Seahawks sign Doug Baldwin to 4-year contract extension
By Dan Viens
The Seattle Seahawks have signed WR Doug Baldwin to a lucrative 4-year contract extension.
Doug Baldwin’s bank account is now nearly the same size as the chip on his shoulder he plays with.
Gee Scott of 710 ESPN Radio in Seattle was the first to break today’s news.
Sources close to @DougBaldwinJr tell me he's reached a new deal with the @Seahawks.. @710ESPNSeattle
— Gee Scott Sr. (@GeeScottSr) June 28, 2016
It didn’t take long after that for details to come pouring in.
Seahawks signed WR Doug Baldwin to a four-year extension, per source. Now under contract through 2020.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 28, 2016
Seahawks' WR Doug Baldwin's new four-year extension with Seattle is worth north of $11 million per year, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 28, 2016
Doug Baldwin and Seahawks finalizing contract extension, as @TheGeeScott said. Source says it averages $11.5m per year.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 28, 2016
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The latest reports peg the deal as 4 years, $46 million with $24 guaranteed.
Five years ago Baldwin was an afterthought coming out of Stanford. 28 wide receivers were drafted that year. A.J. Green (4th pick overall) and Julio Jones (6th) have done OK for themselves, but other names such as Johnathan Baldwin, Titus Young, and Greg Little have accomplished nothing in the league while Baldwin has ascended from UDFA….to Pro Bowler to…having the 7th highest annual WR salary in the entire NFL. The guarantees would rank 6th, behind Jones, Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, A.J. Green and Vincent Jackson.
That’s some seriously rarefied air.
It’s been a steady climb for Baldwin, as his production and role has increased just about every year since he joined the Hawks. But 2015 was a breakout year in which he hauled in 78 catches for 1069 yards and a league-leading 14 TD’s.
When the Jacksonville Jaguars handed 2014 UDFA WR Allen Hurns a new deal worth $11 million annually this off season, you knew that set the bar for the more accomplished Baldwin.
To his credit, Baldwin handled the negotiations with the team privately, always expressing confidence a new deal would get done. And just minutes before Scott broke the story today, this cryptic text from Baldwin may have summed it all up perfectly.
https://twitter.com/DougBaldwinJr/status/747931963156160512
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And now Baldwin is rich, handsomely rewarded for his production. Meanwhile, the Seahawks succeed once again in keeping one of their homegrown core players under contract long-term.