Russell Wilson's career with the Seahawks: A complete 10-year timeline

April 27, 2012

The Wilson era officially began more than a decade ago when the Seahawks took the University of Wisconsin product in the third round. 

Wilson, who has been the draft's most accomplished player, was the sixth quarterback taken in the class behind Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Brock Osweiler. Four of those five quarterbacks are no longer in the NFL. 

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Aug. 26, 2012

This was a full-scale admission that the Matt Flynn contract (three years, $26 million) was already a disaster.

The Seahawks named Wilson, a third-round rookie, the team's starting quarterback after he beat out Flynn for the job in the preseason. 

Flynn threw just nine passes for the Seahawks before he was traded in 2013. 

Sept. 9, 2012

Wilson's first NFL start did not go as planned in a 20-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie completed just over half of his 34 passes for 153 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

His poor 4.5 yards per attempt and 36.2 quarterback rating (QBR) in the defeat were nowhere near the standard he'd eventually set with the Seahawks. Despite his middling performance, the Seahawks held a lead in the fourth quarter until the Cardinals' go-ahead touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter.

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Worth noting: Wilson's first touchdown of his career was thrown to wide receiver Sidney Rice. 

Sept. 16, 2012 

Wilson did not have to wait to claim his first win as a starter. The next week after his NFL debut, Wilson led the Seahawks to a 27-7 rout over Tony Romo's Dallas Cowboys.

Wilson was more efficient in this game, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt, and he tossed another touchdown. Marshawn Lynch and a special teams touchdown gave the Seahawks the commanding victory. 

Sept. 24, 2012

Wilson was a part of many classic NFL showdowns during his tenure as a Seahawk. This just happened to be the first of his career and one infamously known as the "Fail Mary" game.

The back story: A three-month labor dispute between the NFL and officials meant the 2012 season started with "replacement" officials, as the two parties ironed out the details of a new agreement. 

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The Seahawks' game-winning touchdown to Golden Tate on Monday Night Football, which had a replacement official signaling a touchdown and the other signaling an interception, was the catalyst for the labor strife to end.

Three days after the Seahawks' bizarre victory, the NFL agreed to a new deal. The full-time officials were back on the field. 

Oct. 14, 2012

This was the first big clash with Tom Brady, but certainly not the last. In just his sixth career start, Wilson led the Seahawks to 14 consecutive points in the fourth quarter and the comeback victory against Brady. 

Wilson threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the win as the Seahawks remained unbeaten at home. 

Jan. 6, 2013

Wilson's first playoff game pitted him against Griffin III, the No. 2 pick in his own draft class. The battle was anti-climatic, though, when Griffin III tore his ACL early in the game. Facing a backup quarterback, the Seahawks scored 24 unanswered points to advance to the NFC Divisional Round.

Jan. 13, 2013

The Seahawks were ousted from the playoffs one week later, but it was not for a lack of trying. 

Wilson nearly engineered a miraculous comeback after the Seahawks were facing a 20-0 deficit at halftime. The composed rookie led four touchdown drives in the second half to give the Seahawks a 28-27 lead over the Atlanta Falcons with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The No. 1 seed in the NFC needed a game-winning field goal from Matt Bryant just to sneak past the visiting Seahawks.

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But it was clear that Wilson was poised to be a threat in the years to come.

In just his second NFL season, Wilson led the Seahawks to the NFC's No. 1 seed with a 13-3 record. Wilson, who finished sixth in Offensive Player of the Year voting, threw for more passing yards per game and was more efficient on a per-pass basis.

Jan. 19, 2014

San Francisco was driving towards what would have been a game-winning touchdown to clinch another Super Bowl appearance when Richard Sherman swatted Colin Kaepernick's pass into the waiting arms of Malcolm Smith. 

The play sealed the game and the Seahawks' second Super Bowl appearance.

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Afterward, still frustrated with his battle with Michael Crabtree all game, Sherman delivered one of the most iconic postgame moments in NFL history.

