Seahawks release longest tenured player, Canadian punter Jon Ryan

The Seattle Seahawks released Canadian punter Jon Ryan, who had been the longest-tenured member of the team.

Ryan, from Regina, posted a lengthy goodbye to the Seahawks and their fans on social media Monday morning. “I never wanted this day to come, but knew it would someday,” Ryan wrote.

✌🏻 Seattle pic.twitter.com/z2MmbVZnHh

3:00

↑ what lands at 3 p.m. daily

3DownNation Daily

Get game analysis, stats, and more daily at 3pm

Here’s exactly what you’ll get.

One email. Every weekday at 3 p.m. Your daily CFL briefing.

• ✓ Canadian football's biggest stories
• ✓ Smart game analysis
• ✓ Every CFL transaction covered with exclusive insight

Email Address

Subscribe →

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. By signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, as well as our terms of service and privacy policy. 1900 Rose St, Regina SK S4P 0A9.

— Jon Ryan (@JonRyan9) August 20, 2018

Ryan was among the most popular Seahawks players for his skill as a punter and his personality off the field. But his time in Seattle appeared to be up when Michael Dickson was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft.

Ryan played for three head coaches in Seattle, starting with Mike Holmgren in 2008, Jim Mora in 2009 and the past eight seasons under Pete Carroll.

He was responsible for one of the most important touchdowns in franchise history, throwing a TD pass on a trick play in the 2014 NFC Championship game that helped Seattle reach its second straight Super Bowl.

Ryan’s note had a special message for Seattle fans.

“You embraced a pale-skinned, red-headed Canadian with a speech impediment and made him feel like a superstar,” Ryan wrote. “I will forever be grateful.”

-CP