While players were getting their NFL starts in the draft on Friday night, word came that one veteran member of the Seahawks might have played his final snap.
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin has had knee, shoulder and sports hernia surgeries this offseason and a report indicated he may retire from the game as a result of the accumulated injuries. General Manager John Schneider confirmed Baldwin is “considering” retirement in a Friday night press conference and said “there’s a process to go through” before a final call is made.
“He has been an extraordinary part of this program since we’ve been here,” head coach Pete Carroll said, via Curtis Crabtree of PFT and KJR. “He has given us everything he has had, been a great competitor, player and all that. We believe in him so much and trust in him so much that wherever this goes, we’re going to support him forever. He’s been a great contributor in so many ways, not just on the team, in the community and everything else. He’s been awesome. We’ll see what happens. He’s working through it and we’re going to follow Doug on this one.”
There are cap implications to Baldwin’s ultimate decision and different ways to deal with the fallout, which Schneider acknowledged while repeating that everything remains under consideration as Baldwin goes through the process of figuring out his next steps.