Seahawks almost had to realize a 2020 without Tyler Lockett

Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett thought about opting-out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Tyler Lockett has a heart abnormality. His aorta is on the wrong side. This would have been an excellent reason for the Seahawks receiver to opt-out of playing in 2020 with health concerns surrounding COVID-19. But Lockett thought about the Seahawks coaches and decided to play this year.

As Lockett told ESPN’s Brady Henderson

"I know that we’ve got (head coach) Pete Carroll, we’ve got a lot of older coaches. (The coaches) don’t want to put themselves in a situation to get sick neither, so I told myself if they could do it then I know I could do it."

And for the Seahawks’ sake, having Lockett on the field makes the team a lot better. The receiver set career-highs for receptions (82) and yards caught (1,057) in 2019 and there is no reason to think he will be worse this coming season. Lockett is a smart and fast player who knows how to get open.

Tyler Lockett the leader

But Lockett is also a leader in the locker room, helping young teammates figure out what it is like to be a professional football player. How much better, for instance, is D.K. Metcalf for having Tyler Lockett to help him through his rookie year?

Lockett and Metcalf form one of the best receiving duos in the NFL. Without Lockett, Metcalf cannot be as good as he would have a lot more attention on him. Lockett is a versatile player and a very good one.

Still, Lockett opting-out would have been understandable. He had a cousin get sick from COVID-19. The cousin lived with Lockett in Seattle this year. Lockett also has family members who have to deal with asthma. He could have thought it is better to be safe than play football.

Thankfully for football fans, at least, Tyler Lockett is going to be on the field for the Seahawks in 2020. And in 2021 and beyond. By the time Tyler Lockett is done playing in Seattle, he will likely have been one of the most productive receivers in Seahawks history.