"I'm the best corner in the game," Sherman told Erin Andrews. "When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree that's the result you're gonna get. Don't you ever talk about me." 

Feb. 2, 2014

Wilson didn't have to do much to deliver the Seahawks' first and only Super Bowl title.

He was efficient, threw for two touchdowns, and sat back as his defense stifled the league's No. 1 offense. 

The Seahawks' defense and special teams combined for three touchdowns in the 43-8 romp over the Denver Broncos. 

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For the third straight season, Wilson threw fewer interceptions than the year before. He also only threw 20 touchdowns for the season, but that was mostly by design. 

Seattle ran for a league-best 2,762 yards in the regular season and averaged 5.3 yards per carry (which also led the league). Only one team ran more often than the Seahawks as they clinched the top seed in the NFC Playoffs again. 

Jan. 18, 2015

Trailing 19-7 deep in the fourth quarter, Wilson threw what appeared to be a back-breaking interception with just over five minutes left. At that point, the Seahawks' chances of advancing to a second straight Super Bowl was just 0.7%.

The defense gave the team some life with a quick stop and Wilson responded with a touchdown. 

Needing a two-point conversion to extend the lead to a pivotal three points, Wilson rolled to his right, immediately faced pressure and backpedaled all the way to the 18-yard-line. (The line of scrimmage was at the two-yard line, for reference.) Then he unfurled a high-arcing prayer of a throw to the opposite end of the field to tight end Luke Willson, who snagged the ball for the extra two points.  

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When the game went into an improbable overtime period, Wilson unleashed one of his patented deep balls to Jermaine Kearse, leading the team to its second consecutive berth in the Super Bowl.

A miracle indeed.

Feb. 1, 2015

This has a legitimate case to be the best Super Bowl ever. It's also the most heartbreaking Seahawks loss by a wide margin. 

We don't have to go in full depth on the Malcolm Butler interception -- because you have probably already soaked in enough sorrow over the past seven years -- but the Seahawks were really just a few yards away from winning back-to-back Super Bowls.

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The Seahawks, the leading contender to become a "dynasty" at the time, have yet to make it back to the big game again. 

July 31, 2015

Months after the Super Bowl defeat, the Seahawks locked down their franchise quarterback to a four-year contract extension worth up to $87.6 million.

Wilson's extension included a $31 million signing bonus and $61.5 million in guarantees. Only Aaron Rodgers, who was making $22 million at the time, was making more money per year than Wilson. 

Seattle clinched its fourth straight playoff berth under Wilson, but this time as a wildcard team. Arizona won 13 games and claimed the NFC West division title.

Wilson eclipsed the 4,000 passing yard mark for the first time and threw for a career-best 34 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His 110.1 quarterback rating led the NFL. 

The season ended with a 31-24 defeat in the Divisional Round to the Carolina Panthers, who were the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl that year.

July 6, 2016

One year after meeting Ciara, the pair were officially married. 

"We are the Wilson's!" the Seahawks quarterback said in a caption on Instagram. 

Wilson set another career mark in passing yards (4,219) but his passing touchdowns dropped and his interceptions increased. 

Still, the Seahawks won the division and earned the No. 4 seed in the conference. The season ended with a road loss to the Atlanta Falcons, who were the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl that year. 

April 28, 2017

Wilson and Ciara's daughter, Sienna Princess, was born on April 28, 2017.

Wilson led the entire NFL in passing touchdowns (34), but it was not enough to reach the playoffs as the Seahawks finished with a 9-7 record. It was the first time in Wilson's career that he missed the playoffs entirely. 

Wilson threw a touchdown pass on 8.2% of his pass attempts, which is still his career-high for a single season. Seattle made its way back to the playoffs but fell 24-22 to the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. 

April 16, 2019

Despite failing to reach its lofty expectations, the Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension with Wilson to keep him with the franchise through the 2023 season.

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Wilson's $65 million signing bonus set an NFL record at the time. He was slated to make $35 million per season, making him the league's highest-paid player.

