AJ Barner doesn’t need the Seattle Seahawks to tell him he matters. The fans already do. What should sting a little more is the way the rest of the league seems to be looking right past him.
That became clear in ESPN’s recent survey of NFL executives, scouts and coaches ranking the top tight ends in the league. Barner didn’t land on the list at all - not even as an honorable mention - and apparently didn’t pick up a single vote. For a player who was such a steady piece of Seattle’s offense, that’s a pretty loud omission.
Maybe some of that comes down to name recognition. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the more obvious headline grabber. But Barner has done plenty to force his way into the conversation, including a strong showing in last season’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, when he caught four passes on four targets for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle’s offense hasn’t exactly been a tight end showcase over the past couple of seasons, but that may be changing. New offensive coordinator Brian Fleury comes from the San Francisco 49ers’ system, and that background matters because San Francisco has made major use of its tight ends.
Barner already gave Seattle real production in 2025. He finished with 52 catches, 519 yards and six touchdowns, while also doing the dirty work as a blocker. He now has 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons, which is a strong start by any measure.
And he’s not exactly built to shrug off slights. Away from the field, Barner has a reputation as an entertainer, and who can forget the hat and fur coat he wore during the team’s Super Bowl parade in February? Still, like any player, he wants respect.
There’s reason to think his role could grow again in 2026. A jump to 70 catches wouldn’t be out of the question in Fleury’s offense, and Barner could help Seattle spread the ball around more effectively.
That matters because leaning on Smith-Njigba to repeat his 1,793 receiving yards would be asking a lot. That total is eighth all-time, and seasons like that don’t come around often.
If the Seahawks are going to keep the offense balanced, Barner is the kind of player who can help make that happen. Seattle already knows his value. The rest of the NFL probably should, too.
In Other News...
49ers Seem Reduced To Wishful Thinking Chasing The Seahawks
The NFC West has spent the offseason trying to catch up to the Seahawks, and the gap still looks wide enough to matter. Seattle enters as the defending Super Bowl champion and, after the Rams made aggressive moves to add Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett, the division has at least one club trying to force the issue. San Francisco, by contrast, has been quieter, which only sharpens the sense that the Seahawks remain the team everyone else is chasing.
Maxx Crosby has become the name floating through the conversation as the 49ers look for a way to close that distance, but the market around him is hardly limited to one team. The Bears, Eagles and Cowboys have also been mentioned as possible players, with Seattle at least in the mix if the situation ever reaches that point. For now, the bigger point for the Seahawks is simpler: Mike Macdonalds defense already handled Kyle Shanahans group well enough to leave a mark, and the rest of the division still has to prove it can do more than talk about narrowing the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Backfield Debate Just Reached A Breaking Point
Seattles backfield picture has shifted quickly since Kenneth Walker III moved on, and the early signs at OTAs suggest the Seahawks are already sorting through a new order. Rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price has been splitting first-team work with George Holani, while Zach Charbonnets recovery leaves the team with real questions about how the carries will be distributed once the season gets rolling.
Brian Fleurys arrival as offensive coordinator adds another layer to the evaluation, since his system could give Price a cleaner path to growth right away. Seattle does not need to solve every backfield question in June, but the way it handles Price now will say plenty about how aggressively it plans to build around him. [Read more 🡒]
Uchenna Nwosu's Mike Macdonald Take Will Fire Up Seahawks Fans
Mike Macdonalds first two seasons in Seattle have already put him in the conversation as one of the leagues rising coaches, and the Seahawks have plenty to show for it after last years Super Bowl championship. Around the building, the bigger story has been the way Macdonald has shaped the locker room, with linebacker Uchenna Nwosu pointing to a culture built on trust, strong leadership and players buying into the standard.
Nwosus view is the kind of endorsement that tends to resonate in a place like Seattle, where the Seahawks have leaned into a connected, brotherhood-style environment under Macdonald. He said the coach trusts the teams leaders to keep things in line and knows when to flip into coach mode, a balance that has helped Macdonald earn respect quickly even if he still feels a little underappreciated for how fast this program has moved. [Read more 🡒]