Russell Wilson Named 2018 Steve Largent Award Winner

For the second time in his career, Russell Wilson was voted the team's Steve Largent Award winner by his teammates.

Dec 10, 2018 at 05:09 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

Russell Wilson is having one of the best seasons of his career, but his importance to the team goes beyond the impressive numbers he has put up through 12 games.

With the Seahawks undergoing significant roster turnover in the offseason, the leadership of veterans like Wilson has been more important than ever this year in helping a young team develop into a playoff contender.

As a result, Wilson was named the Seahawks' 2018 Steve Largent Award winner prior to Monday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Largent Award, which is voted on by Seahawks players, is given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks. The award was first handed out in 1989 to its Hall of Fame namesake, who was on hand to present the award to Wilson Monday.

Off the field, Wilson has once again gone above and beyond, be it through his weekly visits to Seattle Children's Hospital or through the work his Why Not You Foundation does to "empower change in the world, one individual and one child at a time." Through events held by his foundation and from donations collected at local Safeway and Albertsons stores, the Why Not You Foundation has donated more than $4 million to Seattle Children's Strong Against Cancer initiative to fund immunotherapy treatment over the last two years, including more than $2.4 million this year.

On the field, Wilson is putting up some of the best numbers of his career to help the Seahawks contend for a playoff spot, throwing 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions through 12 games. His 115.5 passer rating, 8.3 yards-per-attempt average and 8.9-percent touchdown percentage are all career bests, while his 66.6-percent completion percentage is the second-best mark of his career.

"To be the Steve Largent winner, I was able to see him before the game, pregame and everything else, and I just told him how much he's meant to the Seahawks and just how much he's meant to me and just being around him when I get the chance to," Wilson said of winning the award following his team's 21-7 win over the Vikings. "He's a Hall of Famer, he's a guy that's really well-respected and everything else. To win that award, that's one of the coolest things. To be able to win because of my teammates and how much they mean to me and how much I love coming to work every day and working with those guys, it's truly a pleasure. It's the greatest gift you can ask for in terms of playing in professional sports and being a great group of guys. I'm really grateful for that, God is good and I just thank Him every day for that."

Wilson, who also won the award as a rookie in 2012, is just the third Seahawks player to win the award multiple times, joining Kam Chancellor, who won it in 2014 and 2016, and Mack Strong, who won it five times in six years from 2001 to 2006.

Here is the full list of Steve Largent Award winners: