Doug Baldwin says he’s not going to hold out

By Brady Henderson

One way or another, Doug Baldwin will play for Seattle in 2014.

The wide receiver made that clear Thursday when he joined 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Wyman, Mike and Moore” and erased any question as to whether he might withhold his services until he gets a new deal from the Seahawks.

“I’m going to play football,” he said. “Football is my passion. It just wouldn’t make sense in my mind to sit out for any reason.”

The Seahawks gave Baldwin a second-round restricted-free-agent tender, which amounts to a one-year offer worth $2.187 million. He has yet to sign it, which leaves open the possibility of reaching a multi-year deal with the team before the season begins. While the latter would be Baldwin’s preference – and any other player’s, for that matter – he’s prepared to play out the 2014 season on the one-year tender then become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

“I don’t play the game of football to get paid. As funny as that sounds to people, I don’t play the game of football to get paid, although that comes with it,” he said. “The more you do well on the football field, the more accolades and positive things in that regard come to you. My ultimate goal is to leave the game of football known as one of the best receivers to ever play the game. And if that’s the case, if that happens, then everything else is going to come with it.

“So I’m not focused on trying to get leverage for this or that, I’m just trying to be the best football player I can because that ultimately will be the best leverage that I can obtain.”