Brandon Marshall ‘honored’ to join Seahawks: ‘I’m excited to get out there and do my part’
May 30, 2018, 3:43 PM | Updated: 3:52 pm
Seahawks WR Brandon Marshall signed with Seattle in May. (AP)
(AP)
Seattle reporters were met by a very candid Brandon Marshall following the Seahawks’ second open session of OTAs Wednesday.
“I think the sentiment around the league is that I’m done,” the 34-year-old wide receiver answered when asked why he decided to sign with Seattle this morning.
He said there were few options in free agency, but acknowledged he understood the reasoning behind that.
“I get it, rightfully so,” Marshall said. “When you get on the other side of 30 and your production slips and you have a big injury, people just count you out.”
Marshall’s contract is a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Seattle hosted the ex-Jets receiver for a visit in early May but weeks went by without news of a signing. 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard noted then that Marshall’s injury could have been causing hesitation on Seattle’s part – Marshall suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 last year, for which he underwent surgery. Marshall told reporters Wednesday that at that time he also had surgery to repair a lingering toe injury, something he had been putting off for months.
The recovery process felt slow, especially for the toe injury. But Marshall hopes to be in midseason form by training camp in late July, and the Seahawks were clearly pleased enough with his workout to bring him in this offseason. It doesn’t hurt that the six-time Pro Bowler brings with him experience that can benefit Seattle’s younger receivers. And with former Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham now in Green Bay, Marshall’s 6-feet-5 frame also gives Russell Wilson a big red zone target.
“I will say that the process they take you through, the screen process is worse than the TSA line,” Marshall said with a laugh. “They did their due diligence, to say the least.”
Marshall said the free agency process, especially while rehabbing a devastating injury, was a humbling one.
“There were some really tough days that I had to push through mentally and physically,” Marshall said. “So for this to be an opportunity and come true, you can’t ask for a better situation. You’ve got probably a top three quarterback, you’ve got one of the best franchises. You’ve got a young nucleus, guys that are hungry and ready to compete. That’s rare nowadays. You’ve got so many guys that come into the league with a sense of entitlement … so it’s good to see this organization from afar, how they do things, and now being here seeing these young guys just on point, man. My first day in the meetings everybody was focused, it was just about football, and that’s rare nowadays. So I’m excited to get out there and do my part.”
