No Jordy Nelson for Seahawks as he announces his retirement

The Seahawks will have to keep looking for another wide receiver, as ten-year veteran Jordy Nelson announced his retirement this week. Next up?

It’s no secret that the Seahawks may be in the market for an immediate starter at wide receiver. With questions swirling around the health of Doug Baldwin, the off-season priorities may have shifted drastically to getting a quality pass-catcher. I examined a few possibilities the other day. We can now strike one of those names of the list of potential Seahawks: Jordy Nelson.

Nelson visited the Seahawks last week, but obviously didn’t reach a deal at the time. One might assume he didn’t like what he heard from Seattle. Whether he was asked to take a (relatively) low dollar contract, or was told he simply didn’t fit into the Hawks plans, we don’t know.

What is apparent is that he must have heard some variation on this theme often enough to decide he’s done. I still think he could have been a nice addition to the team. But at this point in his career, he certainly wasn’t going to be a number two receiver. His targets dropped from the highs of 151 and 152 a few years ago to 88 in each of the last two seasons. He wasn’t at all likely to see even that many in Seattle. And so, no Nelson on the Seahawks.

Which leaves Seattle still hunting for a wide receiver.  Our Karley Silbert wrote about some of the top free agent wideouts on her personal wishlist a few weeks ago. Both Golden Tate and Adam Humphries may be gone, but Jermaine Kearse could still be a good fit for the Seahawks. With the uncertainty surrounding Baldwin’s health, the Hawks may try to land a potential number one receiver in the draft. There certainly isn’t a number one receiver available in free agency now.