Remembering Seahawks' Most Frequent Pro Bowl Representatives
As the NFL takes a beat ahead of Super Bowl LVI, some of the game's best will get together for the 2022 Pro Bowl on Sunday night. Quarterback Russell Wilson and left tackle Duane Brown will be representing the Seahawks when things get underway at Allegiant Stadium, notching the franchise's 146th and 147th Pro Bowl selections, respectively.
Before kickoff, let's take a look at the 11 players who've represented Seattle the most during the game's 71-year existence.
QB Russell Wilson: 9
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
The Seahawks' most accomplished passer continues to add more milestones to his lengthy résumé. Added as a replacement for Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Wilson has now tied the franchise lead with nine Pro Bowl selections. He's put together some brilliant performances in those appearances, including an MVP-winning effort in 2015.
T Walter Jones: 9
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
One of the greatest blindside protectors in NFL history, Jones missed the Pro Bowl just three times over the course of his 12-year career. Keeping the likes of quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Jon Kitna clean, and helping pave the road to history for running back Shaun Alexander, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the Hall of Famer was a constant in the annual all-star game. Additionally, six of his nine selections were accompanied by All-Pro honors.
DL Cortez Kennedy: 8
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
On his way to earning a gold jacket in 2012, Kennedy dominated the 1990s to the tune of eight Pro Bowl selections. The late Hall of Famer was one of the NFL's most game-breaking interior defenders of his era, recording 58.0 sacks and 669 combined tackles before playing his final down in 2000. Doing it all in a Seahawks uniform, his No. 96 is one of just five numbers hanging up in the Lumen Field rafters.
LB Bobby Wagner: 8
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Overlooked for the first two years of his career, Wagner has made every Pro Bowl roster since 2014. He's been the NFL's leading tackler over that stretch with 1,119 takedowns, outpacing the next-best mark—Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David's 937—by 182. With a career-high 170 tackles in 2021, the surefire future Hall of Famer earned his latest trip to the Pro Bowl, but he will not be able to participate after suffering a knee injury in Week 17.
WR Steve Largent: 7
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
The greatest pass catcher in Seahawks history was also their first-ever Pro Bowler, representing the organization in 1978. Largent made it again the following year after his first of three 1,200-yard receiving seasons, then earned five more selections during the 1980s. No other Seattle receiver has come anywhere close to that mark. In fact, only one has made more than a single Pro Bowl in their career: Doug Baldwin, who appeared in the game twice.
S Earl Thomas: 6
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
One of the first Pro Bowlers selected by current general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll, Thomas solidified himself as arguably the greatest safety of the last decade. As such, he made the event six times during his nine-year career in Seattle, with two of those absences coming in years that were cut short by season-ending leg injuries. While his time in the Pacific Northwest came to a controversial and ultimately disappointing end, he will still go down as one of the best to ever don a Seahawks uniform.
S Kenny Easley: 5
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987
Speaking of great safeties who saw their Seahawks career come to an undesirable end, Easley made five Pro Bowls before retiring at the age of 29 due to a kidney disease. This includes a dominant 1984 season in which he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, headlining an impressive résumé that has since immortalized him in Canton, Ohio. Easley and the organization were able to eventually mend their relationship, and his No. 45 has been retired since 2017.
RB Marshawn Lynch: 4
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
The Seahawks have been fortunate enough to feature several high-caliber running backs in their franchise's history, but none will quite match Lynch's legend. Upon his 2010 arrival in Seattle, "Beast Mode" became the heart and soul of the organization and represented it well with four consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2011 to 2014. He was only eligible to play in the game twice, however, as the latter half of his selections fell on years in which he and his teammates advanced to the Super Bowl.
LB Fredd Young: 4
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
Drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft, Young was a stud from the jump. That same year, he made his first Pro Bowl as a rookie special teams artist, then went back three more times after earning a starting job in the heart of Tom Catlin's defense in 1985. Saving his best for last, Young capped off his fourth and final year in Seattle with a career-high 9.0 sacks and a first-team All-Pro selection before heading to Indianapolis in a blockbuster trade.
CB Richard Sherman: 4
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Sherman might be a sore subject for a lot of Seahawks fans right now, but there's no denying his brilliance during the prime of his career. Like Wagner, it took the league some time to truly appreciate the Stanford alum, who made his first Pro Bowl following his second full season as a starter in Seattle. He went on to earn four total selections from 2013 to 2016, leading all cornerbacks in interceptions (18) over that stretch.
S Kam Chancellor: 4
Years selected to Pro Bowl: 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015
For as much punishment as Lynch doled out on the offensive side of the ball, Chancellor brought that same energy and then some defensively. An absolute unicorn at the safety position, No. 31 quickly made his presence felt and earned Pro Bowl honors as a first-time starter in 2011. But somehow, despite being arguably the most feared player on one of the NFL's legendary defenses, he received just two All-Pro nods in his career—both of the second-team variety. That feels very, very wrong for an incredibly special player.
Other Notables
Aside from the 11 names we just went over, there have been 21 other multi-time Pro Bowlers in Seahawks history. This includes Hasselbeck (3), Alexander (3), linebacker Lofa Tatupu (3) and defensive end Jacob Green (2). Versatile defensive lineman Michael Bennett, who also earned a trio of selections, is the only other Seattle player to win MVP of the game, sharing the award with Wilson in 2015.
Here is the full list of all Pro Bowl selections in the team's history:
9: QB Russell Wilson, T Walter Jones
8: DL Cortez Kennedy, LB Bobby Wagner
7: WR Steve Largent
6: S Earl Thomas
5: S Kenny Easley
4: RB Marshawn Lynch, LB Fredd Young, CB Richard Sherman, S Kam Chancellor
3: QB Matt Hasselbeck, QB Dave Krieg, RB Shaun Alexander, RB Curt Warner, RB Chris Warren, G Steve Hutchinson, DE Michael Sinclair, DL Michael Bennett, LB Lofa Tatupu, LB Julian Peterson
2: FB Mack Strong, FB John Williams, WR Doug Baldwin, TE Jimmy Graham, T Duane Brown, C Max Unger, DE Jacob Green, LB Rufus Porter, LB Chad Brown, S Eugene Robinson, S Quandre Diggs
1: QB Warren Moon, RB Bobby Joe Edmonds, RB Leon Washington, FB Michael Robinson, FB Nick Bellore, WR Brian Blades, WR DK Metcalf, WR Tyler Lockett, WR Alex Bannister, T Russell Okung, C Robbie Tobeck, DE Cliff Avril, DE Patrick Kerney, DL John Randle, DL Joe Nash, LB K.J. Wright, CB Shaquill Griffin, CB Marcus Trufant, CB Shawn Springs, CB Brandon Browner, CB Dave Brown, S Darryl Williams, S Jamal Adams, K Norm Johnson, P Michael Dickson, P Rick Tuten, LS Tyler Ott