Best Quarterbacks in Seattle Seahawks History

Smith had a career renaissance during his time with Seattle, coming to the Pacific Northwest after a largely unsuccessful first six NFL seasons with the Jets, Giants, and Chargers.

Holding the league's highest completion percentage in 2022, Smith won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award and made the Pro Bowl. Smith's 12,961 passing yards across his five seasons with Seattle rank fifth all time in franchise history.

4. Jim Zorn (1976-1984)

Zorn was the original first quarterback for the Seahawks after the franchise's inception. Coming out of Cal Poly Pomona, Zorn signed as a free agent after spending some time on the Cowboys' practice squad, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 1978, and made the PFWA All-Rookie Team while throwing for 20,122 yards and 107 touchdowns.

3. Dave Krieg (1980-1991)

Krieg took Zorn's starting job after an injury to the starter, and like Zorn, joined the team as a free agent.

His touchdown-to-interception rate was far better than Zorn's (195-to-148), and the Milton College product made three Pro Bowls, led the NFL in completion percentage in 1991, and nearly parlayed an upset of Dan Marino's Dolphins in 1983 to a run to the Super Bowl, but fell just short to the Raiders in the AFC championship.

2. Matt Hasselbeck (2001-2010)

Hasselbeck was a late-round NFL draft steal, selected in the sixth round in 1998 by the Packers, but made his way to Seattle to join former head coach Mike Holmgren in a pick swap. The Seahawks made out with the better side of that deal, as Hasselbeck took the starting job from Trent Dilfer in 2002 and ran with it.

Hasselbeck won NFC Offensive Rookie of the Week in a 362-yard, three-touchdown Week 12 performance, and that would be the tip of the iceberg. The three-time Pro Bowler finished his career with an 82.4 passer rating and 36,638 passing yards.

1. Russell Wilson (2012-2021)

The aforementioned Wilson was nothing short of great during his time in Seattle, despite his possibly-career-defining Super Bowl XLIX goal-line blunder (the brunt of which fell more on Pete Carroll's not opting to run it with Marshawn Lynch).

A Wisconsin product, Wilson holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through nine seasons, made nine Pro Bowls in all his years with Seattle besides 2016, took home the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year, and took the Seahawks to three straight Super Bowls from 2013 to 2015.

Wilson became the first NFL quarterback to start two Super Bowls in his first three seasons, but it was his 123.1 passer rating that buoyed the Seahawks in their 43-8 Super Bowl XLVIII win over Peyton Manning and the Broncos.