The roster connections are on one side when it comes to the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
As the meeting at CenturyLink Field nears, no player currently with New England was once with Seattle. But the same cannot be said for head coach Pete Carroll, special teams assistant Larry Izzo and a list of five former Patriots under contract with the Seahawks between the 53, practice squad and suspended list.
Here’s a glance through the familiar names ahead of Sunday’s 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff.
SEATTLE
Danny Etling, quarterback – Etling signed to the Seattle practice squad after clearing waivers on Labor Day weekend. The 26-year-old quarterback by way of Purdue and LSU originally entered the league with New England in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. Etling would run for an 86-yard touchdown on a bootleg that August. And in his postgame press conference, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick opened with, “Well, that was one of the most exciting plays I’ve seen in preseason, I must say.” Etling spent his rookie campaign on the New England practice squad up through Super Bowl LIII. He moved on to the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 and was claimed by the Seahawks last month amid training camp.
Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver – Acquired from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for quarterback Jacoby Brissett at the 2017 NFL roster deadline, Dorsett went on to catch 73 passes for 881 yards and eight touchdowns over his next three regular seasons. The University of Miami product would make an additional two trips to the end zone in the playoffs for New England. And as a free agent in March, Dorsett agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a one-year contract that qualified for the salary benefit. The 27-year-old wideout was inactive for Seattle’s season opener due to a foot injury.
Josh Gordon, wide receiver – Gordon, who is awaiting reinstatement, re-signed with the Seahawks on a one-year deal at the start of September. The former All-Pro and league leader in receiving yards had been claimed off waivers from New England last fall. Gordon, 29, appeared in five contests with Seattle before his indefinite suspension for violating the NFL’s policies on performance-enhancing drugs and substance abuse. He started 17 games across a pair of Patriots campaigns to secure 60 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns.
Jacob Hollister, tight end – Following the 2019 draft, the Patriots traded Hollister to the Seahawks in exchange for a seventh-round selection in 2020. The tight end had arrived in New England as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming two springs prior, and he’s since caught 42 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle. The Seahawks placed the second-round restricted tender on Hollister, 26, to begin the new league year. He played 11 snaps on offense and 11 snaps on special teams in Week 1.
Tyler Ott, long snapper – The 28-year-old long snapper out of Harvard entered the league as part of New England’s 2014 undrafted class. Ott saw the field that preseason and returned during the subsequent offseason before making stops with the then-St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals. Sunday will mark regular-season game No. 50 for Ott as a Seahawk.