Do the Seattle Seahawks have a secret weapon in their offense? For those faithful watchers of Seattle football it may not be much of a secret, but the rest of the country may not be aware of what tight end AJ Barner represents. To ESPN ****** yst Benjamin Solak, Barner could very well be on his way to being one of the very best at his position in the entire NFL. Solak even went as far as to directly compare him to one of the standard bearers of tight ends: the San Francisco 49ers' own George Kittle.
Normally, calling someone or something a "discount" when compared to something else, it's often used as a negative. However in this context, I think the 12th Man is fine with the definition. I know general manager John Schneider certainly is, since Barner's on the third year of his rookie deal which will pay him just north of $1 million dollars. Compared to Kittle who will count for more than $14 million against San Francisco's cap? Yeah, discount is a positive here.
Financials aside, the comparison between Barner and Kittle is an interesting one. Both are of a similar build, with Barner being two inches taller. Both are physical players who aren't afraid to throw down some blocks in the run game, as Barner was actually drafted as a blocking tight end. Actually, at the time he was drafted, we at Seahawks Wire reported there were those who believed he had untapped potential as a receiving threat. Boy, did those takes age well!
Barner may not have yardage totals that blow anyone away (245 and 519 in each of his first two years, respectively) but his impact is found in the end zone. Through his two years in the league, Barner has scored 10 touchdowns in the regular season, and even had the only offensive one in the Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots.
Barner's increase in production from years one to two, as well as becoming a clear security blanket for quarterback Sam Darnold, bode well for his ascension in this league. I would not be surprised at all if I see more No. 88 jerseys around Lumen Field next season.
Normally, calling someone or something a "discount" when compared to something else, it's often used as a negative. However in this context, I think the 12th Man is fine with the definition. I know general manager John Schneider certainly is, since Barner's on the third year of his rookie deal which will pay him just north of $1 million dollars. Compared to Kittle who will count for more than $14 million against San Francisco's cap? Yeah, discount is a positive here.
Financials aside, the comparison between Barner and Kittle is an interesting one. Both are of a similar build, with Barner being two inches taller. Both are physical players who aren't afraid to throw down some blocks in the run game, as Barner was actually drafted as a blocking tight end. Actually, at the time he was drafted, we at Seahawks Wire reported there were those who believed he had untapped potential as a receiving threat. Boy, did those takes age well!
Barner may not have yardage totals that blow anyone away (245 and 519 in each of his first two years, respectively) but his impact is found in the end zone. Through his two years in the league, Barner has scored 10 touchdowns in the regular season, and even had the only offensive one in the Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots.
Barner's increase in production from years one to two, as well as becoming a clear security blanket for quarterback Sam Darnold, bode well for his ascension in this league. I would not be surprised at all if I see more No. 88 jerseys around Lumen Field next season.
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