What Mike Macdonald said about the Seahawks' new surprise weapon, AJ Barner

The only thing we knew for sure about the Seattle Seahawks' new offense under Klint Kubiak coming into the season was that Jaxon Smith-Njigba was going to be the WR1 for Sam Darnold. We had no idea that JSN would suddenly become a top-two receiver or that Darnold would be in the early MVP conversation.

That lethal QB-WR combination isn't the only pleasant surprise, either. Heading in nobody knew who would function as Darnold's No. 2 target. Some surmised it might be Cooper Kupp, others liked rookie wide receiver Toy Horton, or rookie tigth end Elijah Arroyo.

As it turned out none of them were right - and so far the real WR2 for this offense has been second-year tight end AJ Barner. Going into Week 6 he leads the Seahawks (and all NFL tight ends) with four touchdowns and has caught an incredible 14 of 16 targets from Darnold.

Here's what head coach Mike Macdonald told reportes about Barner on Wednesday, per Mike Dugar at The Athletic.

“He’s a sparkplug for our whole football team,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “This guy’s got a great mentality. He’s got swag to him. He’s got an edge. He’s got toughness. He’s got a great spirit about him, where it’s not just for our offense, but he cares about our football team, and we love him for it.”

Dec 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) exits the locker room before pregame warmups against the Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

While Cooper Kupp has significantly more targets (29 to 16) he's yet to record a single touchdown catch and is only averaging one more yard per reception more than Barner.

Put it another way, Darnold has been more efficient and far more productive than Kupp, who the Seahawks just gave a three-year, $45 million deal.

While that doesn't sound great, it would be an even bigger mistake to try to prioritze Kupp because of his contract rather than allow Barner to grow into a greater role.

If the Seahawks can get Kupp or Horton or another pass-catcher going to complement what Barner and JSN are doing, this could yet be one of the most-explosive offenses in the league this year.

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