Aj Barner

Career StatsD+

Year	Team	GP	Rec	Yards	TD
Career		34	82	764	10
2025		17	52	519	6
2024		17	30	245	4

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

The Seahawks secured exceptional value by locking up AJ Barner at just $1.2M AAV, earning an A- CVI that reflects a genuine steal for a rotational tight end. While Barner profiles as a rotational player rather than a weekly starter, his production tier significantly outpaces what Seattle is paying him — you simply don't find reliable depth at the tight end position for this price point in today's market. The modest $4.8M total commitment with only $800K guaranteed gives the Seahawks tremendous flexibility, essentially a low-risk flyer on a player who has shown he can contribute when called upon. The contract structure is brilliant from Seattle's perspective, offering legitimate upside if Barner's role expands while carrying virtually no downside risk given the minimal guaranteed money. This is the type of shrewd depth signing that championship rosters are built on — finding productive players at below-market rates while maintaining roster flexibility for bigger moves elsewhere.

Performance Analysis

AJ Barner is a 23-year-old second-year tight end for Seattle still carving out a defined role in one of the NFL's more competitive positional landscapes. Earning a D+ overall grade across 34 career games, Barner remains very much a developmental asset rather than a proven commodity. His youth and trajectory, however, keep the ceiling conversation alive. The encouraging sign is his red zone efficiency — Barner is posting 0.35 receiving touchdowns per game, above the NFL average of 0.25 and approaching the elite threshold of 0.45. His yards per reception sits at 9.98, essentially matching the league average of 10.10, suggesting adequate but unremarkable separation ability after the catch. The bigger concern is his receiving yards per game — 30.5 against an NFL average of 35.0 — indicating he's not yet commanding a consistent enough target share to make a meaningful weekly impact. His 2024 campaign graded out at an F, making the current C grade a legitimate, if modest, step forward. The trajectory from F to C is real progress, but Barner needs a sustained jump — think toward B territory — before Seattle can lean on him as a featured weapon. Watch for increased route diversity and usage in two-tight-end sets as indicators that the coaching staff is buying in. If his TD efficiency holds and his volume climbs, a comparison to early-career Hunter Henry isn't unreasonable as a long-term reference point.

Current Sentiment

AJ Barner enters the 2026 season riding a wave of genuine momentum after a Super Bowl LX touchdown catch that introduced him to a national audience and crystallized a breakout narrative that had been building throughout the year. Head coach Mike Macdonald's public praise, framing Barner as a 'surprise weapon,' carries significant weight given how rarely Seattle's coaching staff elevates depth players in the media. Dynasty and fantasy football communities have taken notice, with analysts labeling him a mispriced asset — a designation that typically precedes a surge in mainstream recognition. His appearance alongside Macdonald and Cooper Kupp at a high-profile SiriusXM event signals that the organization views him as a marketable, ascending piece of the roster rather than a quiet depth option. While his contract and raw career numbers still reflect a developmental profile, the convergence of coaching endorsement, playoff-stage production, and analyst enthusiasm positions Barner as one of the more intriguing under-the-radar stories heading into the new season.