Receiver Jermaine Kearse not returning to Seahawks?

Published 3:08 pm Thursday, March 3, 2016

One of the Seahawks’ seven starters who are unrestricted free agents is receiver Jermaine Kearse. Kearse had 49 catches for 685 yards last season, putting him third on the team in receptions and second in receiving yardage.

There was some speculation the four-year veteran may be willing to take a discount to stay with the Seahawks, considering he hails from Lakewood (near Tacoma) and attended the University of Washington. However, he said following the season he didn’t intend to take a hometown discount, and then this was tweeted out by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday:

Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse reiterated Thursday that he does not plan to return to Seattle and is looking forward to finding a new home.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2016

While this constitutes no certainty, it has the ring of truth. Seattle doesn’t have a lot of room under the salary cap to re-sign its free agents or sign other teams’ free agents, and it’s likely Kearse will command a dollar amount that’s out of the Seahawks’ price range. Seattle also found something good in rookie receiver Tyler Lockett, who demonstrated he’s capable of taking on a larger role.

Unrestricted free agents can begin negotiating with other teams beginning Monday, and teams can begin signing free agents next Wednesday.