Veteran wide receiver Jermaine Kearse has found a new NFL home. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday that Kearse is signing with the Detroit Lions. Detroit hosted Kearse for a workout last month.
Source: Former #Jets WR Jermaine Kearse will sign with the #Lions. Some late WR depth heading into camp.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 6, 2019
Veteran Wideout Jermaine Kearse Signs With Detroit Lions
The Lions will be the third team Kearse has played for in his NFL career. Kearse signed on with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent back in 2012. He wound up making Seattle’s 53-man roster that year, but only appeared in seven games, starting one. Kearse caught three passes for 31 yards as a rookie. He would see four more starts the following year in 2013, where he started five games. He saw very limited action but made the most of it in those five starts, catching 22 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns.
The Seahawks began to like what they saw in Kearse and penciled him in as a starting receiver in 2014. The veteran started 14 games for Seattle that year and hauled in 38 passes for 537 yards, but just one touchdown. In 2015, Kearse started all 16 games and reeled in 49 passes for 685 yards. He set a career-high for touchdowns with five.
In the weeks leading up to the 2017 season, the Seahawks traded Kearse to the New York Jets in exchange for defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. In his inaugural season with the Jets, Kearse recorded a career-high 65 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns in 14 starts, his best professional season by a wide margin. Last season, in 2018, Kearse started nine games for the Jets and caught 37 passes for 371 yards and one touchdown.
Kearse’s role in Detroit’s offense figures to be quite simple. With the trade of Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles last season, the Lions lost the slot and/or possession receiver in their offense. Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay can both do some of the slot and possession work, but that’s what Detroit signed Danny Amendola for. Kearse figures to battle with Golladay and Jones for a spot on the outside in Detroit’s offense in training camp.
