Ex-Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin Appears to Announce NFL Retirement on Twitter

Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin appeared to announce his retirement Sunday after eight seasons in the NFL:

ESPN.com's Adam Schefter first reported that retirement was on the table for the 30-year-old wideout back on April 27. According to Schefter, Baldwin's ability to play football moving forward was a concern due to a "cumulative effect of multiple injuries."

Baldwin went under the knife three times within the first two-plus months of this offseason. He underwent an operation on both his shoulder and knee following the 2018 season, and he then underwent sports hernia surgery in April.

Those surgeries led to Baldwin informing the team that he would take some time to contemplate his future:

Ultimately, he decided it was time to hang up his cleats, but that decision came after the team released him and Kam Chancellor on Thursday for failed physicals.

Baldwin will go down as one of the greatest Seahawks players ever. An undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2011, the 5'10", 192-pound wideout ranks second in franchise history with 49 receiving touchdowns and third in both receptions (493) and yards (6,563). The two-time Pro Bowler was tied for the league lead with 14 scores in 2015.

He hauled in 50 catches for 618 yards and five touchdowns in 13 appearances in 2018.

As impressive as Baldwin's individual numbers were through the years, his tenure in Seattle will always be remembered by the most successful run in franchise history. The Seahawks made the postseason six out of Baldwin's eight seasons in the league, making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014.

No. 89 played a key role in helping the Seahawks win their first-ever Super Bowl championship. He had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in a 43-8 thrashing of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

He also caught a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIX one year later. His score helped give his team a 24-14 lead with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter, though the New England Patriots would pull out a 28-24 victory.

Prior to Baldwin's arrival, Seattle had just one Super Bowl appearance in more than three decades of existence.

Baldwin entered the NFL without much fanfare, but as he walks away from the game, he is firmly entrenched in Seahawks lore.