Throughout their history, the Seattle Seahawks have featured an intriguing lineup of quarterbacks. While only a few have solidified themselves as the franchise leader—namely Russell Wilson, Matt Hasselbeck, and possibly Geno Smith—many others have had flashes of greatness that helped shape the overall narrative of the Seahawks franchise.
Because the Seahawks don’t have a long list of franchise quarterbacks, choosing the top 10 in team history was a challenging task.
We focused on players who made a significant impact during their time in Seattle, considering both their regular-season performances and their contributions in the playoffs. Here’s a look at who we selected.
*Note: All titles, awards and stats listed below are from each player’s tenure with the Browns only. All stats are from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.
10. John Friesz
GettyJohn Friesz.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1995-1998
- Career regular season stats:
- 22 games
- 2,971 passing yards
- 16 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On November 3, 1996, in a game against the Houston Oilers, he compiled 323 passing yards, the most he had in a single game as a Seahawk, and completed 63% of his passes, including 1 touchdown.
There were a few options we could have considered for the No. 10 spot, such as Trent Dilfer or Kelly Stouffer. However, given that Friesz has a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio, and few other Seahawks quarterbacks outside our top nine can make that claim, we believe Friesz is a solid choice to kick off the list.
9. Seneca Wallace
GettySeneca Wallace.
- Years as a Seahawk: 2005-2009
- Career regular season stats:
- 48 games
- 3,547 passing yards
- 25 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 4 games (backup)
- Iconic performance: On December 7, 2008, in a game against the New England Patriots, he completed an efficient 71.43% of his passes for 212 yards with 3 touchdowns. Despite Wallace’s great performance, the Seahawks fell to the Patriots 24-21.
Despite being a backup during his time with the Seahawks Wallace still recorded 3,547 passing yards with 25 passing touchdowns. Wallace’s reputation as a dual-threat quarterback along with being part of some big moments such as catching a pass from Matt Hasselbeck in a playoff game is why he is worthy of the No. 9 spot on our list.
8. Jon Kitna
GettyJon Kitna.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1997-2000
- Career regular season stats:
- 39 games
- 7,552 passing yards
- 49 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 1 game
- 162 passing yards
- 1 passing touchdown
- Iconic performance: On October 24, 1999, in a game against the Buffalo Bills, he threw for 276 yards with 2 touchdown passes and got the win for the Seahawks.
Kitna played for the Seahawks from 1997 to 2000. Like several other names on the list, Kitna’s best years came elsewhere, but he contributed to the team’s growth during his tenure and remains an important part of Seahawks history landing him at the No. 8 spot on our list.
7. Warren Moon
GettyFormer San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana speaks with former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Warren Moon in 2014.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1997-1998
- Championships and Awards:
- 1-time Pro-Bowl
- Career regular season stats:
- 25 games
- 5,310 passing yards
- 36 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On December 21, 1997, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, he had 4 touchdown passes on 64% passing and finished with 232 passing yards.
Despite only playing two seasons with the Seahawks, Moon is a deserving candidate for our list. Over 25 regular-season games, he threw for 5,310 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. While his tenure with the Seahawks was short, his 1997 Pro Bowl season was enough to put him at the No. 7 spot on our list.
6. Rick Mirer
GettyRick Mirer.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1993-1996
- Career regular season stats:
- 55 games
- 9,094 passing yards
- 41 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On September 11, 1994, in a game against the Los Angeles Raiders, he threw for 242 yards, completed 73.08% of his passes and threw 3 touchdown passes.
It was a tough decision to place Mirer over Moon, who had a Pro Bowl season with the Seahawks. However, it came down to games played, and Mirer’s 55 games rank fifth all-time for Seahawks quarterbacks. While his time with the team was relatively brief it was good enough to secure him the No. 6 spot on our list.
