Ranking every Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback ever

2. Matt Hasselbeck

Matt Hasselbeck, out of Boston College, was selected in the 6th round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers to serve as a backup to Brett Favre. Packers head coach Mike Holmgren saw Hasselbeck as fantastic value in the penultimate round of that year's draft and decided to select him to learn and grow behind Favre.

When Holmgren took the head coaching job in Seattle, a team with question marks at quarterback, he made sure to bring Hasselbeck with him. Seattle traded a first-round pick swap and a third-round pick to acquire Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck didn't immediately get the starting job, as he would compete with veteran Trent Dilfer. However, after impressing coaches in his limited playing time in 2002, Hasselbeck would win the starting job in 2003. In his first season as the full-time starter, Hasselbeck led Seattle to a 10-win season amidst his first Pro Bowl selection, earning a spot in the playoffs.

He recorded over 3,800 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. The wildcard game against Green Bay was the infamous "we want the ball and we're gonna score" game in which Hasselbeck threw a pick-six to lose the game in overtime.

In 2004, Hasselbeck impressed once again, leading Seattle to an NFC West title, the Seahawks' first division championship since the 2002 realignment. However, in 2005, Hasselbeck took a massive leap forward. He threw for almost 3,500 yards and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 24:9, also setting a career-high in completion percentage.

Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to a 13-3 record and ultimately an NFC Championship and consequent Super Bowl appearance. Hasselbeck would make his second Pro Bowl that year.

By 2007, Seattle had won three straight NFC West titles under Hasselbeck. That season, Hasselbeck set career highs in both passing yards (3,966) and touchdowns (28). Seattle won their fourth consecutive division championship and handily defeated Washington in the wildcard round at home. Although Seattle fell to Green Bay in the divisional round, Hasselbeck was named to his third Pro Bowl.

Hasselbeck's 2008 campaign, marred by a back injury, was a drastic fall from grace. In seven starts, Hasselbeck only completed 52 percent of his passes and only tossed 5 touchdowns, compared to his 10 interceptions. The next season wasn't much better as in 2009, in 14 games, Hasselbeck barely eclipsed 3,000 yards and threw for 17 touchdowns, to go along with 17 interceptions. His fall-off continued into 2010, when he only threw for 12 touchdowns along with another 17 interceptions.

Following the 2010 season, Hasselbeck was sadly a shell of his former self and Seattle would let Hasselbeck walk in free agency in a move that disheartened both the team and Hasselbeck himself. Before the sad divorce, however, Hasselbeck was considered the best quarterback Seattle had ever had up to that point. He had a franchise record 74 wins and owned almost every statistical record a quarterback could have in Seattle.