Seahawks Insider - Seahawks give Marcus Trufant new proposal

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

Seahawks give Marcus Trufant new proposal

Posted by Frank Hughes @ 09:15:09 pm

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant received a counterproposal from the team, according to a league source, though the sides do not appear close to coming to an agreement.

The exact amount of the counterproposal is not known, though it is somewhere between where the two sides started at the beginning of free agency.

Ten days ago, Trufant approached the Seahawks and told them he would take a contract worth less on average than the $9.5 million a year that Asante Samuel signed with Philadelphia shortly after free agency began on Feb. 29. It is believed Trufant told the Seahawks he would take about $9 million a year over five or six years.

Before free agency began, the Seahawks offered Trufant a deal that was worth approximately $7 million a season – though that offer was extended before Samuel signed his contract, which affirmed a cornerback market that had been established by Nate Clements in San Francisco last offseason.

Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell did not immediately reply to Trufant’s proposal because he was working on the contracts of running backs T.J. Duckett and Julius Jones.

It is not clear how the Seahawks and Trufant left their latest round of negotiations, though the league source said a resolution does not appear imminent.

After Trufant did not accept their initial offer, the Seahawks designated Trufant their franchise player, tendering him an offer worth $9.465 million. That amount is eating up much of the Seahawks’ cap space, which they would like to use to sign other free agents and/or their upcoming draft class.

Trufant’s proposal 10 days ago would have allowed the Seahawks to save $6.5 million in cap space because he would have taken a 2008 salary and bonus of around $3 million.

Categories: NFL free agency • 30 comments

COMMENTS:

Comment by airbags @ 21:22 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

tim. he offered less this year to save cap space. he was being a "ruskell guy".

take the ticket. take it.

Comment by Trakar @ 21:45 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

For the Team's sake, I hope something is worked out with Trufant, but given all the mess that has occurred in the last two weeks, if I was playing on this team I would be very careful about any deals offered from this front office, they seem to want players that display qualities they are short on, namely "Character."

Comment by HawkaMania @ 22:13 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

To start, the front office has been cleaning up a mess that was made in 2006 by giving an older running back a multi-million dollar cfontract (for a stupid amount of money). The past two weeks have been the best of the off season, stabilizing our running game with or without Shaun. We waited week after week for our running game to explode, this is Holmgren's last year, can he really depend on Shaun alone to take us to the next level? As for Trufant, he is the heart of our secondary, he has been here since the beginning, and is only getting better. He is a "Tru" Seahawk. At his skill level, being willing to take less money should be considered a gift, and accepted immediately. Go Hawks!!!!!!!!1

Comment by seafanalways @ 22:20 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

I dont think tru is worth more than 7 mil.

Comment by halfemptyfilms @ 22:23 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

Negotiations are part of business. Tru has talked since before the season about how this is all a "business decision." The front office is treating this how he has said he wanted to treat it. I don't see any lack of respect or character from the FO -- business is business, Trufant clearly knows that. I respect him for his offer to free up cap space this year, but don't forget... if he gives up 6m this year, he'll be making ~10-11 the next few years to catch up to that 9/year average.

Comment by dover5005 @ 23:32 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008

it seems like both sides have made steps towards eachother so this tells me one way or another a deal will be reached. tru wants to be a hawk and tim wants tru to be a hawks so both sides will meet.....eventually

Comment by bigmike04 @ 00:23 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Marcus trufant isnt worht 9mil much less 9.465 million because he not top 5 DB in NFL. He had one good year because of likes of Deion Grant, Patrick K, Brian Russell and Jim Mora Jr as his DB coach. Marcus Trufant is average coner at best but not one of best DB out their. If he wont sign for what Tim Russell feels he should take as he said so himself that Trufant isnt shut down coner. If he doesnt sign it than I say trade him and go with Wilson and Jenning as their capable to do the job heck Jordan Babs is capable to take Trufant place.

Comment by SeanCarney @ 00:45 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

This is one of the stupidest comments i have ever seen. Trufant "an average corner at best" Josh Wilson "capable of starting"....you must have fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.

Comment by Kerney @ 01:03 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

I agree with Carney, the only thing we've seen from Babineaux as a corner is that he's good at getting beat, and Josh Wilson hasn't shown nearly enough to be handed the starting left cornerback spot.

