Luke Willson posted a goodbye note to Seattle Tuesday night indicating his Seahawks career is over, and while it appears he could be headed to Detroit that was not confirmed Tuesday night.
Luke Willson is now a former Seahawk, posting a message on Twitter and Instagram Tuesday night saying goodbye to Seattle.
What’s unclear is where he will be playing next, though signs Tuesday night increasingly pointed to Detroit, which had been thought to be Willson’s favored destination if he couldn’t remain in Seattle since he is from nearby LaSalle, Ontario.
Willson, who last season was the lone remaining member of the 11-man draft class of 2013, took visits to Carolina, Jacksonville and Detroit after officially becoming an unrestricted free agent a week ago Wednesday. Detroit was Willson’s most recent visit, on Saturday.
And a comment from former Seahawk teammate and current Lion Golden Tate’s Instagram account Tuesday night telling Willson “Welcome to the squad bro!!” gave at least one indication that maybe Willson was indeed on his way to becoming a Lion. But that was unconfirmed Tuesday night with Willson expected to announce his next destination on Wednesday.
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But if it’s unclear exactly what the future holds for Willson as of Tuesday night, what isn’t is the legacy he leaves behind.
Willson became one of the team’s most popular players after being taken in the fifth round out of Rice, becoming an immediate contributor as the second tight end behind Zach Miller on the 2013 team that won the Super Bowl and also becoming a media and fan favorite with an outgoing and entertaining personality. He also was one of the, well, brains behind the team’s “Techno Thursday movement” this season, which grew to include elaborate end zone celebrations.
His most famous play might have been an inexplicable reception from Russell Wilson for a two-point conversion with 1:25 left in regulation that proved pivotal in Seattle’s 28-22 overtime win over Green Bay in the 2015 NFC Championship game.
That play capped what was Willson’s best season as a Seahawk when he caught 22 passes for 362 yards in 2014 — each career highs — and three touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to key a late-season blowout win of Arizona.
Willson was also a free agent last season and after talking to a few teams ended up re-signing with the Seahawks on a one-year deal worth up to $1.8 million.
As he cleaned out his locker following the 2017 season, Willson said he hoped to be back and was optimistic that he would be.
“Yeah I would say that I am in the plans,’’ Willson said then of what he had heard from coaches and management. “I mean it’s a fluid situation. My vibe leaving today is that I am definitely in the plans. But that could change tomorrow man, you never know.’’
It appears as if that has changed with the Seahawks undergoing the biggest roster overhaul since the first years of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era.
Playing behind Jimmy Graham in 2017, Willson caught 15 passes for 153 yards, each career lows for a 16-game season.
Graham is also gone, having signed with Green Bay, leaving the Seahawks with what will be a new-look tight end corps in 2018.
signed free agent Ed Dickson and also has 2016 fourth-round pick Nick Vannett and Tyrone Swoopes, who spent all but one game last season on the practice squad, on the roster. Seattle will have more than three tight ends on its roster when camp begins and that had led to the thought that the Seahawks could still bring back Willson, despite the signing of Dickson.But Seattle may mine what is left of the tight end free agent market as well as maybe take one in the draft. And Seattle also may have declined to offer Willson much since the Seahawks need a few unrestricted free agents to sign elsewhere to help the team’s quest for 2019 compensatory picks. Willson would be the fifth UFA to sign elsewhere this year while Seattle has signed four. That would presumably give the Seahawks a net of two comp picks at the moment (the formula is not a strict one-for-one, instead taking into account total salary and other factors).
The departure of Willson also means that just eight of the players who were on the 53-man roster for the Super Bowl win over Denver remain on Seattle’s roster — Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Cliff Avril, K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Jon Ryan. Byron Maxwell, also a member of the 2013 team, is a free agent and could be back but remains unsigned.
However, it’s expected Avril could be soon released or retire due to a neck/nerve issue and Chancellor also may not be able to play any longer due to a similar issue.
As for Willson, he began his goodbye note Tuesday night saying “I am filled with gratitude. All I can say is thank you…. These last 5 years have been a dream come true.”