Seattle Seahawks Playoff Hero Signs One-Day Contract to Retire With Team

Jon Ryan spent 10 of his 12 NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

Longtime Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan is signing a one-day contract to retire with the team, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.

Ryan, 42, spent 10 of his 12 NFL seasons in Seattle from 2008-2017 and helped the team win Super Bowl XLVIII. The Canadian punter appeared in 159 games for the Seahawks, punting 770 times with an average of 44.8 yards per attempt.

Nov 26, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan (9)

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

However, Ryan's most memorable play in Seattle didn't even involve punting. In the third quarter of 2014 NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, his former team, Ryan threw a touchdown pass to offensive lineman Garry Gilliam on a fake field goal. The play gave the Seahawks a much-needed spark, as they were down 16-0 and came back to win 28-22.

With that pass, Ryan became the first punter to ever throw a playoff touchdown and the first Canadian to throw a playoff touchdown in over 20 years.

“Individually it was the greatest moment of my career with the Seahawks for sure,” Ryan told the Seattle Times.

Ryan was a third-round pick in the 2004 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but made his NFL debut with the Packers in 2006. After leaving the Seahawks in 2018, Ryan briefly signed with the Buffalo Bills, but was released soon after. He then returned to the CFL, spending time with three teams before announcing his retirement in 2022.

Comedian Sarah Colonna, Ryan's wife, posted a congratulatory message to her husband while thanking the Seahawks for the gesture.

"So happy for Jon, so proud of him - and this means the world to him," Colonna posted on X. “Thank you @Seahawks for this. Forever a #Seahawks @JonRyan9.”