Written by John Boyle at Seahawks.com
Doug Baldwin signed a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks Tuesday to keep Baldwin in Seattle long-term following one of the best seasons by a receiver in franchise history.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had expressed optimism during the team’s minicamp two weeks ago that a deal could get done soon with Baldwin, who was heading into the final season of a multi-year deal he signed before the 2014 season.
“It is a big deal,” Carroll said of keeping Baldwin long-term. “… He’s done an incredible job for us and been a great, great teammate. And hopefully, eventually we’ll get something worked out. I hope it happens. The intent is to get him signed and secured for a good while.”
Baldwin, who signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2011, not only won a roster spot that year, but went on to lead the Seahawks in receptions and receiving yards as a rookie. After establishing himself as a starter and the team’s most consistent receiver over the past few years, Baldwin enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, setting career highs with 78 receptions for 1,069 yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition to setting a franchise record with that touchdown total—which also was tied for most in the NFL—Baldwin also became the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2007 and he became just the third Seahawks receiver, along with Steve Largent and Joey Galloway, to have 1,000-plus receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in the same season.
Baldwin, who was No. 72 on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2016 list, was a big part of the strong finish to the 2015 season for the Seahawks and the passing game in particular. Baldwin finished the season with 11 touchdown catches over the final six games, including a stretch of 10 touchdowns in four games, a feat that had previously only been accomplished by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Baldwin also joined Cris Carter and Calvin Johnson as the only receivers since 1960 to have multiple touchdown catches in four consecutive games.
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