KIRKLAND – While people may scoff at the $26 million handed out in signing bonuses this week, the Seattle Seahawks believe they can explain.
General manager Bob Ferguson acknowledged Tuesday that enticing players to come to Seattle sometimes takes a little extra financial incentive.
“What does it cost to bring a player to Seattle?” Ferguson asked rhetorically during the press conference to announce the re-signing of wide receiver Darrell Jackson on Tuesday. “To bring him 1,000 miles, come in here and not leave the building when he could maybe play closer to home? What’s that mean? What does that take to do?”
Jackson and recent addition Grant Wistrom will receive a combined $22 million in signing bonuses alone, while defensive tackle Cedric Woodard got a $4 million bonus. To hear Ferguson tell it, the high numbers, particularly of Wistrom, had to do with re-locating them in the Pacific Northwest.
“We’ve got a camaraderie, we’ve got a core group, we’ve got some special interests. We’ve got a lot of things we can throw at them to want to be here,” Ferguson said. “But financially, it’s tough. We get criticized for what we do, but what we’re doing is the best thing for this franchise. Do we have to spend a little more sometimes? Yes.”
The Seahawks failed to sign another high-profile defensive end last March. Hugh Douglas eventually signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, in part because he thought Seattle was too far away.
Not everyone within the Seahawks’ organization believes the city should be seen as a hindrance in free-agent negotiations.
“Geography is a factor, but I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker,” team president Bob Whitsitt said. “It’s not a deal-breaker, but it can be a deal-maker. We can sell people on Seattle.”
Jackson, a Florida native, admitted that it might be tough to get some players from the eastern part of the U.S. to play in a city so far removed from their friends and families.
“It’s far away from Florida, but it’s nice up here,” Jackson said. “It’s a place that makes you fall in love with it. The fans, the organization, the coaching staff, the atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where at first you stereotype it when you get here, but then your mind changes easily.
“Other than the rain.”
Taylor leaves town: The Seahawks may have signed Wistrom on his first visit and re-signed Jackson, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t let any fish get away.
Cornerback Bobby Taylor spent Monday and Tuesday in Seattle but left town without a contract. Taylor, 30, is a former Philadelphia Eagles star who went to the 2002 Pro Bowl.
“He’s a guy we’d like to have. We’re not sure where it is,” Ferguson said. “He wants to go visit some other teams. So until that works itself out, then we’ll see what happens.
“We’d like to have him, but where do we draw the line? We have two corners that we really like (in Marcus Trufant and Ken Lucas). And we like Kris Richard as our third corner.”
The Seahawks hosted defensive end Marcellus Wiley late last week, when they tried to talk him into moving to defensive tackle and assuming a third-down role. Wiley still hasn’t signed with anyone, but the Seahawks seem like a long shot to earn his services.
“He’s still out there, but that’s a luxury item,” Ferguson said. ” … I’m a personnel guy, and you’re not going to get everybody. That’s unrealistic. I think he’s going to have better scenarios than what we have to offer.”
With Jackson, Wistrom and Woodard signed, the Seahawks don’t have any obvious needs. They still have some visits scheduled with players like New York Giants linebacker Brandon Short and have some money available under the salary cap.
The Seahawks are also holding out hope that Taylor and Wiley will come back to them at the right price – even if the chances seem unlikely.
“Most of these guys see themselves as starting players,” Ferguson said. “You’ve got to have a starting job (available).”
Quick slants: The Seahawks’ remaining unrestricted free agents include middle linebacker Randall Godfrey, safety Reggie Tongue, punter Tom Rouen, cornerback Willie Williams and defensive end Lamar King. … According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wistrom’s base salaries will be $1.5 million in 2004, $2 million in 2005, $3.5 million in 2006 and 2007, $4 million in 2008, and $4.5 million in 2009. The 27-year-old Wistrom received a six-year, $33 million deal that included a $14 million signing bonus, but it is unlikely that he would finish out the final few years of the contract at its current rate.
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