Seahawks wait for Rice’s decision
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, May 31, 2001
By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
Talk about a tight job market. Not even the greatest receiver in NFL history is spared.
Longtime San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice will be released sometime in the near future – it’s more a matter of when than if – and is expected to finish his career in a different uniform. Rice could be released as soon as the next few days, or the process might drag on.
No matter when it happens, future employers will be ready and waiting with contract in hand. And Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren hopes to be at the front of that line.
“I think he’d be a great influence on any team,” Holmgren said last month when asked about bringing the 11-time Pro Bowl player to Seattle. “I think he’d like to play some more. Not a lot more, but some more. He can still play.”
Holmgren’s main competition for the 38-year-old Rice appears to be the Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions. Holmgren and Detroit coach Marty Mornhinweg spent time as Rice’s offensive coordinator in San Francisco, while the Raiders would allow Rice to stay in his Bay Area home during the season.
Geographically, Detroit appears to be a long shot. And the Raiders’ interest depends partly on whether they can re-sign veteran Andre Rison.
So what would it take to lure Rice to the Emerald City?
The low end is $1 million, which is what the 49ers have already offered Rice to retire as a member of their organization. Most likely, he will accept no offer that pays less than that for the upcoming season. The Seahawks currently are about $4 million under the salary cap, which is $2 million more than either Detroit or Oakland.
Seattle can probably offer Rice between $1.5 and $2 million for next season, while Oakland and Detroit would have to get very creative to free up that kind of money and sign their recent draft picks.
“I don’t know what the (salary) numbers are going to be for (Rice),” said Jim Steiner, Rice’s agent. “What I do know is, what he deserves and what he’s going to get are two different things.
“Jerry is now playing for other reasons than financial.”
Rice is the latest in a long line of aging stars who have fallen victim to the league’s salary cap. The 49ers had to keep Rice on their roster until today, June 1, in order to save themselves $2.5 million against the cap. After today, he can be released at any time, and the 49ers have already announced they will do so in order to free up cap space.
But Rice has asked the team not to release him until he has struck a deal with someone else, meaning his official release might not come until next week – or even later. Furthering the delay was a decision by the team Wednesday to push back a June 5 deadline at which he is due a $1 million roster bonus.
Steiner, who already has begun negotiations with other teams, said he does not know what the timetable will be in terms of Rice signing. Rice already has met with officials from the Seahawks, Raiders and Lions, and Steiner does not believe second meetings will be necessary.
Holmgren has said that he would like to bring Rice in as a mentor to a young receiving corps that currently features rookie Koren Robinson and second-year player Darrell Jackson. Rice, in town to do an autograph show at Mill Creek Sports Cards three weeks ago, said that role is fine with him.
“It would be great to win another Super Bowl,” Rice said. “But if it doesn’t happen, just passing along the knowledge and helping the younger guys, I could get my gratification from that.”
Rice added that joining the Seahawks “would be ideal.”
Should the Seahawks lure Rice to Seattle, he would likely join Jackson as a starter next season while Robinson learned the ropes as the No. 3 receiver.
Rice has had two surgical procedures on his left knee, but he rebounded to catch 75 passes for 805 yards and seven touchdowns with the 49ers last season.
“At this stage, he can still compete with the younger guys,” Steiner said. “He still has plenty of gas in his tank.”
