When you win a Super Bowl in the NFL, life is good. For the Seattle Seahawks, they have managed to spend the offseason enjoying the fruits of their labor from the 2025 campaign. While the players have spent quite a bit of time celebrating, they also have a new season to get ready for as they attempt to defend their title.
For tight end AJ Barner, that has involved recovering from some injury issues he picked up last season. While Barner is doing well now, he recently shared a surprising update on his injury status during Seattle’s OTAs that involved him undergoing a pair of surgeries shortly after he won the first championship of his young career.
AJ Barner Shares Important Injury Update
Barner was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and after a quieter rookie campaign, he ended up earning the starting tight end job in 2025. As the season went on, Barner’s rapport with quarterback Sam Darnold grew, and he ended up becoming a key part of the passing game by the time the season ended.
When all was said and done, Barner started all 17 games for Seattle during the regular season and racked up 52 receptions for 519 yards and six touchdowns. He also had an important performance in Super Bowl LX, as he caught four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, which helped the Seahawks cruise to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots.
While the celebration in the wake of that major accomplishment has been fun, Barner’s attention quickly turned to the 2026 campaign. With that in mind, he revealed that he had to undergo a pair of surgeries a week after winning the Super Bowl, meaning much of his offseason has been spent on injury rehab.
“You go from winning the Super Bowl, doing the parade, to getting two surgeries the next week,” Barner revealed. “People don’t really get to see that. It was awesome to reach that pinnacle, but now I gotta go back to the woods, go into the dark and go get right, so that’s kind of the mindset that I’ve had.”
AJ Barner Ready to Build Off Breakout 2025 Campaign
GettySeattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner got an injury update during OTAs.
Barner should be good to go for the start of the Seahawks’ 2026 campaign, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering how he has yet to miss a game over the first two seasons of his career. Still, when he returns to action, Barner is going to have his sights set on building off of his breakout campaign, and considering how Seattle lost some key pieces on offense, it is going to need him to deliver the goods.
After becoming a key target for Darnold in the passing game down the stretch of the 2025 campaign, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Barner establish himself as one of the top tight ends in the league this season. Getting healthy is the first piece of business that he needs to accomplish, but assuming he can do that, expectations are going to be high for him in 2026.
Seahawks TE AJ Barner Reveals He Had 2 Offseason Surgeries in Injury Update