Jermaine

Kearse

“Seattle, as a hometown kid it was a complete honor to represent you guys out there on the field,” Kearse wrote. “Thank you so much for your endless support throughout my football career.” His full statement can be viewed on his Instagram. Kearse hasn’t played since breaking his leg in a preseason game with the Lions last summer. He finishes his career with 255 catches for 3,290 yards and 17 touchdowns across eight seasons with the Seahawks and Jets.

It’s the worst possible news but not surprising after the way Kearse went down. The 29-year-old’s 2019 is over. Kearse had been fighting for No. 4 duties in the Lions’ run-first offense. The Lions have little of note behind Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola. Coming off a dismal 2018 where he averaged just 10.0 yards on 37 catches as a Jet, Kearse’s NFL career is winding down. This injury could sadly force him out of the league.

Kearse had to be carted and was fitted for an immediate air cast. Perhaps it’s not as bad as it looked, but this one looked bad. Kearse is in the mix for the Lions’ No. 4 receiver job. Anything that knocks him out beyond Week 1 would change that.

Kearse did not garner much interest on the open market following a down season with the Jets, but he did spend five seasons with new OC Darrell Bevell in Seattle. He is a solid depth signing for a Lions squad which did not have much behind Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola.

The two sides were unable to come to terms for now. This was Kearse’s first known visit of free agency after a poor 2018 with the Jets. Kearse turned 29 in February and has a history with new Lions OC Darrell Bevell from their Seattle days.

Hughes makes the disclosure in an article that links the Jets to slot men Danny Amendola and Cole Beasley. A bit of an unsung hero in 2017, Kearse’s production tailed off dramatically in 2018 as the Jets broke in rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. Kearse turned 29 last month.

Quincy Enunwa (ankle) is also out, as expected. Kearse finishes the year with a 37-371-1 line across 14 games, working mostly out of the slot. It was a big drop-off from his surprising 65-810-5 from last season. The soon-to-be 29-year-old (in February) will head to free agency on a bad note.

Kearse is a long shot to play Sunday at New England. With Quincy Enunwa (ankle) in the same boat, Robby Anderson and Chris Herndon should soak up most of the targets in this week’s finale.

Kearse was injured in the Week 16 overtime loss to Green Bay. With Quincy Enunwa (ankle) also out, Robby Anderson will remain an upside WR2 in Week 17.

Coach Todd Bowles said the team is still running tests, but right now it is unclear how serious the injury is. A pending free agent, Kearse suffering an Achilles’ rupture at this point in the season would be devastating. The receiver is almost certainly out for the rest of the season.