Moore: Where the Clowney deal ranks among top trades in Seahawks history

Is the trade for Jadeveon Clowney the best in Seahawks history? I asked that question Tuesday on Twitter, and it certainly merits consideration among the top trades ever made by a franchise that started in 1976.

Moore: Best-case, worst-case and middle-case scenarios of Clowney trade

Right now I’d put it fourth on the list, so here are the four best trades the Seahawks have ever pulled off.

1. Steve Largent for a 1977 eighth-round pick from the Houston Oilers (1976)

The Oilers drafted Largent with a fourth-round pick in 1976 but gave up on him after the preseason and sent him to the Seahawks, who were in their first year. Largent teamed with Jim Zorn to become an exciting QB-receiver combination that gave an otherwise bad team two fun players to watch. Largent turned into a Hall of Fame receiver.

2. Marshawn Lynch for a 2011 fourth-round pick and 2012 fifth-round pick from the Buffalo Bills (2010)

Beast Mode really took off in Seattle and appears to be a Hall of Fame candidate now. Lynch gave coach Pete Carroll the punishing back he wanted in a physical running game that set the tone for two Super Bowl appearances and Seattle’s only championship to date.

3. Matt Hasselbeck and the Packers’ 17th overall pick for the Seahawks’ 10th overall pick and a third-round pick (2001)

Hasselbeck became the best quarterback in franchise history (until Russell Wilson arrived), leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005. But the bigger bonus came with the 17th pick, which Seattle used to select future Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson. With the picks the Packers got from the Seahawks, Green Bay selected defensive end Jamal Reynolds from Florida State (10th overall) and linebacker Torrance Marshall from Oklahoma (72nd overall), neither of whom had a standout NFL career.

4. Jadeveon Clowney from the Texans for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round draft pick (2019)

If Clowney signs a long-term extension after the season and becomes one of the elite pass-rushers in the league for years to come, this trade could move up in the standings. For now it still rates highly because of what little the Seahawks had to give up to get him. Even as a one-year rental, if Clowney helps the Seahawks return to the Super Bowl it will be worth the short-term investment.

More on the Seahawks’ addition of DE Jadeveon Clowney

• O’Neil: If Seahawks were the Titanic, why is Clowney happy to be here?
• How long had Seahawks GM John Schneider been trying to get Clowney?
• Clayton: Clowney trade sets Seahawks up to challenge Rams in NFC West