In the middle of the NFL Draft, a bombshell was dropped on Seattle Seahawks fans. One of the most popular players on their team, Doug Baldwin, may never be able to play again.
During the NFL Draft, we seek the Twitter account of ESPN’s Adam Schefter because he has the scoop on potential trades and players reaction to certain picks. However, he broke much more somber news tied to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin on Friday night.
It was no surprise that Baldwin was dealing with a ton of injuries, but ending his career? That was a shock to us all. He’s already had a knee and shoulder procedure, and the Seattle Times reports he was on pace for even more surgeries.
Baldwin had at least six different injuries in 2018. Despite that, he still played 13 games, caught 50 balls from Russell Wilson and hit paydirt five times. He even showed that he still has game-breaking ability with his 126-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs towards the end of December.
This is a huge blow to the Seahawks, who took speedster D.K. Metcalf in the NFL Draft on Friday night. This might be why the Seahawks had to go receiver with the pick because Baldwin may never play again.
If this is it for Baldwin, it’s been a great career. He’s been in the league for eight seasons, caught close to 500 passes for more than 6,500 yards. He scored 49 touchdowns over his massively underrated career.
Another reason why we’re so blindsided by this is Baldwin has been remarkably durable throughout his career. Including this season, where he missed three games, he’s missed a total of five games total. He played 16 games in six of his eight seasons. He spent every snap as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
This could really hurt Seattle with the salary cap. Baldwin is set to make more than $13 million this season. He’s still got more than $6 million in dead cap money, and the injury guarantees could kick in. They may not have the space to replace him.
Now, the Seahawks will be without Wilson’s most reliable receiver as he begins life under the NFL’s most lucrative contract. This is one of the final pieces to end their time in Seattle that was a main cog in the team’s championship season. Baldwin will be missed in NFL circles, but will be especially missed by the 12s and the rest of his team.