After the Seattle Seahawks traded wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to the New York Jets on Friday, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner had a one-word farewell for his departing teammate.

"Clutch," Wagner tweeted.

Indeed, Kearse's legacy in Seattle will be -- or at least should be -- all the times he came up big in key moments during his five seasons with the team. Simply put, he's responsible for some of the most important plays in franchise history.

There was the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, a 35-yarder that preceded Richard Sherman's game-saving tip of a Colin Kaepernick pass in the end zone.

He caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime in the NFC Championship Game the following year, capping Seattle's improbable comeback over the Green Bay Packers. Kearse had two passes bounce off his hands for interceptions earlier in the game, and he was also the intended target on two other Russell Wilson passes that were picked off. He went from goat to hero with another 35-yard touchdown catch that sent Seattle back to the Super Bowl.

Those were two of Kearse's six career postseason touchdown catches, a franchise record he shares with Doug Baldwin.

Another one of his clutch plays ended up being for naught. On the Seahawks' final drive of Super Bowl XLIX, two plays before their dreams of a second straight title were dashed at the goal line, Kearse got them to the 5-yard line with an impossible juggling catch that he made while on his back.

"Thank you @JKearse_15 for so many memorable and clutch catches over your 5 year career!" Seahawks owner Paul Allen tweeted.

Even with his history of big plays and his local ties -- Kearse grew up in Lakewood, Washington, and attended the University of Washington -- he wasn't for everyone. Those things only went so far with a segment of the fan base that felt Kearse's regular-season production didn't warrant his status as Seattle's No. 2 receiver, especially when his numbers dipped last year. It didn't help that he was flagged for offensive pass interference six times in 2016.

There was also his role in the decisive play of Super Bowl XLIX. Had Kearse done more to screen Malcolm Butler, the Patriots cornerback may not have been able to jump in front of Wilson's throw to Ricardo Lockette.

Then again, the Seahawks may not have been in position to score there had Kearse not made that circus catch two plays earlier. Just like they may not have even gotten back to the Super Bowl were it not for his game-winner against Green Bay. Same for his touchdown catch in the previous year's NFC Championship Game.

For whatever shortcomings he had as a receiver, Kearse was undeniably clutch.