Former Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin posted a long series of tweets on Sunday indicating that he is retiring, including a "Game of Thrones" GIF reading, "My watch has ended."
Because the end of one journey sees the beginning of another. And guess what.. it will be one hell of a journey. You will feel emotional and physical pain you never knew existed. You will fail over and over again. But don't worry, all of it will be the reason why you succeed. pic.twitter.com/RBH3hy5dip
— Doug Baldwin Jr (@DougBaldwinJr) May 13, 2019
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Baldwin wanted to continue playing, but after offseason surgeries and the termination of his contract last week by the Seahawks because of a failed physical, he might not be able to do so.
Baldwin, one of the Seahawks' best and most popular players, had surgery on his groin and shoulder this offseason. His 2018 season included injuries to both knees, an elbow, a shoulder, a hip and his groin.
The Seahawks, knowing Baldwin could be facing the end of his career, used the final pick of the second round of the NFL draft, the 64th overall selection, on Ole Miss wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Baldwin acknowledged in December that he's on "the downside" of his career. That was a couple of days before he caught a pair of touchdown passes in a loss at San Francisco. He had his best game of the season a week later in a victory over Kansas City, with seven catches for 126 yards and another score. He was still an impact player despite the injuries that kept him out of three games and limited him in others, but his 618 receiving yards were his fewest since 2012.