It is with sadness that the Seattle Seahawks announce the retirement of Mr. Seahawk himself, Richard "The Hawk" Bradford. Named as a team captain as a rookie, he led the leagues stoutest defense his entire 11 year career. He is a surefire 1st ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Bradford was a homegrown star playing his college ball at the University of Washington where he helped the Huskies defeat Alabama in the 2022 National Championship. He was named the game's MVP as he caused and recovered a Tide fumble on Washington's 1, when Alabama was threatening to take the lead right before the half. Then on the opening play of the 2nd half he had a 36 yard pick-six to put Washington up 7-0, and the Huskies went on to win their third national title in school history by a final of 10-0.
A 3-time All America, 2-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the year, he won the Thorpe Award as a Junior, finished 2nd in the Heisman Voting and declared for the draft. His #36 is scheduled to be retired this coming season at Washington. Surely his #36 will also be retired by the Seahawks.
Bradford went on to be the overall #1 pick in the draft by Seattle and he more than lived up to that esteemed honor. He had a 96 rating at the draft but an incredible training camp had him as a 100!! From the first snap at rookie camp, Seattle knew Bradford was special and he didn't disappoint as he went on to be named Defensive Rookie of the year and that was just the beginning.
The Hawk made the Pro Bowl his first 10 seasons, being 1st team All Pro on 9 separate occasions. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the year twice, and the AFC Defensive Player of the Year 4 times. He was named to the All-Decade Team in 2030.
Hawk's career was legendary as Seattle won their division all 11 seasons, compiling an impressive160-16 regular season record. During his career Seattle won 5 Super Bowls and The Hawk was named the MVP of the 2027 Super Bowl.
To cap off his Hall of Fame career in the NFL, he was named the 2033 Walter Payton Man of the Year for his work with youth in the community.
Bradford's only comment on his retirement was short but sweet; "Thank you to everyone who gave me the opportunity to make a difference in so many ways. I'll miss the game, but the Lord has a new chapter for me, and I can't wait to see it unfold. God bless you all!"
