Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and was selected in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. After a season on the practice squad and two seasons backing up Brett Favre, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2001, where he spent the majority of his career. Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances, including the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance during the 2005 season. He was selected to three Pro Bowls in his career. Hasselbeck also played for the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. He is a former analyst for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown.
In 2024, Hasselbeck was hired by The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee to serve as the offensive coordinator of the high school’s football team, led by his brother and head Ensworth football coach Tim Hasselbeck.
Contents
Early life
Hasselbeck is the son of Mary Beth "Betsy" (Rueve) and Don Hasselbeck, a former New England Patriots tight end.
Matt and his younger brothers Tim and Nathanael grew up in Norfolk, Massachusetts, and attended Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood.
He was selected as an honorable mention All-American by USA Today as a high school senior.
College career
Hasselbeck attended Boston College near his family's hometown. He played for the Boston College Eagles football team from 1994 to 1997, including two years with his younger brother Tim. Hasselbeck finished his college career as the starting quarterback (a position his brother Tim would later hold with the Eagles). Matt had career totals of 4,548 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. He graduated with a degree in marketing.
Professional career
Green Bay Packers
Hasselbeck was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 1998 NFL draft. He joined the team's practice squad in 1998 and was the backup for starting quarterback Brett Favre for the 1999 and 2000 NFL seasons. In Week 15 of the 1999 season, he threw his first professional touchdown on a nine-yard pass to Jeff Thomason in the 24–20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He had his first meaningful action in Week 11 of the 2000 season. He went 9-of-18 for 93 yards and a touchdown in a 20–15 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Seattle Seahawks
Hasselbeck joined former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks on March 2, 2001. The Packers traded him, along with their first draft pick (17th overall), to the Seahawks for their first (10th overall) and third-round draft picks (72nd overall).
In his early years in Seattle, Hasselbeck battled for playing time with Trent Dilfer. He started all 13 games he appeared in during the 2001 season. He passed for 2,023 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
In Week 12 of the 2002 season, against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hasselbeck had 362 yards and three touchdowns in the 39–32 win. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 12. In Week 13, he had 427 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 31–24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 17, he passed for 449 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown. in a 31–28 road overtime win against the San Diego Chargers. He finished the 2002 season with 3,075 yards, 15 touchdowns, and ten interceptions.
After a strong finish in 2002, Hasselbeck entered 2003 as the unquestioned starter. In Week 12, he had 333 yards and five touchdowns in a road overtime 44–41 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Hasselbeck started all 16 games, leading Seattle to a 10–6 record for the first time since 1988 and a Wild Card berth. He also was selected to the Pro Bowl. The 2003 NFC Wild Card Game against the Green Bay Packers went into overtime where, at the overtime coin toss, Hasselbeck famously said "we want the ball and we're going to score". During the second overtime possession for the Seahawks, Hasselbeck threw an interception to Packers defensive back Al Harris which was returned 52 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. It gave Green Bay a 33–27 overtime victory.
In 2004, Hasselbeck won the 2004 NFL Quarterback Challenge. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. He passed for 3,382 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown in the 2004 season. He led Seattle to their first NFC West title since conference realignment in 2002.
In 2005, Hasselbeck had one of his most productive career performances, earning the highest passer rating in the NFC, and leading the Seahawks to the playoffs for the third consecutive year while clinching the NFC's top seed. In the 2005 season, he had 3,459 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown. He led the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL, in which they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was the starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2006 Pro Bowl.
Tennessee Titans
On July 29, 2011, Hasselbeck signed a three-year, $21 million deal to play for the Tennessee Titans. He was recruited by Mike Reinfeldt, the former vice president of football administration for the Seahawks and current executive vice president and the chief operating officer for the Titans, who was part of the team for four of Hasselbeck's five NFC West division championships and Super Bowl appearance. Hasselbeck was targeted by the Titans, who were looking for a veteran quarterback to help lead the team to wins while also mentoring first-round draft pick Jake Locker. The Titans finished 2011 with a 9–7 record, narrowly missing out on the final playoff berth due to losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. He finished the 2011 season with 3,571 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Hasselbeck's first action in the 2012 season came in Week 1 against the New England Patriots after Locker left early in the game with a shoulder injury. Hasselbeck started the next four weeks while Locker healed, finishing 2–2 in those starts; his victories were at home against Pittsburgh (the first Titans win over Pittsburgh since 2008) and at Buffalo, winning on a last-minute touchdown to Nate Washington. The Titans went 6–10 on the season. He finished with 1,367 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions in eight games.
