Seattle Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin considering retirement
Sunday 28 April 2019 11:31, UK
Seattle Seahawks John Schneider has confirmed wide receiver Doug Baldwin is considering retirement from the NFL.
Baldwin has been forced to undergo three separate surgeries since the end of last season on his knee, his shoulder and most recently for a sports hernia.
"We know Doug is going to have a hard time," Schneider said. "There is a process we need to go through with Doug."
Baldwin has scored 49 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Seahawks since being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2011.
The 30-year-old led the NFL in touchdown catches in 2015 with 14 and was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2016 and 2017. He also helped Seattle win Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos.
Head coach Pete Carroll says it is up to Baldwin to decide if the time is right for him to retire.
"He has been an extraordinary part pf this programme since we have been here," Carroll said. "He has given us everything he has had. He is a great competitor.
"We believe in him so much and trust in him so much that wherever this goes, we are going to support him forever.
"He has been a great contributor in so many ways - not just on the team but in the community as well.
"So we'll see what happens. We are going to follow Doug on this one."
The Seahawks took steps to prepare for Baldwin's potential retirement by drafting three wide receivers in the 2019 draft.
They selected D.K. Metcalf out of Ole Miss at the end of the second round, West Virginia's Gary Jennings in the fourth and Hawaii's John Ursua in the seventh.
The Seahawks also have Tyler Lockett, David Moore and Jaron Brown at the position.
