Coach Mike Macdonald’s ode to ‘awesome’ Tyler Lockett: Captain for Seahawks’ season finale

The coach’s words matched the honorary nature of the day and sentiment.

The Seahawks began Friday by naming Tyler Lockett the captain of the offense for their final game of the 2024 season Sunday, at the Los Angeles Rams. (Coach Mike Macdonald doesn’t name season captains; he names them on a per-game basis).

“Just felt like to close the season out with the veteran voice of the unit,” Macdonald said.

“Tyler does a great job of kind of putting everything in perspective, having been through all the things throughout the league in his career. So he’s a guy we’re always leaning on.”

After what may be his final Friday practice with the only NFL team the 10-year veteran wide receiver has known, Macdonald stated what became an ode to Lockett. The rookie head coach gushed about the impact Lockett has had in Seattle and on its football team.

“He’s such a unique personality, (with) unique character,” Macdonald said. “Go be Tyler Lockett, man. Go be the guy that we love every day.

“He’s been that. He’s been awesome.”

Lockett, 32, has one more season remaining on his contract. He is scheduled to have a salary-cap charge of $30,985,000 in 2025.

He knows he’s not playing at that price, not for Seattle or any other NFL team.

He said Thursday he plans to play next season.

When The News Tribune asked Lockett if that will be for the Seahawks again, he smiled, laughed and said: “I’m not the GM, buddy.”

Lockett’s gone from 122 targets last season, his fifth consecutive year with at least 100, to just 70 in 16 games entering the season finale Sunday. His catches have gone from a Seahawks record 100 in 2020 to 79 in 2023 to just 47 this season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, in his second season since Schneider selected him in the first round of the 2023 draft, enters Sunday’s game needing five receptions to break Lockett’s team record for a season.

Lockett said he has “done everything they’ve asked of me.” That includes this season taking defenders with him across and down the field to open opportunities for Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf, who enters this final game 61 yards from his fourth season with 1,000 yards receiving in his six NFL years with Seattle.

Macdonald said Lockett’s selflessness has been “incredibly important” to the new coaching staff setting a new foundation for the team this season.

“You take the thing about Tyler and his career, and the arc of his career, and to have that mentality, man, just the humility, putting the team first it’s just...I mean, what else can you ask for?” Macdonald said.

“And he loves ball. The guy comes out, he’s been doing it such a long time, and the enthusiasm, the attitude, the productivity, man...”

The coach shook his head.

“The city knows Tyler, shoot, better than I do,” Macdonald said. “But coming to know him this year has been a blessing for me personally, too.

“I mean, this guy, he’s just...he’s just one of one.

“We absolutely love him.”

Ernest Jones also a game captain

Linebacker Ernest Jones is the defensive captain for the game Sunday. That’s a nod to Jones’ first three NFL seasons with the Rams, with whom he won a Super Bowl.

Jones is playing in Los Angeles for the first time since the Rams traded their former middle linebacker to Tennessee in August. That was after L.A. had decided it wasn’t going to re-sign him beyond his rookie contract ending with this season.

The Seahawks acquired Jones in a trade from the Titans in October.

Jones said this week he’s not thinking about playing in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, as an opponent for the first time.

“To be honest with you, like, that stuff is far beyond me,” he said Wednesday. “Wish it was for something.

“But I’m going to go out there, play this last game with this group of guys who welcomed me in so graciously. I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to go out there and play again.”

He expects his Seahawks and particularly his defense to play with similar intensity as when they were in playoff contention, before the Rams beating Arizona and other results around the league last weekend eliminated Seattle.

“I mean, I expect to see everything. In our eyes we’re still playing for a lot: 10 wins, just the opportunity to start this year off the right way leading into next year,” Jones said.

“So I feel like we going to come out and play as we should.”

Before they decide on Lockett, Macdonald and Seahawks general manager John Schneider must get a new deal for Jones done. That, or have the defense he transformed the last two months of the season revert back to their problems from the first half of the 2024 season.

Jones said Wednesday “everything is going that way” towards him getting a new Seahawks contract for 2025 and beyond.

The special-teams captain for the Rams game is punter Michael Dickson.