AB #88

AJ Barner

Tight End · Michigan

A national champion at Michigan who broke out as a red-zone weapon for Seattle and scored the opening touchdown of Super Bowl LX.

AJ Barner transferred from Indiana to Michigan for one season, won a national title, and turned that momentum into a fourth-round selection by the Seahawks. Two years later he is one of Seattle's most trusted targets near the goal line, and he authored one of the signature moments of the franchise's Super Bowl LX championship run.

★ College football national champion (2023, Michigan)

★ Fourth-round pick, 2024 NFL Draft (No. 121 overall)

★ 52 catches, 519 yards, 6 touchdowns in 2025

★ Scored a touchdown in Seattle's Super Bowl LX victory

Path to the league

Barner started his college career at Indiana, where he earned team captain honors as a junior, before transferring to Michigan for his senior season in 2023. He helped the Wolverines win the national championship, catching 22 passes for 249 yards. The Seahawks drafted him in the fourth round, 121st overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Career highlights

Barner's rookie season showed his potential as a receiving tight end, with 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games. He built on that in year two, becoming a more consistent part of Seattle's passing game while also contributing on special teams, a carryover from his college days under Jay Harbaugh at Michigan.

2025 season recap

Barner broke out in 2025, catching 52 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns, including his first career two-touchdown game against Tampa Bay in Week 6 and his first rushing score the following week. He capped the season by catching four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's Super Bowl LX win over New England, scoring the game's opening touchdown.