Former Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson Signs With Rams

Going back to his native state, Colby Parkinson landed a bigger contract than expected to take his talents to the Los Angeles Rams after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
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Suffering their first free agent loss of the 2024 offseason, the Seattle Seahawks will now face one of their former tight ends twice a year in the NFC West.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Colby Parkinson and the Rams reached an agreement on a three-year contract worth $15.5 million, returning to his home state. He played high school ball at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California before attending Stanford for college.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Colby Parkinson (84) catches a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at Lumen Field.
After catching 25 passes in each of the past two seasons for Seattle, Colby Parkinson will change zip codes in the NFC West joining the Los Angeles Rams / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Parkinson battled through foot injuries in his first two seasons, limiting him to seven receptions in 20 games. Finally able to get healthy over the past two seasons, he contributed 50 receptions, 569 yards, and four touchdowns while seeing an increase in snaps playing alongside Will Dissly and Noah Fant.

After primarily being a glorified receiver at the tight end position in college, Parkinson made his greatest growth as a run blocker, finishing 10th out of 91 qualified tight ends in run blocking grade (64.1). He also did a fine job in limited pass blocking reps, yielding three pressures, no quarterback hits, and no sacks on 41 pass protection snaps.

Ultimately, Parkinson's previous production doesn't warrant a contract worth more than $5 million per year. But the Rams clearly see a lot of untapped potential in the 25-year old tight end, as evidenced by the investment made in him to add another target for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Seahawks Free Agency: Will Noah Fant Return With Bigger Role in Seattle's Offense?

With Parkinson heading to Los Angeles and set to sign his contract on Wednesday, all eyes will shift to Fant, who also will become an unrestricted free agent this week. Seattle recently released Dissly as a cap casualty, creating a significant need at the position with no starters currently on the roster, which could make re-signing Fant a higher priority.


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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.