National Football League

Explosive playmaker Tyler Lockett a steadying influence for young Seahawks

Updated Jan. 12, 2023 6:15 p.m. ET

Tyler Lockett knows the Seattle Seahawks are not supposed to be here.

But despite what NFL observers and prognosticators predicted at the start of the regular season, Lockett also knows that his underdog team has a shot to upset the mighty San Francisco 49ers in their NFC wild-card contest on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

"We believe that we can win, but nobody else does," Lockett told reporters this week. "Nobody thought that we would be able to do any of the things that we were able to do.

"Everybody was shocked that we even got into the playoffs. For us, we're just going to go out there and just play free. We're not going to play with any worries. We don't really care what the weather is going to be like. We really don't care about any of that stuff. We're just going to play like we've got nothing to lose."

Lockett is familiar with the underdog role. As an undersized receiver out of Kansas State, he wasn't expected to ascend to the heights he has as a pro. Selected in the third round of the 2015 draft, Lockett has developed into Seattle's most consistent receiver.

He finished the regular season with 84 receptions for 1,003 receiving yards and nine scores. It's the fourth straight season in which he has posted 1,000 receiving yards, joining Steve Largent as the only players to accomplish that feat in franchise history.

Fittingly, for the second year in a row Lockett was awarded the Steve Largent award, voted on by players and given to the person who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks. (Coincidentally, Largent and Lockett share the same birthdate — Sept. 28 — and birthplace — Tulsa, Oklahoma.)

With Seahawks veterans like Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner gone, Lockett now serves as a leader for a young Seattle roster. Players voted him a team captain for the first time as a pro.

Off the field, he earned his real estate license in Washington and Texas, recently closing a $3.25 million home and a commercial property. Lockett compared helping clients through buying a home to serving as captain for the Seahawks.

"The cool part with me being a captain for my first year, it's like you have to learn how to sacrifice," he said. "Even if you think that this might be the best [real estate] deal, you have to be able to understand that not every person that's your client might see it the same way. So you have to be able to learn to meet your client where they're at. You have to learn how to give them the rundown of everything.

"It works the same way with the team. I have to be able to learn to meet teammates where they're at. Some people might be excited, and I have to be able to learn how to mellow them down so they're not overly excited. … You have to balance it out, calm it down, learn how to talk to people. You can't yell at everybody, you have to sometimes bring them to the side. Some people you can talk to in front of everybody. It's kind of cool how those things can intertwine."

On the field, Lockett has developed into a deadly deep threat who can also make plays in critical moments. He has 14 catches of 20-plus yards this season. He has 19 catches for 211 receiving yards and three scores on third down, with 28 targets and a 125.3 passer rating, according to Next Gen Stats.

The 30-year-old receiver offers some postseason experience for a green roster heading into Saturday's game at Levi's Stadium. Lockett has played in six postseason games for Seattle, totaling 23 receptions for 471 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He is one of 21 current Seahawks with playoff experience. Only 14 of those played in the team's most recent postseason appearance — a 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2020 NFC wild-card round.

This season, Lockett has been at his best playing against San Francisco, with 16 receptions for 175 receiving yards on 20 targets versus the 49ers. He has also been at his best at the end of games, with a team-high 23 receptions for 344 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime this season.

During the final month of season, Lockett played with a broken finger suffered in the second meeting against San Francisco in December, showing his toughness.

"He's not the biggest guy, not going to intimidate anybody physically, but if you line up against him, you'll know exactly who he is and what he can do," Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said. "I've seen him time and time again give guys pure hell out there, just the best of the best.

"That's what he is, in my opinion one of the best receivers in the game. For him to be such a selfless individual, never really making it about himself, sometimes that hurts him because he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. But he is one of the best."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

Top stories from FOX Sports: