passing yardage and passing touchdowns.
Matt Hasselbeck
Seahawks Tenure: 2001-2010
Stats: 29,434 passing yards, 174 touchdowns, 60.2 percent completion rate
Analysis: Few players in team history caused divided opinions as much as Hasselbeck. Many saw him as a Top 15 quarterback you could win with while some felt he doomed the team to mediocrity. But Hasselbeck led one of the most successful stretches in team history and he always did it with class. His articulate, forthcoming nature displayed in post-game interviews no matter how well he or the team played endeared him to the home fan base and is still on display in his current position as an analyst on ESPN. Though he struggled in his final season with Seattle, he did help orchestrate one of the NFL's biggest upsets by beating New Orleans in the 2010 Wild Card round and makes a quality backup for Wilson on this team.
Running Backs
Marshawn Lynch
Seahawks Tenure: 2010-2015, 2019
Stats: 6,381 rushing yards, 66 total touchdowns, 1,309 receiving yards
Analysis: How strange is it to be writing this now that Lynch has wrapped up a second tour of duty with the Seahawks? The recently resigned-out-of-retirement back put up numbers some feel are worthy of Hall of Fame discussion during his initial six-year run with the Seahawks, but his impact was felt far beyond his statistical production. The pure ferocity with which he ran was evident from the first time he touched the ball and helped transform the Seahawks offensive approach in exactly the manner that Pete Carroll envisioned it when he took the job one year earlier. He will always be remembered for the legendary "Beast Quake" run along with many other highlight-reel worthy moments. After seeing him score four touchdowns in three games in 2019, maybe he will return for one more encore?
Chris Carson
Seahawks Tenure: 2017-Present
Stats: 2,589 rushing yards, 19 total touchdowns, 488 receiving yards
Analysis: The Seahawks searched far and wide for a replacement for Lynch. After a few failed attempts, it finally happened in the seventh round of the 2017 draft when Seattle landed a diamond in the rough in Carson. Offering a similar running style to Lynch and soft hands out of the backfield as a receiver, Carson became the first Seahawks running back since "Beast Mode" and sixth back in franchise history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in two straight seasons earlier this month, emerging as one of the focal points in Seattle's offensive attack.
Thomas Rawls
Seahawks Tenure: 2015-2017
Stats: 1,336 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 4.3 yards per carry
Analysis: Durability issues and declining production prevented Rawls from sticking as a long-term workhorse back for the Seahawks, but he put together one of the finest seasons for an undrafted running back in recent memory during the 2015 season. With Lynch sidelined by a sports hernia injury, the rookie out of Central Michigan rushed for 830 yards in 13 games, including gashing the 49ers for 209 yards in a Week 11 victory. His physical running style fit Seattle’s offense perfectly and he quickly became a fan favorite for his penchant for bowling over defenders.
Michael Robinson
Seahawks Tenure: 2010-2013
Stats: 133 rushing yards, 264 receiving yards, three total touchdowns
Analysis: A converted college quarterback from Penn State, Robinson carved out an eight-year NFL career as a fullback and special teams contributor. His best years came in Seattle, where he served as a key lead blocker in front of Lynch, helping him rush for over 4,000 yards between the 2011 and 2013 seasons. He made his lone Pro Bowl in 2011, recording 11 tackles on special teams and helping Lynch eclipse 1,200 yards on a seven-win team.
Receivers
Doug Baldwin
Seahawks Tenure: 2011-2018
Stats: 493 receptions, 6,563 receiving yards, 49 touchdowns
Analysis: Serving as the poster child of Seattle’s success with undrafted free agents, Baldwin came to the Pacific Northwest with a boulder on his shoulder and immediately became the team’s most reliable receiver. Despite making just one start as a rookie, he led the team with 788 receiving yards. Once Wilson arrived the next season, the two formed one of the league’s best quarterback/receiver tandems, combining for 3,188 yards and 29 touchdowns between the 2015 and 2017 seasons. His best year came in 2015, as he led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions and became the first Seattle receiver to surpass 1,000 yards since Bobby Engram in 2007.
