The conversation began with a discussion of the Steve Largent Award that Tyler Lockett was going to be presented with in a couple of days, but as he sat in the players' lounge located just outside the Seahawks locker room, the veteran receiver turned reflective.

With his 10^th season in the NFL winding down, all of them with the team that selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft, Lockett understands that nothing is certain beyond this season. Yes, he wants to play in 2025, but yes, he recognizes that an 11^th season may not happen in Seattle. A savvy businessman—Lockett has his own real estate business, Liv N Serve Real Estate, in addition to being an NFL receiver—Lockett has seen enough in his decade in the NFL to understand that the Seahawks will have salary cap-related decisions to make this offseason, just like every year, and that his is one of the contracts that will be part of those discussions.

However things play out this offseason, Lockett is heading into this final game of the 2024 season grateful for his experiences, from being an All-Pro returner early in his career to a No. 1 receiver regularly putting up 1,000-yard seasons to a 2024 campaign he admits has been a challenging one at times as his targets and numbers have significantly decreased.

"The fact that I've been here for 10 years, and they've allowed me to thrive, allowed me to come into my own—I had ups and downs throughout my career, on and off the field, but they helped me out and still were there with me—and I think it was cool," Lockett said. "I got a chance to play with Hall of Famers here. I got the chance to meet so many amazing people. I got the chance to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year, the Steve Largent Award, and so I think it's cool. I got the chance to be the realtor to the Seahawks, and hopefully all of these things continue.

"If they decide to let me go after this year, then that (Week 16 game vs Minnesota) might've been the last time I was able to play while on the team at CenturyLink… If you're going to go out, you want to be able to go out and giving it everything you had, being thankful and grateful for the opportunities and the moments. And so I'm definitely excited, even with the new staff, that's why I wasn't tripping. I knew with a new staff, things were going to change. Sometimes the way that they use people is going to change, because it's not the same staff as last year. So it's not like I'm upset or anything with what's been happening with me as an individual, because things are going to change and they're not really going to be the same when newness comes in. I've gotten a chance to help them build the foundation of what they want to do. And I might not have been able to do as much on the field, but I at least got to play a really big part in helping them try to build something here."

That Lockett slips up and calls Lumen Field by its old name only emphasizes his longevity in Seattle and the NFL, making it 10 years with one franchise in a sport that frequently sees careers end after just a few years, a Seahawks career that started with Seattle trading up in the third-round from 95 to 69^th overall, sending fourth, fifth and sixth round picks to Washington. That move, giving up three picks to move up, made by a front office that has a long history of trading back to acquire picks, showed just how badly the Seahawks wanted Lockett, and as it turns out, just how right about him they were. In his time in Seattle, Lockett has become a beloved fan favorite on the field and a staple in the community off of it, all while becoming one of the most productive receivers in franchise history, recording the second most receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famer Steve Largent in all three categories. Lockett also joined Largent as the only pass-catcher in team history to record four straight 1,000-yard seasons, has won the team's prestigious Steve Largent Award three times, and was the team's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award twice.

"He's been the OG here, the vet; now been here for 10 years," fellow receiver DK Metcalf said this week. "No better person I think since I've been here to represent this organization better than him just by the way he carries himself, the way he works hard, and never lets a situation get to him. He's always getting open on the field whenever we're going back to watching film. Grateful to have spent time with him. Grateful to have spent six years with him and just learned from him. Great player, great person, great friend in my opinion. So yeah, he's done everything the right way and he's a Hall of Famer in my book on and off the field."

For Lockett, doing things the right way, as Metcalf put it, has included taking a back seat, production wise, to Metcalf and Jaxon-Smith Njigba. While Smith-Njigba has enjoyed a breakout second season with 96 receptions (four short of Lockett's single-season franchise record with one game left to play) for 1,121 yards and six touchdowns, Lockett has 47 catches for 572 yards and two touchdowns, all of which are the lowest numbers he has posted since 2017, his third year in the NFL. It wasn't necessarily how Lockett wanted his 10^th season to play out, but it's a role he has been willing to take on for the betterment of the team.

"Honestly, I think my biggest contribution to this team has just been sacrifice," Lockett said. "I think the whole season has been sacrifice, and it's sacrifice for the betterment of the team. It's sacrifice for the betterment of the other players. It's sacrifice for a lot of different stuff, you know. I think that's really been the whole portion of myself. So, yeah, it sucks for me as a player when you hear people say, 'Oh, he's too old or he's washed or he's not the same type of player.' I promise you if you go watch the film, that's not the case, you know what I'm saying? That's just the truth, but I understand that with sacrifice does come those conversations. It does come these opinions and different types of theories, so I'm cool with being able to stand on that, because a lot of people in this organization and a lot of people, whether it's the players or the coaches, understand the sacrifice that I made to try to make this team be the best team possible that they could be."

For Lockett to have embraced that role, even if it wasn't his preferred role having averaged 79.2 catches, 1,028.7 yards and 8.3 touchdowns per year over the past six seasons, says everything about the type of person and player he is.

"You think about Tyler and his career and the arc of his career, and to have that mentality, man, just the humility, putting the team first, what else can you ask for?" Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "And he loves ball. That guy comes out here. He's been doing it for such a long time, but the enthusiasm, the attitude, the productivity, man. The city knows Tyler, shoot, better than I do, but coming to know him this year has been a blessing for me personally too. I mean this guy, he's just one of one. We absolutely love him."

Lockett has said repeatedly in interviews in recent weeks that he plans to play next season, but he also knows the business side of the NFL means that could have to happen somewhere other than Seattle. Nothing has been decided at this point, and it's entirely possible Lockett continues his career with the Seahawks in 2025, but he has also tried to soak in all the moments as this season comes to and end, knowing that if this is it for him, he will be grateful for everything he and the team were able to accomplish over the last decade.

"It went through my mind that the Vikings could have been my last home game here," he said. "It went through my mind that maybe this could be my last Thursday practice or my last Friday practice being part of the team, but, again, those conversations are going to be had at the end of the season. As of right now, I continue to keep on playing no matter what. I always tell John (Schneider) how thankful I am that he was able to find ways to keep me here. When Pete (Carroll) was here last year, I told him the same thing. I met with both of them and told them I appreciate everything that they've done for me because, again, last year I thought that may have been the last ride being able to be here on a team. So to me there's no hostility, there's no nothing. There's always love on my side of things, and even though things may not have worked out with me on the field, I've won at so many other things in life that I really thank God for even putting me in a place to win like this."