Steve Hutchinson’s time in Seattle was relatively brief—he spent five of his 12 NFL seasons with the Seahawks—but the Hall of Fame left guard left his mark during those impressive years at the start of his career.  

Partnering with Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones, Hutchinson was part of the best offensive lines in franchise history, including the 2005 unit that paved the way for Shaun Alexander’s MVP season as the Seahawks went 13-3 to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in team history. And if Jones was the athletic marvel who set the standard for modern day left tackles, then Hutchinson was the one helping give the line a nasty streak.  

“Steve Hutchinson was the tough guy. You were a little afraid of him,” said former News Tribune Seahawks beat reporter Mike Sando, who is now an NFL senior writer for The Athletic. “He’s a great guy, but you were a little worried, you didn’t want to really joke with him. He was so serious and just so tough.”  

Hutchinson started all 68 games played for Seattle over the course of his five seasons in Seattle, earning Pro Bowl honors three times, first-team AP All-Pro honors twice and second-team honors once. After joining the Vikings in free agency in 2006, Hutchinson went on to earn four more Pro Bowl selections, as well as four All-Pro selections (three first team and one second team).

"He was relentless," former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "He was just what you have to have up front. He had no weaknesses, physically, and then he had such a great attitude. He just would never give up, he worked hard, he listened to his coaches, but at the same time, he was able to speak his mind with me. He was special right from the beginning.

"Just as Walter Jones was the best tackle I ever saw, Steve Hutchinson was the best guard. He is one of the great players I ever coached. Steve was tough, smart and fierce. As his coach, I was pretty fortunate. He was one of my favorite players ever, he still is."