Seahawks clearly stole Jacob Hollister from the Patriots
By Geoff Shull
Career with the Patriots
His first two years in the league, Hollister played sparingly as the Patriots had star tight end Rob Gronkowski terrorizing the opposing defenses. During these two-years Hollister accumulated only 8 receptions on 16 targets for a total of 94 yards and 0 TD’s. Part of his problem with the Patriots was his inability to stay healthy, last season he missed 8 games with injuries.
Fast forward to the 2019 offseason, Gronkowski announces retirement after winning the super bowl. The Patriots are left with a gaping hole in their offensive system. They decide to load up their receiving corps. They bring in Demaryius Thomas, Dontrelle Inman while already having Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett. The receiving room seems set, the Patriots just need a blocker, which Hollister is not. They sign Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Ben Watson to fill this role.
The Patriots decide at this point that Hollister is expendable, especially given this is the last year of this contract before hitting restricted free agency. The Seahawks trade a 2020 7th round pick for the seldom used tight end.