Brady Quinn on Doug Baldwin: ‘He’s the success story for a player in the NFL’

Brady Quinn has had the chance to admire Doug Baldwin’s impressive NFL career up close, as well as from afar.

Quinn and Baldwin were together during the 2013 offseason with the Seattle Seahawks. It was Baldwin’s third year as a receiver with the team; Quinn would remain there as a quarterback through training camp.

‘Made his first real impact punt-blocking on special teams’

But Quinn saw more than enough to develop a healthy respect for Baldwin, whose eight seasons in the NFL, all in Seattle, apparently have come to an end with his strong suggestion in a recent tweet that he was retiring. His announcement came May 12, three days after the Seahawks released him with a failed physical designation.

“He’s the success story for a player in the NFL, undrafted, out of Stanford,” Quinn said while co-hosting with Bruce Murray on the SiriusXM Blitz. “Made his real first impact, not wearing 89, (but) number 15, punt-blocking on special teams. That’s where he started to make a name for himself. And then he slowly just became this incredibly productive, incredibly difficult-to-cover slot and just overall wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.”

‘No one could quite produce like Doug Baldwin could’

Quinn has been especially proud of the way Baldwin maintained his steady production even as the Seahawks constantly brought in others to assume a more prominent role. Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Brandon Marshall and Jimmy Graham … they came and went while Baldwin continued to deliver.

“Year after year after year, he proved himself as being, really, their best option. One of the most clutch options as well.”

“They were always trying to find another wide receiver, someone else that would try to give them a boost in their passing game,” Quinn said. “And no one could quite produce like Doug Baldwin could. Year after year after year, he proved himself as being, really, their best option. One of the most clutch options as well.”

‘You wonder, if the right team comes along and it gives him an offer, (will he say), ‘Why not?’’

Quinn won’t rule out a possible change of heart by Baldwin, considering the time he has to potentially get himself physically ready to play elsewhere during the 2019 season.

“We’re in May, we’re not in end of July, we’re not into August,” Quinn said. “You wonder, if the right team comes along and it gives him an offer, (will he say), ‘Why not? Because he is still relatively young. It just comes down to if he wants to go play in another culture, another organization that’s going to have a completely different environment than what Pete Carroll brings, which is so unique. … It’s like a pep rally with Pete. I mean, it is it is one of the more upbeat, fun, lively places you’ll ever find.

‘Maybe it’s not worth it at this point’

“And Doug Baldwin might be saying, ‘I don’t want to have to go through the drudgery of going to a different organization dealing with the horror stories I hear about other places. Maybe it’s not worth it at this point. I’ve got my Super Bowl ring, I feel like I’ve accomplished enough, my body feels good enough where I don’t want to have to eke out a couple more years just for more money.’ Unless maybe there’s another legitimate shot of winning a Super Bowl.”