Jermaine Kearse didn’t cry about going from Seahawks to Jets. He embraced it.

The wide receiver from Seattle has thrived in his new role as a veteran leader in New York.

Nov 10, 2017, 6:07 PM UTC

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Process? What process? Jermaine Kearse had nine days to uproot everything — especially the coziness of his Seattle-area childhood and professional life — to scoot to New York.

Let’s see …

That’s West Coast to East Coast.

From tech city, beaches, and mountains to Broadway.

From the Seahawks to the Jets.

From a winning culture to a, uh, troubled one.

From role player to central figure.

From a contributing voice to a resounding one.

He was traded on Sept. 1. The Jets season opener was on Sept. 10 at Buffalo.

“Process?” he asked. “It happened right at Week 1! I was hearing stuff about me being traded. I had a conversation in the building with someone who helps make those decisions and was told no. That squashed it for me. A week later I was traded.

“True, it makes you feel a certain type of way. You tell me, no, and then I get the opposite. It was bittersweet. I had relationships with all of those guys up there; we all came up together. But this was an opportunity. It was a new chapter.”

So this Seattle-bred Pop Warner, high school, wide receiver from the University of Washington and the Seahawks packed his memories. He turned to his wife of two years, Marisa, and to his then 3-month-old daughter, Rylee, and said we’ve made it here.

But it’s time to elevate.

From the Seahawks to the Jets? Elevate?

What the Jets are saying about Jermaine Kearse:

Defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers: “Leadership. He comes in, works hard every day. Professionalism. He is teaching these guys how to be a pro.”

Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins: “We both grew up near Seattle. When I was in the eighth grade, he was a senior in high school. I watched him play then. Just phenomenal. We played one year together at the University of Washington. Now, we’re teammates again. We have such a young group of receivers. He’s a great leader for them. Since I’ve known him a long time, I can say this: Consistently the same guy. No better guy to go battle with on Sundays.”

Safety Marcus Maye: “He’s one of the first players out there and one of the last off the field. You can talk to him about anything. After one of our early-season losses, even though he’s on the offensive side, we just sat and connected and tried to figure out how I could better do my job. He challenged me to learn more about what receivers want to do to defensive backs; to start to look at my job more from that standpoint. And I have.”

Punter Lachlan Edwards: “Punters get to see a lot and hear a lot by the unique nature of our jobs. Jermaine is a humble guy who has played in big games and gives a very young team priceless experience. He always makes time for his teammates. He’s a big part of the jell of this team.”

Wide Receiver Jalin Marshall: “He gives answers, help. And sometimes it’s not what he says but what he does. A lot of people talk about work but don’t work very hard. He goes to work. He doesn’t take days off.”

Safety Jamal Adams: “Smart guy. Gives his all to the team. Doesn’t worry about getting all of the credit. Takes the top off defenses. Stretches the field. Definitely a veteran attitude. It’s exciting to see him compete and lay it on the line. When you talk about playoffs and championships, he’s done that, and we’d all like to experience those great things. He’s showing us how he did it – conquer each week.”

Yes, insisted Kearse, elevate.

After all, he was not always a Super Bowl 48 champion or a Super Bowl 49 historical figure for his juggling, late catch that nearly pushed the Seahawks to consecutive championships. He is 27 now and in his sixth NFL season, but his start was rather mundane.

Kearse was not drafted in 2012.

Seattle gave the hometown kid a free agent shot, and he worked his way up and eventually onward.

The year prior, receiver Doug Baldwin was a Seahawks free agent signee.

“There is a little bit of him in me,” Kearse said. “We talk or text every day. We text each other before every game. He might send `Somebody’s going to get that work …’ He’s talking about the work we’ve put in and how it has to come out on game days. Or sometimes he just sends `32.’ It’s a reminder for both of us that all 32 teams passed on us for each round of the draft. Every single team. That never leaves us.”

Seattle needed defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and the Jets drooled over a veteran receiver like Kearse, one who could help sculpt their younger receivers and their youthful team overall while also producing. The loss of injured receiver Quincy Enunwa also spurred the trade.

This trade has bloomed for the Jets.

Kearse has 31 receptions, averages 12.3 yards per catch, and is tied for the Jets lead in touchdown grabs with four. They are a 4-5 team headed to Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Jets coaches and players applaud Kearse’s impact en route to games as much as in them.

“I’m not that dude that gets in front of the team and does the whole speech thing,” Kearse said. ”(Linebacker) Demario (Davis) does that; but I do sometimes talk to him before he does that. A lot with me is with individuals and with small groups. I want to hear you. I want to hear you and help you to elevate.

“I’m in the middle of a place evolving. We sit here at 4-5. And people think we’ve done something because we haven’t lost them all like we were supposed to. How many people in here think like that? That’s what we have to figure out. Because what I learned in Seattle was that we found out what we wanted and we were willing to do what it took to get it. How much are you willing to give up, especially in this great city? How much are you willing to sacrifice to get what you say you want? Because I’ve learned, the bigger the sacrifice, the greater the reward.”

Kearse did not join the Jets and moan over going to a franchise and a team nowhere close to Seattle’s current stature.

He did not limp from his beloved Seattle area and the familiarity and love it provided.

He boldly stepped here. He decided to elevate.

In a blink, he says, he has gone from the Seattle kid to New York sage.

“We have a lot of guys so young,” he said. “Man, I’m 27. That blows my mind, because I ain’t old! But if you play this game for 10 years and you’re around [in] your 30s, that time goes by so fast. It’s a hurry. And every player will one day ask himself this question: ‘Did I take advantage of everything? Every chance I had?’

“I have an increased role here and I’m elevating. I’m in a different situation with different people and I’m learning how to handle it. It’s exciting. Every moment, you’re trying to capture it, always trying to elevate.”