Seahawks all-time Mount Rushmore: 2020 edition
By Lee Vowell
Cortez Kennedy
It is too bad Cortez Kennedy didn’t play one decade later. Not that he wasn’t great, because clearly he was, but he deserved to play on better Seahawks teams than he did. Imagine being Aaron Donald of the Rams, knowing you are the only player that is going to be consistently beastly for your team but then only make the playoffs once in 11 years.
Kennedy was Aaron Donald before Aaron Donald was Aaron Donald. On a Seahawks team that went 2-14 in 1992, Kennedy had one of the best seasons of any defensive tackle in NFL history. He had 14 sacks, which was 10th in the NFL but led all interior defensive lineman. His four forced fumbles also tied for the league lead among interior linemen in the category.
It's a simple gesture that goes a long way — started in Cortez Kennedy's memory every September 6th.
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 6, 2019
Check in on those you care about today with the #96Check.
@BigWalt71 | @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/08V0B6wCQw
Kennedy played his entire 11-year career for Seattle and made the Pro Bowl nine times. He was First-Team All-Pro three times, from 1992 through 1994. His 58 career sacks rank fourth on the Seahawks all-time list. He is fifth in Seattle history in solo tackles with 569. That last bit is all the more impressive since Kennedy is a defensive tackle and not a linebacker.
Kennedy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor in 2006. Sadly, Kennedy passed away from heart failure in 2017.