Comment by Tyness @ 04:28 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

I asked this in a previous post, but way down on the list so it was probably missed. Who are the top, say 10, highest paid corners in the league?

To say whether Tru is worth 7 or 9 Mil is hard to do out of context. I don't think any of them are "worth" what they are paid, but the market dictates otherwise.

Comment by mquinn73 @ 05:33 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Trufant is worth a deal in the region of $7.5m a year over 5 years. He is a pro-bowl calibre player [well above 'average'] but certainly not All-Pro [i.e. a 'shut-down' corner].
The front office are taking positive steps to secure the continued success of this team. I don't expect them to keep us informed of their every move in contract negotiations or to be up-front and 'honest' about their future plans - so let's not get hung-up on things that Ruskell might have previously said about Alexander or Trufant. Let's sit back and wait to see what team we have come opening day [I know - easier said than done...]. There are a few holes left to fill [specifically, a run stuffing defensive tackle - what is the current situation with Marcus Tubbs? - and special teams] but I'm satisfied that Ruskell, Holmgren & co. are well aware of that fact and will act accordingly. One thing at a time - trufant first, then Alexander, then the draft, then some more second/third-level/undrafted free agents.
Honestly, I still believe we are the class of the NFC West and serious contenders for NFC Champions [there is very little difference between the Seahawks, Giants, Packers, Cowboys].

Comment by nighthawk2 @ 05:54 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

I just hope they free enough money to do some more with the o-line. Signing Wahle does not cure all that was wrong with the interior line. The idea of Sims starting at any guard spot makes me ill, and Spencer...I'm reaching for the Maalox.

Comment by truehawk @ 06:15 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Tru has been "serviceable" for the hawks, he did play well last year and deserved a new contract, but I feel that if he didnt have the year he did, we would have let him hit the market, now he had a good year and he wants to be paid like one of the best.....I would like to see him play for the deal he has now and see if he can keep up that effort.
Dont get me wrong, he is our best option at that position, but compared to the rest of the league, he is NOT in the top 5.

Comment by bigsmooth @ 07:55 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

I think it's safe to assume that Trufant is not the type of guy to just mail it in after getting paid. The guy is clearly a class act and I don't think his effort level will be dictated by his contract. Anyhow, I'll be content with whatever happens as I do not see Trufant as a top 5 guy and feel that cornerbacks, in the Hawk's system, are easily replaced.

Comment by Osiris33 @ 08:22 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Marcus Trufant is absolutely not a $9 mil a year player. He's a $6 mil a year player, at best. Unfortunately, this is the current market value for a quality starting CB, and Marcus certainly is that. If it wasn't for the franchise tender, somebody would probably pay him the $9 mil a year average he wants.

That's why it's stupid not to pay your players a year early, like the Eagles do, rather than letting their contracts expire and then "test the market." For one thing, a lot of players get insulted when you tell them to test the market and don't make them a contract offer early (see Steve Hutchinson and Josh Brown). And the "market price" is always going to be more than you would have had to pay a year previously. Does anybody think that if the offer the Seahawks made to JB this year was on the table last year, that he wouldn't still be a Seahawk?

But what do I know, I'm not a genius like "Timmay!" Numbskull.

The bottom line? We're going to have to pay Tru or face drafting a cornerback with our top pick for the third straight year.

Comment by IDHawkman @ 08:28 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

bigsmooth,

I agree that Tru doesn't come across that way but.... it is human nature.

Let's say you play the lottery and it is at $40M. You take the cash lump sum payment which is about 1/2 the total. So now you get lump sum $20M. But you have to pay federal, state and local taxes on that $20M. You are in the alternative minimum tax bracket at $20M so you pay about half of that $20M in taxes. You get $10M dollars. Do you go to work tomorrow with the same zest and zeal as you did today? How about in a month or two?

Well these guys signing bonus' like Fitzgerald just did, or Asante or Clements, etc, they get about $10M in their pocket. they just won the lottery in effect. Human nature says that they may eat a little better on the special occassions. They may reward themselves by not working out just one day. Etc. They want to enjoy that success to some extent. To what extent is the issue. Let's hope that Trufant's character won't allow him to enjoy it too much.