On March 18, 2013, Hasselbeck was released by the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts
On March 19, 2013, the Indianapolis Colts signed Hasselbeck to a two-year deal worth up to $7.25 million. He beat Chandler Harnish to win the backup job for the 2013 season. Backing up Andrew Luck, Hasselbeck saw little playing time during his first two years but mentored the budding star. In 2013, Hasselbeck attempted only 12 passes, completing seven for 130 yards and one interception. The following season, Hasselbeck appeared in only four games but led two touchdown drives, one during a blowout loss against the Dallas Cowboys and another during garbage time in the season finale against division rival (and former team) the Tennessee Titans.
On February 26, 2015, Hasselbeck signed a one-year contract to remain with the Colts.
Hasselbeck made his first start with the Colts on October 4, 2015, filling in for the injured Luck. He led the Colts to an overtime win, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 16–13. After a short week that included Hasselbeck being ill from a bacterial infection and having virtually no practice time, he was once again called upon to play for Luck. He became only the second 40-year-old NFL quarterback to win back-to-back games, when he engineered a 27–20 win over the Houston Texans on October 8, 2015. Over those two starts, he completed 48 of 76 passes for three touchdowns and no turnovers, compiling a 2–0 record as starter.
On November 22, 2015, Hasselbeck started his third game for the Colts, as Luck suffered a kidney injury that would ultimately take him out for the remainder of the season. He passed for 213 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Falcons. The win kept Indianapolis in the lead of the AFC South division and improved them to a 5–5 record. The following week, the Colts took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were on a four-game winning streak. Hasselbeck led the team to a 25–12 win, passing for 315 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which led to a passer rating of 100.8. Hasselbeck led the Colts to a 6–5 record with a 4–0 record as starter at the age of 40, and was the first quarterback in NFL history to do so. However, injuries began to take their toll on the aging quarterback, and Hasselbeck's play would begin to deteriorate as the Colts lost three straight games. Hasselbeck won the final start of his career, an 18–12 win over the Miami Dolphins, thanks in large part to Frank Gore's two rushing touchdowns. He and backup Charlie Whitehurst were unable to play the season finale due to injury; to take their place the Colts signed Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley, who subsequently split time in a 30–24 win over the Titans. Overall, Hasselbeck was responsible for five of the Colts' eight wins over the season, despite only starting eight games.
Retirement
On February 28, 2016, it was reported that Hasselbeck would not return to the Colts. On March 9, 2016, Hasselbeck announced his retirement from professional football, and that he would join his brother Tim and become an analyst for ESPN, replacing Mike Ditka on Sunday NFL Countdown. Hasselbeck signed a one-day contract with the Seattle Seahawks to officially retire as part of their organization.
Hasselbeck was laid off with other ESPN analysts on July 30, 2023.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards and honors
3× Pro Bowl (2003, 2005, 2007)
NFC champion (2005)
Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award (1997)
Steve Largent Award (2009)
Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary team
Seattle Seahawks Top 50 players
Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor
NFC Offensive Player of the Month (December 2004)
2× NFC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 12, 2002; Week 5, 2005)
Seahawks franchise records
Most pass completions, game – 39 (vs Detroit, November 8, 2009)
Most passing touchdowns, game (tied with three players): 5
Most 4th quarter comeback wins in a single season – 4 (2006) (tied with Russell Wilson and Dave Krieg)
Most game-winning drives in a single season – 5 (2006) (tied with Russell Wilson and Dave Krieg)
Most consecutive passes without an interception – 109 (2004–05)
Most touchdown passes in a single game – 4 (January 8, 2011, vs. Saints)
Personal life
Hasselbeck is married to Sarah Egnaczyk. They met at age 17. Sarah was an athlete at Boston College, playing with the field hockey team. Together they live in Weston, Massachusetts, and have two daughters, Annabelle (born 2001) and Mallory (born 2003), and one son, Henry (born 2005). Annabelle and Mallory both play women's lacrosse at Boston College, while Henry is a quarterback who currently plays for Appalachian State.
Matt and his wife have both been struck by lightning. Matt was struck in 1996.
He is a born again Christian and participates in online Bible studies with former teammates and current players.
He is the brother-in-law of television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is married to his younger brother Tim. Tim also played quarterback at Boston College and in the NFL. He now works for ESPN.
Hasselbeck was inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor on October 25, 2021.