Shaun of the Dead

One of the biggest rumors flying around the NFL Combine in Indianapolis is the future of Shaun Alexander in Seattle. Sources indicate separately to profootballtalk.com and rotoworld.com that Alexander’s time with the Seahawks will end sooner rather than later. While this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, the timing can surely be questioned. Not two years ago, after a record setting season, Alexander signed a massive 8 year/$62 million dollar contract. With $26 million already paid in bonus and salary through the 2007 season, obviously the Seahawks weren’t too pleased with a career worst 3.9 ypc and 5 total touchdowns in 13 games last season, not to mention his poor and injury riddled 2006. At age 30, Alexander is a shell of his former self and with a $4.475 million salary in 2008, escalating each year remaining in his deal; Shaun was a prime candidate for a reworked contract this off-season.

That may have been the plan devised by the Seahawks front office, but Shaun Alexander had other plans declaring that the organization would be “too classy” to even ask for a restructuring. That statement was probably the last straw and it appears the ‘Hawks are more than willing to move on. But there lies the wrinkle. The Seahawks should have been preparing for this the moment they handed him his huge contract by drafting a future starter. Instead, Holmgren and company failed to add any runners to the stable, relying heavily on perennial backup Maurice Morris to handle the load and precious little else. Now the Seahawks find themselves in a tricky situation.

They can’t show their cards now and release Alexander (as is being reported) as they would loose whatever leverage they had with the upcoming draft. While everyone would probably assume the Seahawks would draft a RB with their first pick, having Alexander still on the roster would still cast a bit of doubt, whereas his release would almost make it a certainty. While their direction in free-agency will be a telling sign that Alexander’s days are truly numbered, say for instance bringing in Michael Turner for a visit, Seattle will try their best not reveal their hand too soon. The longer they hold onto Alexander, the more time teams have to fill their vacant running back slots and spend their cap space, the greater the likelihood of convincing Alexander that the best thing for him (and the team) would be to restructure and stay with the only team he’s ever played.