Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. Since 2002, they've called Lumen Field home, a stadium in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood that has gone by several names over the years, including Seahawks Stadium, Qwest Field, and CenturyLink Field. The team's name comes from the osprey, a bird of prey also known as a sea hawk.

The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, initially placed in the NFC West. After a stint in the AFC West from 1977 to 2001, they returned to the NFC in 2002. Their early home was the Kingdome, which they shared with the Mariners, SuperSonics, and Sounders, until it was demolished in 2000. They then spent two seasons at Husky Stadium before settling into their current venue, built on the Kingdome's former footprint.

Seahawks fans are famously loud. Known collectively as the "12th man" (now the "12s" since 2016), they set a Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event twice during the 2013 season. As the only NFL team in the Pacific Northwest, the Seahawks draw support from a wide region, including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and British Columbia.

On the field, the Seahawks have won 12 division titles and four conference championships. They're the only team to have played in both the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Their greatest success came in the 2010s under head coach Pete Carroll, with a dominant defense known as the Legion of Boom. That era produced five consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins, back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl victory, a blowout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. They later added a second title by defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. The team has also appeared in Super Bowls XL and XLIX. Since the 2002 realignment, they've won the NFC West 10 times, most recently in 2025. From 2011 to 2016, they set an NFL record by playing 95 consecutive games without losing by more than 10 points.

Several Seahawks legends have been honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Kenny Easley, Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Cortez Kennedy, and Steve Largent. The team's Ring of Honor includes players like Dave Brown, Jacob Green, Dave Krieg, Curt Warner, Jim Zorn, Matt Hasselbeck, and Shaun Alexander, along with coaches Chuck Knox and Mike Holmgren, broadcaster Pete Gross, and owner Paul Allen.

In a stunning development, on July 11, 2026, the Paul G. Allen Estate announced an agreement to sell the Seahawks for a record-breaking $9.612 billion to an ownership group led by investor Vinod Khosla. The deal, pending NFL approval, requires Khosla to divest his minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers. [edit]

The Seahawks entered the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, alongside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They spent their first season in the NFC West before shifting to the AFC West in 1977, a move that lasted until 2001. During those early years, the franchise struggled to find consistency, but players like quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent gave fans hope. Largent retired in 1989 as the NFL's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches.

The 1980s brought the team's first playoff appearances. Under coach Chuck Knox, the Seahawks made the postseason in 1983, 1984, and 1987, with the '83 squad reaching the AFC Championship Game. That era also featured safety Kenny Easley, a five-time Pro Bowler whose hard-hitting style defined the defense. Easley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, decades after his career ended due to kidney issues.

The 1990s were leaner, with just one playoff berth in 1999. But the franchise changed direction in 1997 when Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen bought the team, preventing a move to California. Allen's investment included building a new stadium, which opened in 2002 as Seahawks Stadium. That same year, the team returned to the NFC West. Under coach Mike Holmgren, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, and running back Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks won four straight division titles from 2004 to 2007, reaching Super Bowl XL in 2005 but losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The arrival of Pete Carroll in 2010 sparked the most successful era in franchise history. Carroll and general manager John Schneider built a roster through shrewd drafts, landing cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, and quarterback Russell Wilson. The Legion of Boom defense led the league in scoring defense for four consecutive seasons (2012-2015). In Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seahawks dismantled the Denver Broncos 43-8, the third-largest margin in Super Bowl history. They returned to the Super Bowl the next year but fell to the New England Patriots on Malcolm Butler's goal-line interception. The team made the playoffs in eight of Carroll's 14 seasons, winning the NFC West five times.

After Carroll's departure in 2024, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald took over as head coach. The team has remained competitive, winning the NFC West in 2025. Off the field, the franchise has been in flux. In July 2026, the Paul G. Allen Estate agreed to sell the team to an investment group led by Vinod Khosla for $9.612 billion, a record price for a sports franchise. The sale, pending NFL approval, requires Khosla to sell his minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers. [edit]