Less Bobo: Enduring a reduced role, Jake Bobo still comes up large for Seahawks

“More Bobo” has become “More Limited Bobo.”

Jake Bobo was a folk hero while playing every game his first two season, after making the Seahawks and the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver in the summer of 2023. This season he’s been a healthy scratch for five games, on the sidelines watching in sweats instead of playing.

Yet he remains a huge favorite inside the locker room of the NFC West-champion Seahawks.

“Yeah, he’s incredible,” veteran wide receiver and 2021 Rams Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp said this week, Seattle’s playoff bye week as the conference’s top seed.

“I love Jake. The guys in here love him. And he’s been a big deal, big part of our thing this year.”

Bobo was a huge deal on one of the biggest plays of the Seahawks’ biggest game so far this season.

Last Saturday night in Santa Clara, California, Seattle was holding a 10-3 that should have been more late into the third quarter of a game they were dominating. It was third and 17 for the Seahawks at their own 25-yard line. A punt was looming. The Niners were poised for good field position and a chance to try to tie the NFC West title game.

In the huddle, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold relayed offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s play call: a quick toss sweep out of shotgun formation for lead back Kenneth Walker to run right. Before they broke the huddle, Kupp tapped Bobo on the back.

“Yeah, Bobo did a great job there, just understanding little nuances of those details,” Kupp said this week. “It’s what we do, communicating in and out of the huddle. It goes from him to me.

“A lot of times it’s from our O-line to what we’re doing at receiver and receiver communicating to the O-line in situations.”

Kupp’s message to Bobo: This is your block to get us the unlikely first down.

It looked like a white-flag play, a surrender to get a few yards to make the field position a bit better for Michael Dickson’s punt on the next snap. But for the third time in three games, the Seahawks converted a third-and-way-long into a first down.

All because of an undrafted, reserve receiver from UCLA and Duke whose offensive snaps this season have gone from about a third to just 17%.

Bobo was aligned in the slot outside right. He was inside Jaxon Smith-Njigba and outside Kupp, who almost tight on right end. Bobo had 49ers nickel defensive back Upton Stout across from him. At the snap, Bobo ran into Stout’s chest.

‘Jax’s got to come down and crack-(back block) him,” Bobo said this week.

“So I was trying to mess around with him to make Jax’s job a little easier, and then kind of move on to what I had to do — which is the more painful part of the play.”

That was the imminent, violent collision with Tatum Bethune in the open field.

The 49ers safety was sprinting from the middle of the field to Walker outside nearer the sideline. Bobo turned to the linebacker. He and Bethune slammed into each other. As Bobo maintained his block, Walker ran past. As Walker did, Bobo finished the block — then comically grabbed the white towel that was tucked into the back of Bethune’s waistband and pants.

Bobo then turned and accidentally took out 49ers defensive end Sam Okuayinonu with his legs into his foe’s legs and the Niner defender was trying to pursue the play from the backside.

Those three blocks, by one Seahawk, allowed Walker to run for 19 yards and the startling first down. As Walker was crossing the line to gain, Bobo roared. He signaled first down before the officials did. He also took the towel he had swiped from Bethune and flung it up the field, toward the stunned 49ers.

Jake Bobo took out three 49ers defenders--"not on purpose," he said---blocking outside right on Kenneth Walker's key 19-yard run 3rd & 17, 3Q of #Seahawks' NFC West title-game win at San Francisco.

"I'll take it," Bobo told me. "Just get a piece of who you're supposed to get." pic.twitter.com/vtG5EKWWjD

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 9, 2026

The play extended the drive into the fourth quarter. It led to Jason Myers’ field goal that increased Seattle’s lead to two scores, 13-3.

The way the Seahawks’ defense dominated, the game was over.

Seattle moved to 14-3, a team record for wins in a regular season. It had its first division title since 2020, plus the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

“That was a huge one,” Kupp said of Bobo’s block(s). “That was a huge play for us.”

On Thursday, Bobo basically shrugged off the triple block as, well...his job.

“Yeah, man,” he said, “just get a piece of who you’re supposed to get.”

Coach Mike Macdonald playfully teased about Bobo’s intent when asked about him taking out three guys.

“I would call it a 1.09,” Macdonald said, grinning.

Less Bobo

More Bobo has been Less Bobo in his third Seahawks season.

Thos spring the team drafted speedy wide receiver Tory Horton. He was the star of training camp on offense. Horton took away many of the reps Bobo had gotten as a fourth wide receiver the previous two years.

