Josh Jobe, Seahawks Ink New Deal Prior to Free Agency
Chicago Bears DJ Moore (2) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks Josh Jobe (29) during an NFL football game on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024 in Chicago. (Mike Wulf/CSM) (Credit Image: © Mike Wulf/Cal Sport Media)
Making their first move to retain one of their own pending free agents, the Seattle Seahawks solidified their secondary by agreeing to terms with cornerback Josh Jobe on a new contract for the 2025 season.
As officially announced by the Seahawks on their website, Jobe will avoid becoming a restricted free agent next week, which likely saved the team a significant chunk of change. If Seattle would have had to use a tender on him, the lowest original round tender would have cost $3.263 million, but terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed for comparative purposes.
"I'm very excited to be back," Jobe told Seahawks.com after signing his contract. "I felt like I had a breakout season last year, and I've got to keep it going. I'm not done yet; I've still got more to prove."
One of the most surprising stories of the 2024 season, Jobe initially signed with the Seahawks as a member of the practice squad in September after the Eagles waived him at the end of the preseason. Impressing head coach Mike Macdonald and the coaching staff on the practice field and in positional meetings upon arrival, following an injury to starter Tre Brown, he earned a trio of game day elevations from Week 7 to Week 9, producing three pass breakups and an interception against the Falcons, Bills, and Rams.
Rewarded for his stellar performance, Seattle signed Jobe to the 53-man roster after the bye week and even with Brown back healthy, he stayed in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season and played a key role in the team’s dramatic defensive improvements as they won five of their final eight games in the second half. In the 10 games he suited up before missing the season finale with a knee injury, Macdonald’s defense allowed just 17.9 points per game, which would have ranked in the top three in the NFL if extrapolated over an entire 17-game season.
After struggling in limited action in his first two NFL seasons in Philadelphia, the 5-11, 190-pound Jobe proved to be a revelation playing across from Riq Woolen in Macdonald’s scheme, which let star cornerback Devon Witherspoon play most of his snaps in the slot. Targeted 45 times by opposing quarterbacks, he allowed just one touchdown in coverage while intercepting his first career pass and breaking up five passes. He also brought physicality to the secondary as a run defender and bringing down ball carriers after the catch, missing just four tackles while tallying nine stops per Pro Football Focus charting.
With Brown and Artie Burns scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on March 14 and uncertain to return, while he will have to compete to maintain a starting job in camp, the decision to sign Jobe now before the start of the new league year indicates that the Seahawks have plans for him to see significant snaps once again in 2025. As he told the team’s website, following a breakthrough season for the former undrafted signee out of Alabama, he believes the best football remains ahead for the defense and he looks forward to the opportunity to continue being a key cog in a talented defensive backfield.
"This defense can do a lot. We just have to keep that standard high and just keep going, and I think we can be a great defense."