Tyler Lockett
Seahawks Tenure: 2015-Present
Stats: 276 receptions, 3,838 receiving yards, 27 receiving touchdowns
Analysis: Lockett burst onto the scene as a rookie third round pick in 2015 and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition as a return specialist. After fighting through a severe broken leg injury, the speedy ex-Kansas State star worked his way to becoming Russell Wilson's favorite target in 2019 and deserves to be in the discussion among the league's best at his position. Last weekend, he registered his first career 1,000-yard season, the first by a Seahawks receiver since Baldwin in 2016, and he has developed a connection with Wilson that is rivaled by only a handful of quarterback/receiver duos.
Golden Tate
Seahawks Tenure: 2010-2013
Stats: 165 receptions, 2,195 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns
Analysis: It’s hard to believe Tate was only in Seattle for four years, simply because of the sheer volume of dynamic highlights he produced in such a short time frame. There was the “Fail Mary” game-winning catch on Monday Night Football against the Packers, the 80-yard scoring reception in St. Louis where he taunted Rams defensive backs the final 20 yards of his run, and the vicious block on Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee. Most of his receptions were of the hold-your-breath variety as he would pinball off defenders while displaying his former running back skills. Tate was brash, he was cocky, he was a whirling dervish of energy, and he was a whole lot of fun to watch during his short-lived life as a Seahawk.
Jermaine Kearse
Seahawks Tenure: 2012-2016
Stats: 153 receptions, 2,109 yards, 11 touchdowns
Analysis: Unlike Baldwin, Lockett, or Tate, Kearse never had a true “breakout” regular season with the Seahawks, but he was a model of consistency. He finished with between 510 and 685 receiving yards each season from 2014 to 2016 and became a trusted target for Wilson in key situations. The former Washington standout was at his best in the playoffs, racking up 493 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 12 career postseason games. He reeled in two of the biggest catches in franchise history, making the game-winning touchdown reception against the Packers in the 2014 NFC Championship game and hauling in a throw that bounced off his leg late in Super Bowl XLIX to give the Seahawks a chance at winning back-to-back titles.
Sidney Rice
Seahawks Tenure: 2011-2013
Stats: 97 receptions, 1,463 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns
Analysis: Injuries derailed Rice’s career and forced him to retire at the young age of 28, but he proved to be an invaluable asset for Wilson during his first two seasons. Capable of jumping out of a building, the athletic 6-foot-4 receiver quickly became one of Wilson’s most trusted targets as a rookie, catching 50 passes for 748 yards and seven touchdowns for the upstart 11-5 Seahawks. A torn ACL prevented him from playing in the Super Bowl the following year, but he was still a catalyst for the team’s 13-3 regular season record.
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham
Seahawks Tenure: 2015-2017
Stats: 170 receptions, 2,048 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns
Analysis: Acquired from the Saints in a blockbuster trade, Graham never meshed with Seattle’s offense and whether fair or not, drew the ire of fans for his inability or unwillingness to block. But as a receiver, he still impressively produced 923 receiving yards in 2016 coming off a torn patellar tendon and then led Seattle with 10 touchdown receptions in 2017. After just three seasons with the team, he established new franchise records for tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. While some criticism of him may have been warranted, he did earn two Pro Bowl nods and was far better than most fans are willing to admit.
Zach Miller
Seahawks Tenure: 2011-2014
Stats: 102 receptions, 1,092 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
Analysis: Miller never put up the sexy stats like a Jimmy Graham or George Kittle, but he was darn good at his job and an underrated part of Seattle's vaunted rushing attack. He earned himself a Super Bowl ring thanks to his blocking efforts in 2013, playing an integral role on one of the most dominant run games in all the NFL. Between 2012 and 2014, Seattle was no worse than fourth in the league in rushing. Miller helped pave the way for Lynch to become one of the most iconic backs of his generation and still to this day, he's widely revered by fans for his impact on some of the best teams in franchise history.
Luke Willson
Seahawks Tenure: 2013-2017, 2019 - Present
Stats: 97 receptions, 1,208 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns
Analysis: The 2013 draft class will easily go down as general manager John Schneider’s worst, but while the rest of the class struggled to make an impact, Willson found his way into the starting lineup as a rookie. Though he’s never been a star and only surpassed 300 receiving yards in a season once, he’s been a rock-solid contributor at the tight end position for six seasons in Seattle and has always excelled at doing the dirty work as a blocker. Add in the fact he’s beloved in the locker room and by local media due to his eccentric personality, there’s no question he belongs on the all-decade squad.
