KIRKLAND — Brock Huard is coming home.
Again.
The former University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks quarterback re-signed with the Seahawks on Wednesday after spending the past two years with the Indianapolis Colts.
Huard signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks for an undisclosed amount, and there are no guarantees that he will even make the roster. He is expected to challenge Seneca Wallace for the No. 3 position behind starter Matt Hasselbeck and backup Trent Dilfer.
Huard said that he saw Indianapolis as a "dire situation" because of the fact that starter Peyton Manning has never missed a start in his six NFL seasons. That didn’t leave much room for Huard to ever earn the starting job.
The Colts approached Huard about re-signing, but he didn’t want a long-term deal playing behind someone who never gets hurt.
"To sign back there, I would be signing to be a career backup, and I’m not ready to do that at this point in my career," Huard said. "I know they’ve got some talented players here, with Matt and Trent and Seneca, but we’ll just see what happens."
Although Dilfer signed a four-year contract in 2002, the Seahawks are not bringing in Huard to give them cap relief. Coach Mike Holmgren said last month that the Seahawks are comfortable with Dilfer’s $1.25 million base salary this season.
Huard was originally drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft, and by his second season he was given a chance to supplant Jon Kitna as the starter. But Huard suffered a concussion in his third NFL start, got a bruised kidney later in the season, and never started a game again. Following the 2001 season, he was traded to Indianapolis for a fifth-round draft choice.
While backing up Manning in Indianapolis, Huard threw just three passes over two regular-season games. He was released in February so that the team could clear up cap space to re-sign Manning.
The Colts wanted to re-sign Huard, but the offer to sign a one-year deal and Huard’s comfort level here made the Seahawks his choice.
"Matt and Trent are still good buddies," Huard said. "I’m closer to them than I ever was to Peyton or anyone in Indianapolis. As they say: My people are here."
Huard, who grew up in Puyallup, maintained a house just two blocks from the Seahawks’ Kirkland facility. When Holmgren approached his agent a month ago about returning, he was all ears. Huard said that offers were similar financially, but that the pull of his hometown won out in the end.
"It’s a special place to be," he said. "Once you’ve lived in Seattle, and then you go experience life elsewhere — whether it be in the Midwest or anywhere else in the country — you realize that it’s special to be here. And I’m glad to be back."
Huard came out for the NFL draft after his junior year at UW, where he broke many of the school’s career passing records as a two-year starter.
In four NFL seasons, he has started four games and played in eight. He has a 56.1 completion percentage, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
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