It looked like Percy Harvin was once again headed for injured reserve due to a hip injury that caused him to miss most of the season. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver's recovery from preseason surgery has not exactly gone as planned and while it was assumed he could miss the entire postseason, Harvin is set to return to practice in hopes of playing soon.
After being signed away from the Minnesota Vikings, Harvin underwent hip surgery almost immediately after arriving in Seattle. He was supposed to be the final piece in what going to be a high-flying Seattle offense. Instead, Harvin played in just one regular-season game. He caught a pass for 17 yards while also returning a kickoff for 58 yards. The Seahawks offense has appeared to be just fine without him, but getting Harvin back for the playoffs could be huge.
"Percy's going to practice with us when we get back with the intention of playing in this next game, head coach Pete Carroll said, via 710 ESPN Seattle Radio Show. "We'll see what happens. That's the intention. We're going to how he goes."
The Seahawks gave up a first-, third-, and seventh-round draft pick in order to get Harvin from the Vikings. So far, that has yet to pay off for the team. Certainly Harvin can return to his normal explosive self in no time, but right the return on the trade has not been what Seattle thought they were getting.
Carroll admitted things have been frustrating for both Harvin and the team. The injury has really set everyone back and the Seahawks are just trying to be as patient as possible.
"He has worked really hard to get back but has not been able to make it over the hump. He's going to need the offseason to really get back to full strength. We will have an extraordinary football player ready to go next year. We will take a look this week and see where we are and then know more," Carroll said.
The Seahawks do not play next Sunday, but if all goes according to plan, Harvin could be back by the Divisional round. Carroll is trying not to put too much pressure on Harvin despite his $67 million, sic-year contract signed back in March. He notes it was a very major surgery the wide receiver underwent and the team would rather he is healthy for the long-term.