Analysis: Could Seahawks Opt for ‘More Bobo,’ Match Jaguars’ Offer Sheet?
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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo (19) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images [/caption]
Making a last minute pivot in the final hour before free agency officially kicked off on March 11, the Seahawks decided to change course by placing a right of first refusal tender on restricted free agent receiver Jake Bobo, hoping that would prevent another team from signing the popular veteran.
But a little over a week after general manager John Schneider tendered him at a $3.52 million value for 2026 with the aim of discouraging other suitors from signing him, even after deciding not to let him become an unrestricted free agent as originally planned, Seattle still faces the prospect of losing Bobo. Still drawing interest from other teams, the Jaguars jumped into the fray by signing the former UCLA standout to an offer sheet, giving the Seahawks five days to make a decision on whether to match the offer or allow him to walk away in free agency.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Jacksonville offered a two-year deal worth $5.5 million, which would actually carry smaller cap hits than the $3.52 million value of Bobo’s tender. The deal carries $4.5 million in guaranteed salary with a big chunk of that being paid out in the second year, which goes against how Seattle typically structures contracts, especially for reserve players. The contract also has $1.5 million in additional incentives available to push the maximum value to $7 million.
On the surface, given his lack of production with only two receptions in the 2025 regular season while battling multiple injuries, it would be easy to consider matching Bobo’s offer sheet worth up to $3.5 million per season with nearly $5 million in guarantees as questionable at best and malpractice at worst. However, while he isn’t a box score stuffer by any means with 34 career receptions and three touchdowns to his name, the veteran wideout provides immense value away from catching the football on and off the field and when he has had opportunities to make plays as a pass catcher, he has converted on most of those chances.
In other words, for those believing the “More Bobo” movement has come to an end in Seattle, that’s far from a done deal.
Becoming a fan favorite as an undrafted rookie in 2023 as he shined throughout training camp and the preseason, Bobo captured a spot on the 53-man roster and reeled in 19 receptions from former quarterback Geno Smith, scoring two touchdowns as a receiver and adding a third on a goal line jet sweep run. He hauled in 19 catches again in 2024 and again posted a catch rate north of 75%, though he saw a significant dip in efficiency with those catches as his yards per reception dipped by nearly two full yards and only found the end zone once.
This past season, Bobo suffered a concussion in Seattle’s final preseason contest and missed the season opener. He later missed three games with an Achilles injury from Week 9 through Week 11 and also was held out as a healthy scratch in a Week 13 win versus Minnesota, contributing to him only catching two passes while playing a career-low 117 snaps on offense after logging more than 300 snaps in each of his first two seasons.
But to his credit, Bobo came through when the Seahawks needed him to most in the postseason in January and February, catching a 16-yard pass for a first down in a Divisional Round win against the 49ers and scoring a 17-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game on the heels of a muffed punt to help vault the team back to the Super Bowl.
As has been the case since his arrival, Bobo’s impact continued to go well beyond his reliable hands on limited throws his direction. During his rookie season, he more than earned his roster spot as an undrafted signee for his success executing the dirty work on the outside as a run blocker, earning the second-highest run blocking grade (77.6) from a receiver via Pro Football Focus. His strengths in that area shined ever so brightly during the team’s Super Bowl run as well, including taking out three defenders on a 3rd and 17 run by Ken Walker III that netted 19 yards and a first down in an NFC West-clinching Week 18 road game over the 49ers.
With Seattle’s offense expected to continue to be built around the ground game under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury and another quality blocking receiver in Dareke Young heading to Las Vegas, Bobo’s value as a physical run blocker coupled with his capable hands and large catch radius alone may be worth the price, even with the significant bump in guaranteed money. But his capabilities on special teams and presence as a glue guy in the locker room are what truly make matching Jacksonville’s offer a strong possibility.
More than happy to accept the role of a core special teamer as a means to make an NFL roster and just grateful to have a chance to play at the highest level, Bobo saw the field for 584 snaps in the third phase of the game over his first three seasons, seeing action on kick and punt coverage teams as well as kick and punt return. While he only made eight tackles on more than 200 kick and punt coverage reps, he regularly blew up blockers to spring teammates to make plays and he even added emergency punt returner to his repertoire during the preseason, emerging as one of coordinator Jay Harbaugh’s favorite players.
At the end of the day, the Seahawks can’t afford to make business decisions based solely on the likeability of a player, however, particularly when a contract starts to push into the realm of a rare middle class deal. With Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon soon to receive lucrative extensions and other prominent players such as Leonard Williams needing new deals in the near future, cap space will continue to tighten up and has already been allocated to fifth-year options for Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon.
On that reality alone, the terms of Bobo’s offer sheet may put him well outside of Seattle’s budgetary plans. And interestingly, the receiver may view this as a situation where he hopes his original team doesn’t match, as Jacksonville presents a better setting for him to see more snaps on offense than he would sitting behind Smith-Njigba, Kupp, Shaheed, and Horton.
But as the Seahawks have already proven on a couple occasions this offseason granting new deals for tight end Brady Russell and defensive tackle Brandon Pili among others, they have emphasized special teams and maintaining the skeleton of their title roster in regard to their offseason blueprint thus far. The fact Schneider pulled out all of the stops to place a tender on Bobo for the price that comes with such a move suggests he will strongly consider matching the two-year commitment for a well-rounded player beloved universally by the coaching staff and his teammates.
