Seahawks Release Doug Baldwin Jr. After Failed Physical

The rumors have been swirling this past offseason that Doug Baldwin’s injuries may be too much to overcome, and he may retire before embarking on another NFL season. While he hasn’t retired yet, Seattle made one thing official on Thursday: Russell Wilson’s prime target won’t be back with the Seahawks. The team has released Baldwin and Kam Chancellor as a result of their failed physicals.

Baldwin was a huge part of the team’s offense last year despite clearly hurting. He was one of the only reliable pass-catching option for Wilson, and the pair of them nearly dragged Seattle to the playoffs when no one expected them to. Wilson is now left with Tyler Lockett as his only reliable wideout for the upcoming season.

He helped establish the brief run of dominance that Seattle had with their Legion of Boom, and will be remembered fondly by Seahawks fans. He was always good for one crazy catch a game, and carved out a career by being tougher and playing harder than anyone around him. Sadly, this may be the end for Baldwin. With his growing list of injuries (knee, shoulder, groin, etc), it was only a matter of time before he decided to hang them up. This may just force that decision to come sooner than any of us thought.

If it is indeed curtains for Baldwin, he’ll finish his career with 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns in 123 career games. He has a Super Bowl ring and two Pro Bowl selections, as well as the well-earned admiration of this generation of Seahawks fans. Not bad for an undrafted free agent out of Stanford.