Jones was drafted by the Seahawks in the first round with the sixth overall pick in the
1997 NFL draft. He started every game in which he played, beginning with his rookie season. Jones was a member of the 2005 Seahawks team that lost
Super Bowl XL to the
Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2006, Jones topped the list of the 101 best NFL players by the Sporting News. Jones was a nine-time
Pro Bowl selection and seven-time
All-Pro. Jones was perhaps the best at his position in the NFL during the early part of the decade, exemplified by being voted to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. From 1998 through 2000, he helped
Ricky Watters achieve three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Seahawks and, later, paved the way for
Shaun Alexander's NFL record-setting success. Jones was recognized by
John Madden as the best player in the NFL in 2004 in a broadcast. Madden recognized Jones in numerous broadcasts as the best left tackle in the NFL and possibly one of the best of all time. Seahawks coach
Mike Holmgren has called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached. On Thanksgiving 2008, Jones succumbed to a knee injury playing against the Cowboys in his 180th and final game. The injury required microfracture surgery to repair and immediately ended his season. Jones tried to play again in 2009 but was unsuccessful. On October 28, 2009, Jones was placed on injured reserve by the Seahawks. In a press conference the same day, Jones stated his intention to play in 2010. On April 29, 2010, Jones announced on his Twitter account that he would retire. The Seahawks announced the retirement of his number, 71, and governor
Christine Gregoire declared April 30 to be "Walter Jones Day" in the state of
Washington. On December 5, 2010, in a game versus the Carolina Panthers, in front of a crowd of over 66,000, the Seahawks honored the career of Jones by retiring his #71 jersey. This was only the second player number (#80
Steve Largent was the first) to be retired by the Seahawks (they have also retired #12 in honor of the
fans). On January 8, 2011, Jones lifted the 12th Man flag at Qwest Field before the Seahawks' wild card matchup against the
New Orleans Saints. The 7–9 Seahawks went on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Saints
41–36. On February 2, 2014, Jones served as the Seahawks' honorary captain at
Super Bowl XLVIII at
MetLife Stadium in
East Rutherford, New Jersey, prior to their 43–8 victory over the Broncos. This coincided with his election onto the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also helped former
Giant and fellow Hall of Famer
Michael Strahan toss the coin to end the pregame ceremonies. ==References==