A few minutes after the Seattle Seahawks made a trade up with the New England Patriots to draft 6-foot-3, 228-pound receiver D.K. Metcalf with the 64th pick — an Ole Miss product who had been considered as a possible first-rounder heading into the draft — news broke that Metcalf may have to help replace Doug Baldwin, not just help him out.

Rumors have circulated all offseason about the future of the 30-year-old Baldwin after an injury-plagued 2018 campaign.

But ESPN’s Adam Schefter gave the most definitive report yet Friday that Baldwin’s career is in doubt, stating via Twitter that he may not be able to play again due to injuries he has suffered in recent seasons.

Reported Schefter: “At the age of 30, Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin might be unable to play again due to the cumulative effect of multiple injuries, per sources. There is a real chance that Baldwin, one of the Seahawks’ best and most popular players, has played his last NFL down, a source said Friday.”

Baldwin has had knee and shoulder surgeries as well as a sports hernia surgery since the end of the 2018 season.

Baldwin at one point called last season “hell” as he dealt with myriad injuries and missed three games — the first he had missed since 2012.

— The Seattle Times