He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft.

In 2005, Stevens became a regular starter at tight end for the Seattle Seahawks and played in Super Bowl XL.

As a senior, he earned first-team All-Narrows League and was named to The Olympian's All-Area team as a safety.

[1] During his senior year, he and another student were accused of beating a schoolmate over his head with a baseball bat and stomping on his face on June 2, 1998.

[3] Because he tested positive for cannabis during home detention, Stevens spent three weeks in Thurston County jail.

[4] As a result of a plea deal, Stevens was convicted of misdemeanor assault and received credit for time served.

[10][11] Stevens was selected by his hometown Seattle Seahawks as their first-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft; he was the 28th player taken overall.

[15] On November 24, in a 39–32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Stevens made his first touchdown catch as a professional.

[18] Before Super Bowl XL, Stevens said in a February 2, 2006 interview, "The story of Jerome Bettis returning to his hometown (Detroit) is heartwarming, but it's going be a sad day when he doesn't walk away with that trophy."

[21] Art Shell, the Raiders coach, said in an interview that Stevens was the instigator, and had tried to knee Brayton earlier.

However Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks coach, responded by saying that Stevens was not attempting to strike Brayton, but was struggling for leverage which caused his leg to flare out.

[22] On March 20, 2007, Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell confirmed that Stevens' days with the Seahawks were done.

[23] This move was widely expected, as only hours after Stevens' arrest on March 13, the Seahawks signed veteran Marcus Pollard, giving them four tight ends.

[26] However, the NFL suspended Stevens for one game without pay on December 11 for a violation of league substance abuse policy.