Seahawks get terrible Elijah Arroyo news ahead of Week 7 Chiefs game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Seahawks got two major pieces of injury news on Thursday before the team's Week 7 matchup against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. One piece of news was good, and the other was about as bad as it gets.
While running back Zach Charbonnet was confirmed to have been activated off the physically unable to perform list, the Seahawks got some terrible news on their highly-drafted tight end.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Seahawks are going to lose Elijah Arroyo for the rest of the 2026 NFL season, as he's having season-ending shoulder surgery on Thursday, ending his second NFL season before it could really even begin.
Elijah Arroyo to have season-ending shoulder surgery
"Source: Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo is undergoing shoulder surgery today and will miss the rest of the season," Schefter reports.
This is a brutal blow for the Seahawks' second-year tight end. This was set to be a year where he'd see an increase in involvement in the offense, but now, before he could really get anything going, his season is over.
The 23-year-old tight end caught 15 of 26 targets for 179 yards and one touchdown last season during the Seahawks' Super Bowl run.
In 2026, Arroyo has caught just one of his two targets for 17 yards with no touchdowns, and now will miss the rest of the regular season.
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After four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown during the preseason, Arroyo sparked some optimism heading into his second NFL season after being drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, with this report from Schefter coming out on Thursday, his sophomore season is over. Seattle will continue to rely on AJ Barner as their top tight end this season, with Erid Saubert and Nick Kallerup filling out the depth chart as Arroyo misses time.
Tight end might be a trade target for the Seahawks this Fall if they can improve on their 3-3 record by the NFL trade deadline in November.
But for now, the Seahawks are down a young tight end who would've been a nice pass-catcher in this offense. Arroyo is out for the year and will look to come back in 2027.
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