Seattle Seahawks: Ranking top 10 players of the past decade
By Samuel Teets
2. Bobby Wagner, MLB
Luke Kuechly‘s sudden retirement should only strengthen Wagner’s case for the Hall of Fame. The 2012 second-round pick entered the NFL at the same time as Kuechly and developed a similar resume over his first eight seasons. However, with Kuechly entering retirement, Wagner stands alone as the most-accomplished active middle/inside linebacker.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old played in 119 games throughout his first eight seasons. He amassed 1,075 tackles, 19.5 sacks, ten interceptions, and three touchdowns over that time. While Wagner can struggle in pass coverage at times, his game is otherwise immaculate.
Wagner led the NFL in tackles in 2016 and 2019. He’s gone to the last six Pro Bowls, and the Associated Press selected Wagner as a First-Team All-Pro in five of the past six seasons. In comparison, Brian Urlacher only earned First-Team All-Pro honors four times. The only thing missing from Wagner’s resume is a Defensive Player of the Year award.
1. Russell Wilson, QB
While Seattle’s defense and running game drove their Super Bowl run in 2013, Wilson is keeping the team alive now. If not for the future Hall of Famer’s skills, the Seahawks wouldn’t be perennial playoff contenders, especially considering some of the shortcomings of their roster.
Seattle infamously drafted Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wilson beat out free agent signee, Matt Flynn for the starting job immediately and went about revolutionizing the team’s reputation.
Eight years into his career, Wilson has never missed a start. In his 128 consecutive appearances, the Seahawks are 86-41-1. The team’s only sub-ten-win season came in 2017, which is also the only year Seattle missed the playoffs under Wilson’s leadership.
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With Seattle’s defense falling apart in recent years, Wilson became the team’s engine and savior. He’s made each of the last three Pro Bowls and is now regularly competing for the league MVP award. While Patrick Mahomes ran away with the MVP in 2018, Wilson came close to claiming the prestigious award in 2017 and 2019.