5. Jim Zorn
GettyJim Zorn.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1976-1984
- Career regular season stats:
- 126 games
- 20,122 passing yards
- 107 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 5 games
- 134 passing yards
- 2 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On October 30, 1977, in a game against the Buffalo Bills, he threw 4 touchdown passes and ran for another with 296 yards passing in a 56-17 victory.
Zorn is an interesting choice on our list. Despite his relatively low statistics for the number of games he played, he was the Seahawks’ first quarterback, serving from 1976 to 1984. He laid the groundwork for future quarterbacks, and his contributions to the team’s early history remain significant putting him at No. 5 on our list.
4. Geno Smith
GettyGeno Smith.
- Years as a Seahawk: 2020-present
- Championships and Awards:
- 2-time Pro-Bowl
- Comeback Player of the Year (2022)
- Career regular season stats:
- 43 games
- 10,419 passing yards
- 61 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 1 game
- 253 passing yards
- 2 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On November 12, 2023, in a game against the Washington Commanders, he threw for a career-high 369 yards completing 31 of 47 passes with 2 touchdowns in a 29-26 win.
Smith is an exciting addition to our list, as he has quickly established himself since joining the Seahawks in 2020. He has earned Pro Bowl honors twice and was named the Comeback Player of the Year in 2022. With his impressive trajectory, Smith is making a strong case for his place in Seahawks history and could move up our list if he puts in a few more good seasons in Seattle. But for now, he is at the No. 4 spot.
3. Dave Krieg
GettyDave Krieg.
- Years as a Seahawk: 1980-1991
- Championships and Awards:
- 3-time Pro-Bowl
- Career regular season stats:
- 129 games
- 26,132 passing yards
- 195 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 7 games
- 1,242 passing yards
- 9 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On December 18, 1988, in a game against the Los Angeles Raiders, he threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-37 victory.
Krieg is a solid choice for the No. 3 spot on our list. His 26,132 passing yards rank third in franchise history and his 195 touchdown passes are good enough for second-most in franchise history. He played for the Seahawks from 1980 to 1991 and earned Pro Bowl honors three times. While he may not have the same accolades as the top two, in terms of Super Bowl appearances, his contributions to the Seahawks’ legacy are undeniable.
2. Matt Hasselbeck
GettyMatt Hasselbeck.
- Years as a Seahawk: 2001-2010
- Championships and Awards:
- 3-time Pro-Bowl
- Career regular season stats:
- 138 games
- 29,434 passing yards
- 174 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 11 games
- 2,741 passing yards
- 18 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: On September 24, 2006, in a game against the New York Giants, he threw five touchdown passes, tying the Seahawks franchise record for touchdown passes in a single game.
Hasselbeck is the clear choice for the No. 2 spot on our list, as his 29,434 passing yards rank second in franchise history, behind Russell Wilson. He led the Seahawks to the 2006 Super Bowl, ultimately losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and earned Pro Bowl honors three times. While Krieg may have thrown more touchdown passes, Hasselbeck’s success in the postseason gives him the edge over Krieg.
1. Russell Wilson
GettyRussell Wilson.
- Years as a Seahawk: 2012-2021
- Championships and Awards:
- 1-time Super Bowl Champion
- 9-time Pro-Bowl
- Career regular season stats:
- 158 games
- 37,059 passing yards
- 292 passing touchdowns
- Career postseason stats:
- 16 games
- 3,786 passing yards
- 25 passing touchdowns
- Iconic performance: Wilson’s most iconic performance was on Nov. 23, 2016, in a game against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He went 25 of 37 for 348 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Wilson left a lasting impact on the franchise. During his tenure, he led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory and earned Pro Bowl honors nine times. His status as the franchise leader in passing yards and touchdowns, combined with his role in the 2013 team that defeated the Denver Broncos in the 2013 Super Bowl, is why he tops our list of the best Seahawks quarterbacks of all time.
The list isn’t over yet! See our pick for Number 11 HERE. Sound off to let us know who we missed!
Comments
The 10 Best Seahawks Quarterbacks of All Time, Ranked