Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin is unlikely to make a retirement announcement any time soon. However, Garafolo believes “we’ve seen the last of Doug Baldwin in a Seahawks’ uniform and an NFL uniform, period.”
Garafolo explains that Baldwin would half to forfeit some of the signing bonus money paid out to him if he retired at this point, which is why he’s likely to wait and force the Seahawks to eventually release him, which would allow him to claim injury protection worth around $1 million moving forward.
As for the sports hernia surgery Baldwin underwent this offseason, Garafolo mentions that this was actually a lifestyle issue for him.
Last week, Adam Schefter reported that Baldwin may not be able to continue his NFL career due to the “cumulative effect” of multiple injuries. Schefter added that there is a “real chance” that Baldwin never plays again after undergoing surgery on his groin and shoulder this offseason.
Seattle addressed the receiver position in the draft by grabbing D.K. Metcalf in the second, Gary Jennings in the fourth and John Ursua in the seventh round, so they’re clearly preparing for the possibility this is it for Baldwin.
Baldwin, 30, wound up signing on with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford back in 2011. He’s entering the fourth year of his five-year, $46,000,000 deal and set to make a base salary of $9.25 million next season.
In 2018, Baldwin appeared in 13 games for the Seahawks and caught 50 passes for 618 yards (12.4 YPC) and five touchdowns. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 24 receiver out of 117 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding Baldwin as the news is available.
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Here we go with the ASSHOLES from THE FAKE ASS NEWS MEDIA AND SPORTS WORLD with their overhyped sensationalism of WR Doug Baldwin’s situation.
There was NOT a peep last season about Doug Baldwin being finished as a player. Now! That the Seahawks drafted a couple of receivers in DK Metcalf and Gary Jennings Jr. to pair with WR Tyler Lockett. These two picks make Doug Baldwin expendable. Being that Baldwin is a 12TH MAN favorite, releasing Baldwin will cause some negative feedback with Seattle fans. But! Leave it to the ASSHOLES in the sports world to fabricate a whole other nonsensical story of accumulative injuries to derail Baldwin’s career.
The reality is the Seahawks are going in youth movement mode, while keeping the team productive and competitive. The last 2 seasons the Seahawks overhauled their secondary and defensive lines. Now! This offseason the Seahawks overhauled the WR positions and paid Russell Wilson very well. Doug Baldwin will most likely become a team release and I’m positively sure Baldwin will NOT have a problem finding employment from a new team.
Seahawks’ GM John Schneider and HC Pete Carroll are on the same page up there in the northwest. Both of them have the same vision on how the team should be built. Unlike the DINGBATS in the GMEN Franchise.