Doug Baldwin, an undrafted, sub-6 foot, 27-year-old wide receiver incredibly signed his third NFL contract on Tuesday, this time making him one of the seven highest-paid receivers in football and one of the three highest-paid Seahawks.
Baldwin had a career season in 2015, catching 78 passes for 1,069 yards and an NFL-leading 14 touchdowns. But as he detailed in a lengthy Facebook post following the completion of his deal, it hasn't always been this easy.
*"It was 2011. I was sitting by myself at a small Mexican restaurant across the street from the Stanford campus. The draft had just ended and my name wasn't called. I sat in my chair unable to move as if my heart had just been ripped out of my chest. I've been playing football since I was 7 years old and, in that moment, it seemed like it was all coming to an end. I humbled myself and waited out the lockout for one last shot at my dream. *
*"Then ... Seattle called and they wanted me. That was almost 5 years ago. This is now. I'm thankful and blessed to formally announce my 4 year extension with the Seattle Seahawks. It's been a long road to this point and I couldn't have accomplished this milestone without the guidance and support of my Mother, Cindy and the rest of my family; My best friend and fiancé, Tara; My mentor and agent Buddy Baker; and my amazing past and present teammates. *
"Thank you to Paul Allen, John Schneider, Matt Thomas and Pete Carroll for believing in me and giving me a chance to prove and earn my worth. To the greatest fans in the world, thank you for your unwavering support. I get 4 more years of being a servant leader to the greatest teammates on the greatest team. And to my doubters, (who would I be if I didn't stir the pot) thank you. God had a purpose way before anyone had an opinion. All glory to the man above."
While it is difficult to quantify, there is something to be said about building a team around players like him and the Seahawks have done an absolutely incredible job. Their best cornerback was at one time a college wide receiver and their starting quarterback was too short. Their best wideout was undrafted and their defensive leader was deemed too tall and lumbering to be drafted within the first four rounds.
The only difficult part for Seattle was deciding which of their core players to keep once it came time for their affordable contracts to come to an end.
Baldwin was always going to be one of them, with extension talks opening more than a month ago. And while it took long enough for his market value to be corrected, it seems like Baldwin is finally getting what he deserves.
