The Seahawks and Jets agreed on May 27, 2026, to a minor trade that sends wide receiver Irvin Charles to Seattle for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2028.
For the Jets, it is the end of a quiet but unusual run for a player who never caught a pass in New York and still found a way to stick around on special teams. Charles, who is 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, entered the league as an undrafted free agent from Division II IUP in 2022, debuted for the Jets in 2023 and played in 13 games that season. Almost all of his 279 snaps that year came in the third phase, with 236 on special teams, and he added 14 tackles while carving out a role that kept him on the roster.
Charles did more of the same in 2024, appearing in 13 games again and logging 214 special teams snaps along with 10 offensive snaps. He was still looking for his first NFL reception, though his college résumé explained why New York kept betting on him for depth and size. In his final season in college, he had 39 receptions and 12 touchdowns, production that hinted at more than a one-dimensional future even if the Jets never found it on offense.
That season ended badly. Charles suffered a torn ACL in a Week 14 loss to the Dolphins, and last year the Jets kept him as an exclusive rights free agent while he recovered. He missed the entire season because of that rehab, a lost year that made his name easy to move when New York reshaped its receiver room.
The timing matters for Seattle because the Seahawks already have a crowded wide receiver group. Charles would be the 14th receiver on the roster if he makes it, with 11 other receivers already in the building, including first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. and free-agent pickup Tim Patrick. That leaves him with a narrow path to playing time, and it runs through special teams more than offense. If he sticks, that is where he is most likely to help.
He turned 29 last month, which makes this a trade about present value, not upside. If Charles makes the Seahawks roster, he will play for a minimum salary of $1.075 million. For Seattle, the cost is small. For Charles, it is a chance to restart after injury and to prove that the part of his game that kept him in New York can still keep him in the league.
