The letter Seahawks GM John Schneider wrote Doug Baldwin after the 2011 draft

After Doug Baldwin went undrafted in 2011, Seahawks GM John Schneider sent him a handwritten note, outlining Seattle’s philosophy and underscoring the team’s interest in signing him.

Greg Bishop | Aug 17, 2016

The letter Seahawks GM John Schneider wrote Doug Baldwin after the 2011 draft /

Doug Baldwin’s unlikely NFL career has been fueled by the chips the fiery receiver keeps on his shoulders, but the team he helped drag to the playoffs last fall believed in him even as the rest of the league overlooked his drive. After Baldwin went undrafted in 2011, Seahawks general manager John Schneider sent Baldwin the following handwritten note, outlining Seattle’s philosophy and underscoring the team’s intense interest in signing him.

Despite the caution Stanford coaches had offered to NFL staffs, the Seahawks’ belief in Baldwin would eventually pay off.

Published Aug 17, 2016

GREG BISHOP

Greg Bishop is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered every kind of sport and every major event across six continents for more than two decades. He previously worked for The Seattle Times and The New York Times. He is the co-author of two books: Jim Gray's memoir, "Talking to GOATs"; and Laurent Duvernay Tardif's "Red Zone". Bishop has written for Showtime Sports, Prime Video and DAZN, and has been nominated for eight sports Emmys, winning two, both for production. He has completed more than a dozen documentary film projects, with a wide range of duties. Bishop, who graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, is based in Seattle.