Avril signed with the Seahawks in March of 2013, one day before Michael Bennett, and those two went on to become key parts of one of the best defenses in NFL history, a unit that helped the Seahawks bring home the Lombardi Trophy for the first time after a 13-3 2013 season.  

Over the course of four-plus seasons with the Seahawks, Avril recorded 34.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 88 quarterback hits before his career was cut short by a neck injury four games into the 2017 season. Avril earned Pro-Bowl honors following an 11.5-sack season in 2016 and was also the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award that year. Avril has maintained deep ties to the area since retiring, and in 2022, he, Bennett and Doug Baldwin founded Champions of Change, an organization “shepherding awareness and support for organizations that serve our communities by sustaining pathways for families to have stable, healthy and loving homes.”