Then coaches realized Cody White, a practice squad player most of the previous two seasons, didn’t deserve to get cut out of the preseason. White kept making every play in the limited chances he got. He made his first NFL roster out of a preseason. That further diminished Bobo’s opportunities.

Then Bobo got concussed in late August when he own player ran into him as he was trying to catch a punt in Seattle’s final preseason game at Green Bay.

Many #Seahawks down on a knee, coach Mike Macdonald on the field hoping teammates Jake Bobo, Tyler Hall OK. down on Lambeau Field after they collided while Bobo was catching a punt.

Bobo walked then jogged straight to the locker room. Hall needed help limping off, right leg pic.twitter.com/sb13X4jmFS

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 23, 2025

That caused him to be inactive for the season opener, Sept. 7 against San Francisco at Lumen Field. It was the first game Bobo didn’t play in his three-year NFL career.

In early October, Horton had a team-record 95-yard touchdown on a punt return. That sparked a runaway first half of Seattle’s win over New Orleans. In early November, Horton injured his shin coming out of a two-touchdown-catch game at Washington. Seahawks general manager then traded two third-day draft choices to New Orleans for Saints 2023 All-Pro kick returner and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Horton remains on injured reserve. With Shaheed in town, Bobo became a healthy scratch. He was inactive on the sideline in team sweats watching five games.

When he’s been active to play, for 11 of 17 games, Bobo has been primarily on special teams. He has not played more than 17 snaps on offense in a game since Shaheed arrived.

The last two games, Bobo has played at least 62% of special-teams snaps entering Seattle’s NFC divisional-round playoff game next weekend at Lumen Field.

Bobo’s gone from 19 catches as a rookie with his first two NFL touchdowns in 2023 to 13 receptions last season — to just two this season. That’s as Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 yards receiving this season. Kupp became the sage, number-two receiver. And Shaheed has been a potentially game-breaking weapon who’s changed how much defenses can double-cover Smith-Njigba.

“Yeah, it’s been frustrating”

The News Tribune asked Bobo this week how he’s adjusted to his reduced role in the Seahawks’ offense.

“When you’re on the field, you’ve got to do what you’re supposed to do,” he said.

“And so that makes whether you make the right block, which that (third and 17) was an example of, or you miss a block on the K-9 (Walker) swing pass, it kind of just amplifies your plus-minus (coaches’ grades), at least in my mind. That’s how I’ve been working through it.

“Yeah, man, just continue to do your job. My first three years here my goal has been: Just find a role on this team. Obviously, the first two years were a little bit more involved in the pass game. This year, not so much.

“Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to do it. And I’ll do it to the best of my ability. And I will continue to do so to get this team wins, and get this team where we need to be and where we should be.”

Per NFL CBA players get $53,500 each for making it to the wild-card round, another $58,500 for divisional round, another $81,000 for NFC/AFC title games. Super Bowl champs get another $178,000, losing team $103K each.#Seahawks are getting $58,500 each on their bye this weekend

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 9, 2026

Has it been frustrating?

“Yes and no,” Bobo said. “As a competitor, yes. But at the same time, dude, when we’re playing like we’re playing, when we’re winning games like we’ve been winning, who am I to say (anything) — especially when the three guys on the field are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, at an elite level. Especially Jax.

“So, yeah, it’s been frustrating. I want to contribute more, and be a part of what we’re doing as an offense. But at the same time, whatever’s put on your plate, eat it.”

His teammates and his coaches have noticed Bobo’s been chowing at whatever morsels he gets.

“Jake’s been great. He was a captain in this past game. I can tell you what the coaching staff thinks of him and the job that he’s done,” Macdonald said.

“It’s been unfortunate that we haven’t been able to get him active on some of those games. When you have receivers that are doing what Cody was doing the way that he was playing, there’s only so many spots you can take going into a game,” Macdonald said.

“Jake’s a great competitor too, and he’s a great teammate. He’s supporting the guys. But he’s also competing for that role, as well. That’s exactly the way that you want it where the guys are sharpening each other all the time.”

Now, with the Seahawks playing their biggest games, two home wins from the Super Bowl, Bobo is reminding everyone why and how he became so beloved in Seattle.

“In the last couple games, being active, I thought he’s really shown the impact that he can have on games,” Macdonald said. “The ball might not find him the way he’s playing on special teams, and the role he plays for our offense. It hasn’t been the role probably he envisioned for himself at the beginning of the season.

“But I can tell you, it’s been very significant to help us get to this point in the season.”