Selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Max Unger established himself as one of the league’s premier centers during his 10-year career. Unger played seven of his 10 seasons in Seattle, earning two Pro Bowl nominations and was named first team AP All-Pro in 2012.

Unger started all 16 games at right guard in his rookie season in 2009, but his versatility allowed the team to convert him to center entering the 2010 season. After only playing in one game in 2010 due to a toe injury, Unger returned and started 15 games at center the following season.  

Prior to the start of the 2012 season, the Seahawks signed Unger to a four-year extension worth $24 million, making him one of the five highest paid centers in the league at the time. He made his first Pro-Bowl appearance and was named first team AP All-Pro on a Seahawks’ offense that ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game. Unger’s veteran presence helped a young Seahawks offense led by rookie quarterback Russell Wilson win 11 games in the regular season as well a win in the wild-card round.  

In 2013, Unger was awarded a Pro-Bowl nomination for the second consecutive season as the team would go on to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl in a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.  

Unger’s final season in Seattle, 2014, was cut short as he was only able to play in six games due to a high-ankle sprain. In the ensuing offseason, the Seahawks agreed to a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Saints in which Seattle acquired All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham in exchange for Unger and a first-round pick. “How often do you see a center get traded for an All-Pro tight end, one of the biggest names in NFL history when it comes to tight ends? You’re shipping your center to that team, and they want him? That says a lot about the ability of Max Unger and how much value he had to this franchise and what value he brought to the franchise that traded for him,” said King 5’s Paul Silvi.  

He would go on to play the final four seasons of his career in New Orleans starting 63 out of 64 possible games for the Saints. He would retire from the NFL following the 2018 season in which he made his third and final Pro-Bowl appearance.