The Seattle Seahawks are chasing another Super Bowl in 2026, and they might have a problem for the rest of the league at tight end. AJ Barner doesn’t have the name recognition yet. But he’s got the tape, the stats and now a very specific comparison from ESPN’s Ben Solak.
Solak called Barner a “discount George Kittle” in a recent breakdown. The connection runs deeper than play style. Barner’s offensive coordinator Brian Fleury used to be Kittle’s tight ends coach in San Francisco. Fleury knows exactly what a dominant tight end looks like in a Kyle Shanahan-style offense. Now he’s got one in Seattle.
“If Fleury runs the passing game a little more through Barner this season, he’ll start to get his name mentioned in the upper tier of tight ends … where it belongs,” Solak wrote.
Barner started all 17 games in 2025 and set career highs across the board. He caught 52 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers don’t jump off the page like elite wide receivers, but for a tight end who also serves as a primary blocker in the run game? That’s a complete player.
The blocking piece matters more than the catches
Seattle lost running back Kenneth Walker in the offseason, so whoever lines up behind the quarterback is going to need help. Barner has already proven he can hold his own as a run blocker. That part of his game isn’t a question anymore.
What changed in 2025 was his development as a pass catcher. He went from a reliable outlet to a legitimate threat over the middle. Defenses had to account for him, which opened things up for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed on the outside.
Barner won’t get the same attention those wide receivers get. Not yet anyway. But tight ends who can block like a lineman and catch like a big slot don’t stay under the radar forever. Especially not in an offense that knows how to feature them.
The Seahawks are betting on Fleury to unlock that next level. And if Solak’s read is correct, Barner is about to climb the NFL tight end rankings in a hurry. Seattle doesn’t need him to be Kittle. They just need him to be enough of a problem that defensive coordinators lose sleep.
Another season like 2025 and Barner’s name won’t need a discount label anymore.
Leave a Comment