20 Most Interesting Seahawks: #17 Jermaine Kearse

After sitting on the free agent market with little to no takers, Jermaine Kearse returned to the Seahawks on a 3 year, $13 million deal. To say Kearse was a disappointment in 2016 might be an understatement.

Kearse never has, and never will put up flashy numbers. The best way to describe Kearse’s role to the Seahawks is to say that he has to take care of all the dirty work to help the receivers shine. It is his job to set the picks, run the backside combo routes, and block on the screens to help Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin get open.

It is a thankless job for fans, but an important one inside the organization. Other Seahawks go out of their way to praise Kearse, and the Seahawks thought him so important, they basically guaranteed two years in his three-year deal.

These minute details are difficult to see on television, but they become obvious when they are done poorly. Kearse lead the league in offensive pass interference, mostly on “pick” plays. While the fans might not care about all the dirty work, the Seahawks do.

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However; the Seahawks appeared to believe that Kearse was not playing up to their standard in 2016. Towards the end of the season, he lost his starting spot to Tyler Lockett. Lockett was lost for the season just one week later, and Kearse was still unable to regain his spot, this time losing snaps to Paul Richardson.

The team also went out and drafted Amara Darboh, a wide receiver from Michigan, whose profile is eerily similar to Kearse. Darboh has experience in all the minor skills that Kearse poses. All of these actions point to a Seahawks team that is preparing for life without Jermaine Kearse.

Next: Will Tyler Lockett Pick Up Where he Left Off?

It is unlikely that Kearse will be a veteran release in training camp, as there is little to no cap relief if they cut him. If Kearse wants to remain a Seahawk beyond the 2017 season, he will need to show more than he did in 2016.