Jermaine Kearse tells ESPN he won’t give Seahawks hometown discount

Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse is one of seven Seahawks starters set to become unrestricted free agents. (AP)

Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse doesn’t plan on giving the Seahawks a so-called hometown discount in free agency.

He said as much in a text to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which read:

“I love my hometown, but I’ve put in too much hard work to give a discount. My number one priority is to take care of my family’s future, so I will consider all opportunities.”

Kearse, who is from the Tacoma area and played at the University of Washington, is one of seven Seahawks starters who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. He signed a three-year, $1.44 million deal as an undrafted free agent in 2012 then made $2.356 million last season while playing on a restricted free-agent tender.

Kearse talked on Monday about how much it has meant to him to play in front of his family and friends and said that he would “love to” continue doing so. He added: “But unfortunately there’s a business side of this league … So you’ve kind of just got to wait for the whole process to happen and assess the situation.”

Here’s more on some of the factors that will be at play with Kearse in free agency.