Leon Washington, ina conference call with the Seattle media, said he was "stoked" upon hearing the news that he was traded by the Jets to the Seahawks.
Washington, in his first comments since the trade, said he sat down with Jets brass upon signing his tender eight days ago and was told there was a possibility he could be traded.
"They told me there are no guarantees in this business, and they told me the phone could possibly ring and there could be a possibility," he said. "I didn't expect it, but I knew it was a possibility ... It was a great opportunity for me to get a chance in scenery. This is a brand new start for me. I'm just excited about getting out there and contributing to the team."
Washington will be reunited with former Jets TE Chris Baker, who signed with Seattle over the offseason. In a weird twist, Washington and Baker are scheduled to go fishing Saturday off the coast of Long Island.
"I was like, 'Dude, we're teammates now,'" Washington said.
Washington will play for former USC coach Pete Carroll, who has revamped the Seahawks' backfield. He also traded for former Titan LenDale White, an ex-Trojan, giving the Seahawks a little Thunder-Lightning thing. They also have holdover Julius Jones, the younger brother of former Jet Thomas Jones, a close friend of Washington.
The Seahawks are gambling that Washington will recover from his horrific leg injury, but they only gave up a fifth-round pick and received a seventh-rounder in return.