Wilson was at his usual best in the 2019 season, throwing 31 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. Yet the Seahawks were just 23rd in pass attempts for the season, sidelining the offense's best weapon for the sake of a balanced offense. 

This time the Seahawks' season ended at the hands of the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round. 

July 23, 2020

Wilson and Ciara welcomed their second child, Win Harrison, to the world. 

The Seahawks let Russ cook (kind of). The nine-year All-Pro quarterback threw for a career-most 558 attempts this season, even though his efficiency (7.5 yards per attempt) was at his lowest in his career. The increase in pass attempts resulted in 40 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Seattle won the division again but lost at home in the wild-card round to a Rams quarterback duo of Jared Goff and John Wolford. 

This disappointing exit is the last playoff game Wilson represented the Seahawks. 

Feb. 5, 2021

Wilson was awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020, the league's most prestigious honor. The award recognizes an NFL player for his "excellence on and off the field."

Feb. 9, 2021

Two days after Tom Brady defeated Patrick Mahomes to claim his seventh Super Bowl title, Wilson gave his harshest criticism of the Seahawks franchise to date.

Wilson, who had not made it back to the Super Bowl in seven years, had to watch two of the league's best quarterbacks duke it out on the league's highest stage. 

"You play this game to be the best in the world," Wilson said in an interview on The Dan Patrick Show. "You know what I hate: I hate sitting there watching other guys play the game. There's nothing worse."

In the wide-ranging interview, Wilson railed against his role in personnel decisions and fought for better offensive line protection after he was sacked 394 times in nine seasons. 

This interview set off a flurry of trade rumors for the Seahawks quarterback that never really abated. It also marked the beginning of the end. 

Oct. 7, 2021

Wilson's NFL career at this point had already been remarkable, but his ability to ward off injuries in America's most violent sport put him in rarefied territory. The longtime Seahawks quarterback started in 149 consecutive regular season games without missing a game. 

Then he broke his finger in a division matchup against the Rams, requiring surgery to repair tendon damage and dislocation.

He'd be forced to miss the first game of his decade-long NFL career.

Nov. 14, 2021

Doctors told Wilson he'd miss six to eight weeks with his finger injury, which would cost him five to seven games.

Instead, he returned to the starting lineup in Week 10. He missed just three games.

It was a disastrous season for Wilson and the Seahawks, who have not made it past the divisional round since 2014. 

Wilson missed the first games of his career and the Seahawks sputtered to a 7-10 record, which was last in the competitive NFC West. 

It marked the second time in Wilson's career that the Seahawks missed the playoffs. 

March 8, 2022

The end of the Wilson era came nearly 10 years after he was first drafted to the NFL. 

Seattle traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick from the Broncos.

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The Seahawks would have to find another quarterback to build its franchise around.

Sept. 7, 2022

ESPN's Brady Henderson released an in-depth report Sept. 7 on the fraying relationship between Wilson and the Seahawks, less than a week before their highly anticipated matchup on Monday Night Football. 

Henderson described a "dysfunctional situation built toward its eventual breaking point."

In the report, Henderson wrote that "Wilson wanted out, believing coach Pete Carroll and the organization were holding him back. And with their own misgivings about how his game was aging, the Seahawks lost faith in Wilson, just as he had lost faith in them."

Wilson, for what it's worth, disputed the critical report on Thursday. 

"I don't worry about all this stuff," Wilson said. "People have opinions and thoughts and ideas and everybody has their own right to think what they want to think. You know, I know how the whole thing went and how it transpired and just the whole situation.

"At the same time, I know every second of it I enjoyed in terms of being there and just trying to give my all every day. That's all I know. And at the end of the day, every play, every game, every situation, hurt, dinged up, highest moments, lowest moments sometimes, I gave my all and that's all I can give."

Sept. 12, 2022

Yes, it's quite fitting that the Seahawks' new season will begin against the man who defined its franchise for a decade. 

It'll be Wilson's 85th game played in Seattle, but his first as a visitor. 

Let's ride.