Portis to blame for Alexander’s lame-duck status

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, September 29, 2005

The $50 million man will be carrying a football at Fed Ex Field this weekend. And Shaun Alexander can’t help but wish it was him.

Amid all the finger-pointing that goes on when a star player remains without a long-term contract, the most obvious direction to extend a digit is toward No. 26 of the Washington Redskins.

Clinton Portis – not Alexander or Alexander’s agents or Tim Ruskell or Paul Allen or anyone else who seems to be preventing Seattle’s Pro Bowl running back from signing a long-term deal – is the person most responsible.

When Portis signed an eight-year, $50.5 million contract with the Redskins in March 2004, it skewed the numbers for every running back in the league.

No longer was it acceptable to make $35 million over seven years, like Priest Holmes’s 2001 contract could pay him, or the $24 million over six years that Tiki Barber was due to pull in. The new generation of running backs started asking for Portis-type money. Deuce McAllister of the New Orleans Saints got an eight-year, $50.1 million contract in July. San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson signed a deal worth $60 million over six years.

And it all started with Portis.

But, really, can we blame Portis? They showed him the money, and he simply accepted. It was Redskins owner Daniel Snyder who signed off on the deal – the same Daniel Snyder who signed running back Stephen Davis to a nine-year, $90 million contract in 2000 (a deal that was back-loaded and saw Davis get released after just three seasons).

So here sit the Seahawks, with a two-time Pro Bowler who is playing as well as any running back in the NFL right now.

Alexander’s one-year, $6.323 million contract tender is taking a big chunk out of this year’s salary cap, but at least he’s producing. Signing him to a long-term contract could devastate future finances.

Let’s use the Portis deal as an example. His contract is structured to pay him just $455,000 in base salary this season and $545,000 next season, then jump to $3.5 million in 2007. The numbers keep getting bigger, all the way up to an $8.75 million salary in 2011 that Portis has as much chance of seeing as I do. So he’ll probably play three or four more years under the deal, then get released.

But his $17 million signing bonus will keep weighing down the Redskins’ cap for seven more years – regardless of whether he is still on the roster. Spread out over the length of the eight-year deal, that bonus will count $2.125 against the cap every year, right up through the 2011 season.

That’s what we call “dead money,” and it’s killed several franchises over the years. Just ask anyone who remembers the glory days in San Francisco, Dallas or Tennessee.

So what the Seahawks have is a running back who is playing well enough to be paid accordingly, but a franchise that is unwilling to give him big money over a long-term deal. He is, after all, 28 years old. And running back production significantly declines after the age of 30, especially when you’re carrying the ball as often as Alexander does.

According to several reports, the Seahawks and Alexander’s agents have had some discussions over the past week but not much in terms of negotiations. He’s undoubtedly looking for a big payday, while the Seahawks – like any team west of D.C. – are leery of a contract that could have damaging financial ramifications in three or four years.

So what would happen if Alexander hit the free-agent market again? It’s safe to say that he’s unlikely to endure another summer of disinterest from other teams.

The upcoming offseason is likely to find Minnesota, Arizona, San Francisco and Carolina looking for runners. Philadelphia (with a disgruntled Brian Westbrook), Jacksonville (with an oft-injured Fred Taylor), the New York Jets (with an aging Curtis Martin), Green Bay (with a free-agent-to-be in Ahman Green) and Indianapolis (with an unhappy Edgerrin James) could realistically join them.

That’s nine possible teams looking for a running back … or nine more than last offseason.

So Alexander’s value continues to surge – both because of his play on the field and what’s happening around the league. He’s more and more likely to ask for Clinton Portis money, but the Seahawks aren’t any more likely to pay it.

And can you really blame them?

If you really need to blame anyone, just point a finger at the television screen Sunday and curse that No. 26 for the Redskins. As long as he’s getting paid, and other running backs are out-performing him, the bar will continue to be too high.

Seahawks at Redskins

Kickoff: 10 a.m. Sunday

TV: Fox (Ch. 13)

Radio: KIRO (710 AM)

Stars to watch: Seahawks – QB Matt Hasselbeck has completed 20 of 31 passes in each of his past two games. RB Shaun Alexander is second in the NFC with 357 rushing yards. WR Darrell Jackson’s next touchdown reception will tie him with Daryl Turner and Joey Galloway for second in team history (36). DE Bryce Fisher has three sacks this season.

Redskins – QB Mark Brunell, a University of Washington product, made his first start of the season in the Redskins’ last game, leading them to a victory over Dallas. WR Santana Moss leads the NFL with a 28.3 yards-per-catch average. LB LaVar Arrington, a three-time Pro Bowl performer, has been working behind Warrick Holdman after missing the 2004 season with a knee injury. CB Shawn Springs, a former Seahawk, became the third player in NFL history to lead his team in both sacks (six) and interceptions (five) last season.

Breaking down the game: Don’t get too excited about Seattle’s ability to put it all together last week, because every Sunday is its own entity.

The Seahawks’ offense probably will have trouble with a Washington defense that has thrived of late under defensive assistant Gregg Williams. And Seattle’s defense still makes a few too many mental mistakes to allow the faithful to sit back in their La-z-boys in full relaxation.

If that’s not enough to draw concern, consider the fact the Seahawks have lost nine of their past 11 games east of the Mississippi River. And they’re 0-2 at Washington during the Mike Holmgren era.

So before anyone starts looking ahead to St. Louis and next week’s matchup of NFC West leaders, the Seahawks might get a little dose of reality.

Pick: Redskins, 20-10.

Injury report: Seahawks – T Wayne Hunter (hamstring) is out. T Floyd Womack (triceps) is doubtful. WR Peter Warrick (groin) and CB Kelly Herndon (neck) are questionable.

Redskins – K John Hall (quad), CB Walt Harris (calf) and S Pierson Prioleau (hamstring) are questionable. T Jon Jansen (thumb), S Sean Taylor (shoulder) and LB Lemar Marshall (groin) are probable.

Little-known fact: The Redskins are one of just three NFL teams Mike Holmgren has never beaten in his 14 seasons as a head coach. Holmgren is 0-3 against Washington, 0-2 against Indianapolis and has never faced the Houston Texans.

Other NFL games

Denver (2-1) at Jacksonville (2-1), Sunday, 10 a.m.: The Broncos have come back from the dead, making this game look like a possible playoff preview. Jacksonville’s defense continues to shine, so Jake Plummer might be in for a long day. Pick: Jaguars, 17-13.

Detroit (1-1) at Tampa Bay (3-0), Sunday, 10 a.m.: Who needs Warren Sapp and John Lynch? This Tampa defense is starting to look like the one that carried the Bucs to a Super Bowl title. Not that it hurts to get a little lift from a Cadillac. As for Detroit’s Joey Harrington? He still looks like Joey Harrington. Pick: Buccaneers, 20-10.

Philadelphia (2-1) at Kansas City (2-1), Sunday, 1:15 p.m.: A Super Bowl preview? Not so fast. Kansas City’s defensive performance Monday night looked all too familiar, so only one of these teams is looking like a serious contender right now. But Arrowhead Stadium, where Kansas City is 19-6 since the beginning of the 2002 season, seems to bring out the best in the Chiefs. Pick: Chiefs, 31-28.

Scott M. Johnson is The Herald’s pro football writer.