The Seattle Seahawks released wide receiver Tyler Lockett this past offseason. He spent 10 seasons with the team, becoming one of the most productive wideouts in team history. Maybe even more importantly, he was a fantastic human being, and will continue to be.
What he won't continue to be is a receiver with the Tennessee Titans. He asked for, and was granted, his release after Week 7. The Seahawks were unlikely to sign Lockett because he wouldn't have been a good fit under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system. 12s might have wanted him back, but it didn't make much sense for him to return.
What did make sense was to do something many former Seattle players have done this past year and join the Las Vegas Raiders. Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was hired as the coach of Vegas this past offseason, and 12s know how loyal Carroll can be.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett signs with the Las Vegas Raiders
Since he joined the team, the Raiders have traded for former Seattle QB1 Geno Smith, and signed offensive lineman Stone Forsythe, linebacker Jon Rhattigan, safety-turned-linebacker Jama Adams, and, yes, have now added Tyler Lockett, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Will Lockett have more success with Vegas than he had in Tennessee? Maybe only slightly.
The Titans are starting a rookie quarterback, Cam Ward, with no built-in rapport with Lockett. He only had 10 catches for 70 yards in seven games.
With the Raiders, he will be joining a head coach who knows how to use him best and a quarterback who does, too. Geno Smith might have preferred to throw to DK Metcalf the last couple of seasons with the Seahawks, but he certainly wasn't adverse to going to Lockett.
Plus, maybe what Smith needs, as he is off to a terrible start with Vegas (throwing seven touchdown passes but also a league-leading 10 interceptions), is tossing underneath passes to a receiver he knows he can trust. Lockett might not be as fast as he once was, and he isn't big, but he is sure-handed.
Or potentially the worst outcome occurs. Las Vegas is only 2-5 to begin the year, and with little hope of improving. A scenario exists in which Carroll is fired after one season, Lockett retires, and Geno Smith is pushed to being an expensive backup. That would be a brutal end for so many former Seattle Seahawks.