Seahawks cut ties with Shaun Alexander

Published 11:23 pm Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Curt Warner played one, final season with the Los Angeles Rams. Jacob Green’s career came to a quiet end in a San Francisco 49ers uniform. And Jim Zorn had to go to Canada while trying to prolong his playing career.

For every Steve Largent, who played his entire career with Seattle, there are dozens of Seahawks stars who didn’t get to finish their tenures on their own terms.

And as of late Tuesday afternoon, running back Shaun Alexander could add his name to the list.

If Alexander does play again in the NFL — and he wants to do just that — the former league MVP will have to do it in a new uniform. The Seahawks officially cut ties with one of the greatest players in franchise history on Tuesday, ending a memorable career that took him to places not even Largent could go.

During eight seasons with the Seahawks, the former University of Alabama star was named NFL MVP, won two NFC rushing titles, and set several league and franchise records. He also signed the biggest contract in franchise history: an eight-year, $61 million deal in 2006.

But over the past two seasons, the 30-year-old Alexander was cursed with a mortality that included nagging injuries and underwhelming rushing totals. After putting up a franchise-record 1,880 rushing yards during his MVP season of 2005, Alexander had a combined 1,612 rushing yards over the past two years. His career yards-per-carry average dipped from 4.6 to 4.3 after two consecutive seasons in which he averaged less than 3.7 yards per clip. Along the way, Qwest Field fans often turned on him by showering the three-time Pro Bowler with boos.

In a statement sent Tuesday afternoon through his personal public-relations firm, Firmani and Associates, Alexander said he plans to continue playing in the NFL.

“I will be playing for another NFL team this fall, and doing everything I can to contribute,” Alexander was quoted as saying in the release. “I am healthy, energized and looking forward to beginning the next chapter of my NFL career.

“I want to thank the Seahawks and coach (Mike) Holmgren for all they have done for me and my family over the years,” the statement continued. “I have nothing but respect and affection for the Seahawks staff, my teammates and the organization. I wish them the best.”

In announcing the decision, Seahawks team president Tim Ruskell admitted that he was “sad” to have to release one of the best players in team history.

“It was difficult, but we felt, at the end of the day, we needed to revamp and revitalize our running game,” Ruskell told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “It was mandated after the season, and this is a decision we made as part of that process. We felt it was time to turn the page and change that dynamic.”

Alexander’s release was rumored for months, due in equal parts to his large salary and some recent roster moves.

During the 2008 season, Alexander’s base salary was due to more than triple — from $1.4 million to $4.475 million — while he was scheduled to cost $6.9 million against the ‘08 cap. But Ruskell said the financial hit, which can be put upon the 2008 cap or spread out over two years if the official release comes after June 1 — was not a major factor in the decision.

“It is not a cap decision by any stretch of the imagination,” Ruskell said Tuesday. “Whether we keep the money here or push it downstream would not affect what we are trying to do. This was strictly what we felt was best for our team and the running game.”

Also pointing toward Alexander’s eventual release were the March signings of veteran halfbacks T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones. And it’s entirely possible that the Seahawks could add another running back in this weekend’s draft.

The timing of Alexander’s Tuesday release had mostly to do with a January surgery that was meant to repair his left wrist. He underwent a physical at the team’s facility Tuesday, and when he was cleared medically, the Seahawks felt comfortable announcing his release.

“In the doctors’ mind,” Ruskell said, “Alexander will be ready for minicamps this spring.”

While Alexander’s career in Seattle will hold up in the record books for years to come, his name will live in NFL circles as another example of star runners declining after the age of 30. Alexander turned 30 last August, then went on to have his least productive season since 2000, when he was a rookie backing up veteran starter Ricky Watters.

Alexander has missed nine games over the past two seasons due to wrist, foot and knee injuries. To his credit, he played through the injuries. But Alexander struggled to match his typical level of performance.

It’s still unclear how the Seahawks will distribute the carries during the 2008 season. When asked last week how the team plans to use Duckett and Jones, Ruskell said that’s still a work in progress.

“The roles will be established when we go through these minicamps,” he said, referring to three summer sessions, the first of which begins in nine days. “… Coming into a new scheme with a new coach, who knows how it will go. We are all in agreement that we like the guys that we brought in and we think they are going to be heavy-duty contributors.”

Alexander’s role with the team, at long last, became clear on Tuesday afternoon. After eight memorable seasons with the team, he’ll have to continue his career elsewhere.

“We appreciate everything that Shaun did,” Ruskell said Tuesday afternoon. “We feel that we wouldn’t have made that run to the Super Bowl in ‘05 without his talents and his production over the course of that season and his whole career.

“He really helped put the Seahawks back on the map during the Holmgren era. We wish him well with whatever team he ends up.”

Notes: Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard was released from jail Tuesday morning, more than 24 hours after being arrested for domestic violence. He appeared in a King County courtroom in downtown Seattle before his release. Bernard was charged with domestic violence after an altercation early Monday morning with a woman who, according to the police report, is the mother of his child. The report stated that Bernard struck the woman — a 21-year old from Renton — with a closed fist after arguing with her at a night club in downtown Seattle. … The release of Alexander leaves just one player on the current roster — tackle Walter Jones — who was drafted before 2001.