Seattle sophomore is already on his way to being an all-time great Seahawk

When I was a little kid, it was Christian Fauria, who never had over 400 yards in a season and ended up winning two titles in New England. As I got a little older, Itula Mili was the guy, who had 1,000 yards across two seasons, and then his body gave out just before Seattle made Super Bowl 40.

As a teenager, I remember Jerramy Stevens, who we’re better off not remembering for a few different reasons. Marcus Pollard had one okay year right when I was starting college. John Carlson seemed like the guy, but injuries took him down after three great seasons. Zach Miller was great, but spent most of his career in Oakland and only really got three years in Seattle.

Jimmy Graham pulled together three very productive seasons for the late-stage Legion of Boom Seahawks, but is not remembered well by the fanbase (mostly unfairly). Will Dissly had it all, until two devastating lower-body injuries capped his ceiling. Noah Fant got thrown into the Russell Wilson trade and couldn’t get back to his peaks from early in his Denver career.

There’s a few less-remembered players sprinkled in here and there. Nick Vannett, Jacob Hollister, Colby Parkinson. The point I’m trying to make is that Seattle hasn’t exactly been a hotbed of high-end tight end play over the last thirty years. Or ever, if we’re being honest. Which is one of many reasons why I have my eye on AJ Barner, not just now, but in the future.

If you rank every Seattle Seahawk player in franchise history by number of receptions recorded while a Seahawk, there’s only one tight end in the top twenty. And if you went to the top nineteen, there’d be zero. Jimmy Graham, who played all of 43 games as a Seahawk, is in first with 170 catches. He’s also first in receiving yards (18th overall) at 2,048 and TDs (12th) at 18.

By any statistical measure, Jimmy Graham is pretty easily the most prolific tight end in franchise history. I do suspect that most Seahawks fans would take Zach Miller over him, due to far superior blocking, but either way, it’s a low bar to clear. And, while I want to be careful with my heart on this one, AJ Barner looks like the guy who might finally clear it.

With one game to go in his second NFL season, Barner’s sitting on 80 career catches. If he catches just five more this Saturday (which seems entirely reasonable given how many other Seattle pass catchers are injured), he’s already halfway to Graham’s franchise-best mark. Keep in mind that Barner wasn’t even the primary receiving tight end as a rookie behind Fant.

Could he finally be the stud TE Seattle has been searching for? — Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) celebrates after making a catch for a touchdown. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

50 yards on Saturday gets him to 800 on his career, putting him on track to get up to Graham’s numbers by the end of his rookie contract. And he’s already more halfway to the easily-obtainable touchdown record. This isn’t even getting into his barnyard contributions, which I believe are significant, but will also probably be made illegal after the end of this season.

But let’s forget about the big picture for a second and focus on what’s in front of us. Saturday’s game against the 49ers has so much going on, the individual performance of the team’s top tight end might seem small, but I have noted that, with everything else going on, AJ Barner has a chance to log what I’m going to call the best ‘non-Jimmy Graham’ TE season by a Seahawk.

That probably comes as a surprise, given that Seattle barely throws the ball and mostly throws at Jaxon Smith-Njigba when they do, but it’s well within range. Keep in mind that, on top of the raw numbers, Barner is also an apt blocker and provides value there when compared to players who weren’t. Let’s run it down.

Graham’s 65 catches in 2016 are the best this team has ever gotten from a tight end, and only Graham’s own 57 receptions in 2017 really comes close. To find a non-Jimmy Graham tight end on the leaderboard, you go all the way down to #69 overall, where John Carlson’s 2008 featured 55 catches. Barner has 50 and one game left to play (even if it is an extra game!).

Jimmy also owns the receiving yard high-water mark for a single season, 923 in 2016. Carlson’s 2008 is a very distant second place at 627. Barner has work to do here, sitting at 505 (although his 14 rushing yards loom), but nothing would surprise me if this Saturday’s game turns into a shootout like the last couple 49ers games have.

Lastly, Graham caught ten touchdowns in 2017. John Carlson caught seven in 2009. Barner has six, plus a seventh rushing on the barnyard. So by some definition, he’s already there, but another touchdown on Saturday would separate him. Put it all together, Barner’s 2025 season might be the best season by a Seahawks’ tight end outside of Jimmy Graham’s work.

55 catches, 600 yards, 8 touchdowns. It might seem pedestrian. Plenty of tight ends across the league match or beat that every single season. But it would probably be the second best season any tight end has ever had in Seattle. Only 2016 Jimmy Graham tops it. And it’s completely within range for Barner, as he continues his trek atop the Seattle tight end leaderboards.

Enjoy these while they're still legal. — Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) scores a touchdown. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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