The Seattle Seahawks reportedly added a familiar special teams piece on Wednesday, acquiring Irvin Charles from the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Charles, 29, gives Seattle another body at receiver and on coverage units as the team continues reshaping its roster after winning the Super Bowl.
The move costs little on paper, but it brings in a player with a clear NFL calling card. Charles played four seasons with the Jets after going undrafted in 2022, spending that first year on the practice squad before appearing in games in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, he logged seven special teams tackles in 12 games. A year later, he matched that total and added one blocked punt before tearing his ACL in Week 14.
Charles’ numbers tell the story of how the Jets used him. He played 450 special teams snaps across those two seasons and only 53 offensive snaps, never catching a pass. Last season he did not play at all as he recovered from the knee injury, while the Jets tied for the worst record in the NFL at 3-14.
That background matters because Seattle is not short on established receivers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed and Tory Horton already sit in the wide receiver mix, which makes Charles more likely to carve out a role on kick and punt coverage than in the passing game. Unless injuries intervene, or the score turns lopsided, he does not project to see much action on offense.
For Seattle, the appeal is simple: a low-cost addition with proven special teams production and size on the roster after a championship season. For Charles, the trade opens a new chance to re-establish himself after the ACL injury interrupted what had become a steady role in New York. The next question is whether he can turn that special teams résumé into enough value to stick once the Seahawks begin sorting out their final roster picture.
