Report: Lofa Tatupu to be released by Seahawks

As of this morning, Lofa Tatupu is still listed on the Seahawks roster. Apparently that will be changing soon, however. The morning after the Seahawks had talks with the three-time Pro Bowler about restructuring his contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the middle linebacker has asked for his release and that the team will reluctantly grant it.

Tatupu, the long-time captain of Seattle’s defense and a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons, signed an extension in 2008 that runs through the 2015 season. He is scheduled to make $4.35 million this season, and the Seahawks apparently decided that, given his injury struggles in recent years, he wasn’t worth that kind of money. One reason the Seahawks probably felt they had the leverage to play contractual chicken with Tatupu is the emergence of David Hawthorne over the past two seasons. Hawthorne, who Seattle signed as an undrafted rookie in 2008, took over the starting job at middle linebacker in 2009 after Tatupu went down with a torn pectoral muscle. Hawthorne went on to lead the Seahawks in tackles that season, then with Tatupu back in the lineup last year, Hawthorne moved to weakside linebacker and again was the team’s leading tackler.

Losing Tatupu means losing another connection to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl team in 2005. With Matt Hasselbeck gone to Tennessee, Seattle will have only two players left from that 2005 team assuming Tatupu is indeed on his way out–Marcus Trufant and Leroy Hill, who re-signed last week (and by the way, who would have every imagined at this time last year that Hill could outlast Tatupu on the Seahawks roster?)

Tatupu’s departure would also mean another big loss in leadership. For years, he has been the backbone of the defense, while Hasselbeck was the unquestioned leader of the offense. With those two gone, as well as safety Lawyer Milloy, a vocal presence in his two years in Seattle, other players are going to need to step up and fill those roles.