Chris Matthews: The Seattle Seahawks receiver becomes the unlikely star of Super Bowl XLIX

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver almost didn’t try out for the team

(Getty Images)

Chris Matthews almost didn’t try out for the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2014 season.

Matthews was in the middle of a shift at his offseason job when the Seahawks called and told him to come out for a try out, according to Sports Illustrated. Matthews – who at the time was a Canadian Football League player – told the team he had to finish his shift before he could head to the airport.

Had he not changed his mind, the Seahawks likely would have been without the player who recovered an onside kick against the Green Bay Packers, playing a huge role in paving the Seahawks’ path to the Super Bowl, and who has made multiple big plays in the Super Bowl.

Prior to that recovery in the NFC Championship Game, most fans – even Seahawks fans – probably had never heard of Matthews. He didn’t even record a catch with the Seahawks until the first half of the Super Bowl. But boy do people know his name now.

As of writing – halfway through the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl – Matthews has recorded four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, his first four catches and only touchdown of his NFL career. In the Super Bowl.

Matthews, 25, is a 6-foot-5, 218-pound receiver who went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent a year away from the game, but eventually caught on with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. In his first year in that league, he was named rookie of the year.

During CFL offseasons, Matthews worked at Foot Locker and as a security guard to make ends meet while he wasn’t on the field. Then, around this time last year, he got the call from the Seahawks.

He did not get much of a chance to prove himself with the Seahawks during the regular season, but he has seized his opportunity in these playoffs and, if the Seahawks can hold on to their lead, will prove to be a key player in their repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Not bad for a guy who almost turned down a tryout with the Seahawks so he could finish a shift.

Follow Payton Guion on Twitter @PaytonGuion.