Top Seahawks Tight End DEMANDS More Targets to Prove He’s a Dominant Pass-Catcher—Will Seattle Listen?

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner impressed in his first season with the team. Not only did he protect quarterback Geno Smith well and pave the way for the run game, but Barner was also a sneaky-good receiver.

Barner finished his rookie year with 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns. He had nearly as many scores in one season as Noah Fant did (5) in his three campaigns as Seattle's starter. Barner also had a very successful 79% catch rate. But he still believes he has something to prove.

"I just need to get the ball more and make the plays with it, and I think people need to start showing me love and giving me my respect," Barner said, per The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar.

With Fant gone, Barner is expected to step into a full-time starting role for the Seahawks in 2025. That should create plenty more pass-catching opportunities in Klint Kubiak's offense, which often puts multiple tight ends on the field at once and emphasizes their roles in the passing game. Tight ends alone had five catches for 43 yards in Seattle's preseason opener versus the Las Vegas Raiders.

Barner will be leading the way, while rookie second-round pick Elijah Arroyo is also expected to be a big factor as a pass-catcher. Kubiak, however, believes Barner is the key to getting that position rolling.

"Every opportunity he’s had, he’s made the play. A lot of contested plays," Kubiak said, per Dugar. “He’s doing the dirty work blocking in the run game, [and] that’s helping us spring some big runs. I just love his mentality. He’s all football. He loves the game, loves to compete. And he’s just one of my favorite guys out there because when he gets going, he gets excited, the whole group just starts to light up.”

It's easy to see why Barner is becoming increasingly confident in a Seahawks uniform, as he was trusted with a big role in 2024 almost immediately after being selected in the fourth round of the draft. He now has a chance to make an even bigger leap in 2025.