Seahawks lose first free agent of 2021, and it’s a surprise: mothballed Phillip Dorsett?
How fast is — or was — Phillip Dorsett?
Pete Carroll’s “fastest guy we’ve ever had here” just had his Seahawks career end before it really ever began.
Seattle lost its first free agent late Monday afternoon, and it was a surprise. Dorsett, the flying wide receiver grounded by a chronic foot injury and surgery in his only Seahawks season, agreed to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars and new coach Urban Meyer. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that.
Dorsett signed with the Jaguars on the first day of free-agent negotiations in the NFL this year. Seattle and coach Pete Carroll thought they were going to get Dorsett to re-sign with them for 2021. There figured to be very little of a competitive market for him.
He leaves Seattle having played in no games for the Seahawks.
Meyer is rebuilding Jacksonville from the bottom. The former national-championship coach in college football is about to get Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the draft. Meyer loves speed.
Even surgically repaired speed, apparently.
Dorsett’s unexpected departure leaves the Seahawks with an opening at third wide receiver behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
David Moore has been that in recent seasons, but he’s an unsigned free agent.
Dorsett signed 12 months ago as a free agent and Super Bowl champion from New England for the veteran minimum of $1.05 million. He said he chose to sign with Seattle to play with quarterback Russell Wilson.
Dorsett was supersonic during practices early in training camp. He blew past Quandre Diggs, Shaquill Griffin and the Seahawks’ starting defensive backs in summer practices.
“He’s the fastest guy we’ve ever had here,” Carroll said in late August.
“He runs in the time realms we don’t even think really exist. You know, 4.2s and stuff.”
Then Dorsett stopped.
His foot began hurting. Carroll said Dorsett then told his new team he had chronic foot pain back from when he played for the Patriots through 2019. The Seahawks didn’t know that when they signed him in March 2020.
He had foot surgery in November. In January, after the Seahawks’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Carroll said he’d already talked to Dorsett about re-signing with Seattle for 2021.
“He’s a really interesting player, now. He’s got great speed,” Carroll said. “We’re talking to him. We’d like to have him come back.”
Now he’s gone.
The 5-foot-10, 192-pound Dorsett was one of Tom Brady’s and Andrew Luck’s former targets in New England and Indianapolis over the receiver’s first five years in the NFL. His career-high of 33 receptions came in 2016 for the Colts, who that year had Schottenheimer as quarterbacks coach.
Carroll fired Schottenheimer in January after his third season as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and play caller.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 4:31 PM.
