More than just the Seattle Seahawks season could come to an end today.
So too could an era.
After 10 seasons in Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck could very well be playing his final game as the Seahawks quarterback. So whether you’re a Hasselbeck supporter in good times and bad, or part of the
growing population that thinks his time has come and gone, pay attention to No. 8 when he leads the Seahawks against the New Orleans Saints in this afternoon’s NFL playoff game. You may well be witnessing the farewell party of one of the best players in franchise history.
This just might be it for Hasselbeck, the quarterback who came to Seattle in 2001, handpicked by former head coach Mike Holmgren to run the offense; the quarterback who led the Seahawks to places the franchise had never been, including a Super Bowl to cap the 2005 season. Because once this season is over, Hasselbeck will be a free agent, and while there is still a decent chance the Seahawks try to bring him back, it is also entirely possible that Hasselbeck will move on after this season.
Hasselbeck is well aware of the realities of his situation and the league in which he plays. Even if he were under contract next year, there would be no guarantees, particularly under the roster turnover-happy regime of coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider. So while he plans to enjoy every moment of his 10th playoff game as a Seahawk, he won’t spend time worrying about his future beyond this game.
“It’s great,” he said of the home playoff game. “… It’s been a long time, it’s been two years since we’ve been in the playoffs, so it’s important to be back and I’m excited about that. As we saw this year with the amount of turnover that we had you never know when your last day could be with this team, and that goes for everybody, so I’m excited.”
There was some doubt during the week if Hasselbeck would even start what could be his last game in Seattle, but Carroll cleared that up Thursday, reaffirming that Hasselbeck was his starting quarterback.
What is much murkier, however, is Hasselbeck’s future beyond this game or whichever one ends Seattle’s playoff run. Hasselbeck is 35, in the final year of his contract and is coming off of back-to-back seasons with 17 interceptions, which is a career high. Hasselbeck was good enough to win the starting job over Charlie Whitehurst and keep it all season. But at some point, the Seahawks, whether they’ll admit it or not, are rebuilding under Carroll and Schneider, and need to find their quarterback of the future.
Of course finding the quarterback of the future and re-signing Hasselbeck don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. The team could draft a quarterback and still keep Hasselbeck around if the price is right, allowing the two to compete for the job. On the other hand, if Hasselbeck commands a high price on the free agent market — despite his recent struggles, there are enough teams that need quarterbacks to make Hasselbeck a sought-after commodity — the Seahawks could move forward with Whitehurst, a rookie, and perhaps another veteran they could sign for less than Hasselbeck. There is also always the possibility of a trade. In other words, a lot can happen between now and next season, but many of the possible scenarios end with Hasselbeck wearing a different uniform in 2011.
That possibility isn’t going to be at the front of Hasselbeck’s mind this afternoon, however.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think as a football player, any time you step on the field I mean anything can happen. … That’s one thing coaches going back to my freshman football coach would say all the time, ‘Play every play like it’s your last. You never know when it’s going to be your last.’ So I think as a player you’ve done that for so long it just gets to be … I guess you can take it for granted, but that’s something that I’ve tried not to take for granted.”
Hasselbeck’s teammates, especially those who have played with him for years, certainly don’t take the quarterback for granted. Before Holmgren brought Hasselbeck to Seattle, the team made the playoffs just five times. Starting in 2003, the Seahawks made the postseason five straight years and won four consecutive NFC West titles. In 2005, one of Hasselbeck’s three Pro Bowl seasons, the Seahawks went 13-3 and advance to Super Bowl XL.
“I don’t even know how to put it into words,” said center Chris Spencer, who has been with the team since 2005. “He came here, learned under Mike Holmgren and took this team to places it had never been — Super Bowl, playoffs, division championships, things that had never been done here. Plus, the thing he does on the field, he’s in the community doing just as much. You can’t say enough about a guy like Hasselbeck.”
Safety Jordan Babineaux, who came to Seattle in 2004, adds: “He’s been here longer than I have, and I feel like I’ve been here forever. Those kind of guys who have that leadership role on and off the field, a lot of times you just overlook the value of that kind of player. I certainly appreciate him.”
That leadership came through last week even when Hasselbeck was sidelined with a hip injury. Knowing he likely wasn’t going to play, Hasselbeck decided to instead make his impact felt with a rousing pregame speech before Seattle’s NFC West division-clinching win over the Rams.
“The best part about (Sunday) night’s game was from a guy that didn’t even play,” receiver Mike Williams said. “Matt got us going in the locker room before the game. He was the only guy talking. He was the only guy giving the rah-rah speech and he didn’t play a snap. But that just to let you know what kind of leaders we have and what kind of guy he is, he definitely rallied the guys and got us going.”
Hasselbeck helped turn the Seahawks into a winning franchise, and would love to stay here and help build the team up again after two down seasons. And while he admits he would like to retire as a Seahawk, he also knows the realities of the NFL could dictate this being his last game in Seattle.
“Absolutely,” Hasselbeck said when asked if he wants to retire a Seahawk. “Who wouldn’t? This has been a great situation. I think for me the most special thing was coming here when we really weren’t a good team, it was hard to get this thing turned back around, and build something special here. So I take so much pride in that and for the opportunity that I was given. … I think that that makes it special. And for all of those reasons the Seahawks and this whole organization means a lot to me for that reason. So yeah, I think anyone in that situation would feel the same.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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