New England Patriots

History, Common Players, and Fun Facts for Patriots-Seahawks

Published

3 days ago

September 15, 2024

The New England Patriots (1-0) host the Seattle Seahawks (1-0) on Sunday in Foxboro, Mass. Since Seattle began play as a franchise in 1976, the two teams have shared a history that includes a Super Bowl matchup, common players, a common head coach, and a trade that landed the Seahawks a Hall of Famer. For teams that have only met once in the postseason and play on opposite coasts, their history is fairly rich.

In 1993, New England (No. 1) and Seattle (No.2) held the top picks in the NFL Draft. The Patriots selected Drew Bledsoe from Washington State. Notre Dame’s Ric Mirer went second to the Seahawks. That season was the only time in Patriots history they played a non-divisional opponent, the Seahawks, twice in the regular season. Seattle won both matchups by a combined score of 23-20, but New England would get the better of the overall rivalry.

FILE--This is a July 1995 file photo of New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who ended last season by throwing four straight incompletetions in a a 20-13 playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns. Bledsoe will face Cleveland again in the Patriots season opener Sunday Sept. 3, 1995 in Foxboro, Mass. Bledsoe recently commented on how the New England Patriots will approach the development of rookie QB Drake Maye (AP Photo/Mark E. Johnson)

(AP Photo/Mark E. Johnson)

A look at the common players and coaches, head-to-head matchups, statistical leaders, and more between the Patriots and Seahawks.

Common Coaches

There is only one person to be the head coach for both the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll. He replaced Bill Parcells in New England in 1997 and remained for three seasons. The Patriots had a 27-21 regular season record under Carroll and were 1-2 in the postseason. He was fired following the 1999 season and replaced by Bill Belichick.

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After a successful run with the USC Trojans, Carroll returned to the NFL in 2010 with Seattle to replace Jim Mora, the younger. Carroll enjoyed a successful 14-year run with the Seahawks, compiling a 137-89-1 record in the regular season and 10-9 in the playoffs. His Seahawks teams reached the playoffs ten times and won five NFC West titles, two NFC Championships, and Super Bowl 48. Carroll is the winningest coach in Seattle Seahawks history.

Common Players

There have been 55 players to play for both the Patriots and Colts. This does not include tight end Pharaoh Brown, who would make 56. Brown played for New England in 2023 and is on Seattle’s 53-man roster in 2024, but has yet to appear in a game due to a foot injury.

New England Patriots tight end Pharaoh Brown

(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Longest Tenures With Both Franchises

Of the 55 common players, 22 played more than one season for both franchises.

Christian Fauria is the only player to appear in at least 60 games for both teams.

Two others played 50 or more games for both the Patriots and Seahawks: Deion Branch and Heath Evans.

Original Seahawks Who Were Patriots

Defensive end Jim White was the first player to play for both franchises. White played for the Patriots in 1973 as a rookie. He’d go on to become a member of the inaugural Seattle Seahawks squad in 1976.

One other member of the original Seahawks also played for the Patriots but did so later. Art Kuehn, a center, played for the Seahawks in 1976 and again in 1982. He played for the Patriots in 1983.

Super Bowl Champion

Brandon Browner is the only player to win a Super Bowl with both New England and Seattle. After being on the Seahawks for their lone title in Super Bowl 48, Browner joined the Patriots. He helped defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl 49 to win his second Super Bowl in two years with two different franchises.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Cassius Marsh. He joined the Seahawks after their Super Bowl win and played in Seattle for three seasons (2014-2016). He joined the Patriots in 2017, the lone year he was with the team. New England won Super Bowls in both 2016 and 2018, but not the year Marsh was on the team.

Only Player-Coach Combo

The franchises share one player-coach combination. Lawyer Milloy played under Pete Carroll in New England (1997-1999) and Seattle (2010).

Head-to-Head Meetings

There have been 19 games between the two teams over the years, with Seattle enjoying a 10-9 advantage. However, New England won their lone postseason meeting. The Patriots prevailed 28-24 in Super Bowl 49, courtesy of Malcolm Butler’s game-winning interception and Tom Brady’s MVP performance.

Six years ago, Malcolm Butler sealed Super Bowl XLIX with a goal-line interception 👀

(via @nflthrowback)pic.twitter.com/FLcCBUB1hl

— ESPN (@espn) February 1, 2021

The first time they met was on Oct. 9, 1977, at Schaefer Stadium. The Patriots prevailed 31-0. Steve Grogan threw touchdown passes to Don Hasselbeck, Russ Francis, and Darryl Stingley. Don Calhoun added a rushing touchdown, while Sam Cunningham ran for 101 yards. The defense was led by Mike Haynes and Bob Howard, who each intercepted Seattle quarterback Steve Myer twice.

New England and Seattle last met on Sept. 20, 2020, with the Seahawks winning 35-30. The game ended with Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was stopped at the 1-yard line on the final play of the game. Both quarterbacks put up huge numbers in the game. Newton passed for 397 yards, including 179 of them to Julian Edelman. Seattle’s Russell Wilson threw for five touchdowns. Devin McCourty had a pick-six for New England.

GOAL LINE STOP FOR THE WIN. #Seahawks #NEvsSEA pic.twitter.com/0DgwjGoNxw

— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2020

Trade History

Two notable players were involved in trades between the franchises.

Deion Branch was traded in 2006 to Seattle for a first-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. New England used the selection to take Brandon Meriweather at No. 21. Meriweather made two Pro Bowls with the Patriots.

Branch got traded back to New England in 2010. The Patriots gave up a fourth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, which the Seahawks used to take K.J. Wright, a Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion in Seattle.

The most impactful trade from the Seahawks’ perspective came at the 1990 NFL Draft. Seattle traded No. 8 and No. 10 overall to move up to No.3. They selected Cortez Kennedy with the third pick in the draft. Kennedy played his entire 11-year career in Seattle and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Patriots. used their picks to take linebacker Chris Singleton and defensive tackle Ray Agnew.