4 former Seahawks next in line for a Hall of Fame induction

The Seattle Seahawks had the most sustained run of success of any other decade in the 2010s. Some of that was due, of course, to the excellent coaching of Pete Carroll and the team-building of general manager John Schneider. But unless the talent on the field is great then the team wouldn't have been as good.

And the Seahawks had a bunch of talent, thankfully. I don't even have everyone from the last decade that could make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the list that follows. For instance, I don't have Carroll or Schneider on the list, and while it's tougher for coaches and execs to get into the Hall, both could be inducted one day. I also don't have Russell Wilson on the list.

This group is more about former players than current players. Wilson is still playing, of course, albeit for a different franchise. But I did make one exception for current players and you'll soon find out why.

Former Seahawks safety Earl Thomas

Thomas is difficult to write about in a few ways. A lot of it stems from the way he unofficially left the Seahawks forever when he was carted off the field in Week 4 of 2018 with a season-ending injury and flipped his middle finger at the sidelines while being taken from the field. That was bad enough and as it followed a contract dispute between Thomas and the Seahawks it implied he cared more about himself than the team, which might be true.

But on the field, Earl Thomas may have been the best free safety in the NFL from 2011 through 2015. He was one of several Seattle players from the 2010s to make the NFL's All-Decade team, Thomas has coverage instincts and supreme speed and this allowed Seattle the chance to cheat more against the run by bringing fellow safety Kam Chancellor in the box more; The team knew Thomas could cover the back end nearly by himself.

Thomas played nine of his 10 seasons in the NFL in Seattle. He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro and twice was named to the Second-Team. While with the Seahawks, he made six Pro Bowls. In his career, counting his one season with the Baltimore Ravens, Thomas had 30 interceptions (2 of which he ran back for touchdowns), 12 forced fumbles, 71 passes defended, and he was a fierce tackler.

He has had some post-career personal issues, however, and that might keep him from making it into the Hall of Fame initially, but eventually, Thomas deserves to get in.