Seahawks pick up rookie linebacker Michael Barrett from Panthers in trade
SEATTLE – The Seahawks traded cornerback Michael Jackson to Carolina for linebacker Michael Barrett, the team announced Thursday morning.
Barrett was a seventh-round pick out of Michigan by the Panthers in April and played one season for the Wolverines under new head coach Mike Macdonald when he was the defensive coordinator in 2021.
Barrett will add depth at inside linebacker where the Seahawks have had some injury issues, notably projected starting weakside linebacker Jerome Baker remaining sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Barrett spoke glowingly of Macdonald at the NFL combine in February.
“Smart as hell, man,” Barrett said. “I feel like he just knows the game. He loves the game, the way he can teach the game, I feel like was really a big part of what helped our defense change at Michigan when he came in. He just kind of taught our defense and broke it down into simpler terms for all of us to kind of catch it and play fast.
“I just feel like he’s just that guy who just knows. He just has it in him and I feel like they are definitely getting a great head coach, for sure.”
Cornerback, has become a position of depth for the Seahawks and there was no assurance Jackson was going to make the initial 53-man roster when it is set next week.
He had been vying with the likes of veteran Artie Burns and fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett for a backup spot on the roster.
Jackson has been with the Seahawks since 2021 and was a full-time starter in the 2022 season starting all 17 games at left cornerback. But the emergence of Devon Witherspoon and Tre Brown last year consigned him to a reserve role.
Barrett, who was a team captain for the Michigan squad that beat Washington to win the college football national title, played in both preseason games for the Panthers with 27 defensive snaps, and 18 on special teams.
Pro Football Focus gave this assessment to the 6-foot, 239-pounder before the 2024 draft: “Barrett is a natural football player, but he’s too small to play linebacker and not athletic enough to play safety. He projects as a potential special teams ace with some defensive responsibilities in dime situations.”
Barrett, a native of Valdosta, Georgia, played in the most games in Michigan history (64) and appeared in more wins than any player in school history (52).
Barrett, 24, played quarterback at Lowndes High School, throwing for 4,640 yards and 45 touchdowns and rushing for 2,647 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Barrett’s official Michigan bio says he graduated from the college of literature, science and the arts with a major in general studies and is pursuing a master’s from the school of social work.