(I'm actually a little happy that Fitz got paid like he did because of the above. Hopefully we'll see him drop off just a little bit.)

Comment by klm008 @ 08:59 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Mr Hughes:
Have the Hawks re-signed PC yet?

Comment by BrianBlades @ 09:24 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Are there other teams talking to Trufant? What is the interest out there in paying him the 9m salary?

Comment by naz @ 10:22 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Ruskell was quoted as saying that Tru is not a "shut-down" corner, but he is a great corner. In '06, I remember Holmegren saying that Tru was the most consistent and solid player on the defense. Just because he didn't put up big INT numbers before last year, doesn't mean he has only had one good year. Tru is a great, solid player, and has been since we drafted him. Last year he took it to the next level and made a lot of big plays as well, but he has always been solid.

Comment by naz @ 10:31 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Last year Ruskell resigned Seneca, Babs and Terrill to extensions before their contracts expired, so he does actually do this. Besides, do you really think that Tru would have been willing to extend his contract and sign for less money without getting on the field for one more season and waiting to see what he's worth. From a players perspective, unless you're really worried about injuries, your best option might be to go out and play your last year, perform and make everyone take notice, and then get paid. Also, contract numbers go up every year. The longer you wait as a player, the bigger the free agent contracts get at your position. It's a business, and it's not like Ruskell could have dangled $6 mil a year in front of Tru last season and he would have signed immediately. A lot of the teams you see signing premier players to extensions before their contracts are up just end up giving them a lot of money in order to get them not to wait and see what the market does. Look and Big Ben.

What I am saying is that I'm sure it's not that easy to get a player to resign early, and besides, we did get some players resigned last year. Just not all of them.

Comment by mantishawk @ 12:11 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

IMO there are 3 reasons why players leave to go to other teams:
1)the new team is nearer their home
2)the new team has a better chance at a winning record or super bowl run
3)the new team pays a lot more money.
Trufant already has the first two so it appears that he wants the third through ego or selfishness. If all the bigger priced players ( eg.like Locklear)took a million or two less per year then the team they are playing on would stay competitive for years to come. If Tru took 7 mil per year over 5 or 6 years with 18-20 mil guaranteed would he seriously not be able to live on this and provide for all family members for the rest of their lives, as well as help the team stay competitive? So it appears to me that he cares more about himself than the team.

Comment by chuck_easton @ 13:07 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

In one sense I want to take the position that Trufant is being greedy, but that is the fan thinking.

The business side of me takes the position that an NFL player's career is not that long and they have an obligation to themselves and their family to get as much as they can in that short time as possible.

The market is what it is and Trufant appears to be asking market price. Is he going to be overpaid? Most likely. But who amongst us would go to our respective employer and say 'I know that's what you want to pay me, but really I don't need that much. Let's make it a lower number.'?

Comment by hotthumbs @ 14:34 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Manti, of course he cares more about himself than the team. Why wouldn't you, if you start playing poorly the team and the fans aren't going to care about you ie; Shaun. Shaun played the last two seasons with a busted foot and a busted hand and still got booed and then supposedly cut. You take the money when you can.

Furthermore I have seen what the Trufant's have done for this community and it is definately a step above most players. He isn't asking rediculous numbers, he is a pro-bowler and you shouldn't be shocked if he wants to paid like one or close to one. If it is true that Ruskell hasn't come up at all I would be dissapointed.

Comment by bigmike04 @ 18:14 - Friday, March 14th, 2008

Trufant wasnt and isnt good coner back until he had Patrick Kearney, Deion Grant, Brian Russell. Otherwise without them he would be average DB.

He not worth 9mil a season and if you think he is than you must like an average corner back who before the new guys started to come here was just decent.

I dont care if I get bash because frankly I could careless. But hawks are low on cap and since Marcus Trufant and Pay me alexander are taking alot of cap than it time to do something bout it weather you cut alexander and trade Marcus Trufant for a really shut down corner and real all pro DB.

Comment by HawksKD @ 15:09 - Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Bigmike, again you seem like you have your heart set on stupidity.. i love the commitment, and obviously you are part of the group who jumped on this ride after the hawks had their first trip to the superbowl. The fact that you think jennings, wilson, and babs can shore up our secondary is so outstandingly...well retarded.

Marcus Trufant is EASILY a top 5 DB in this league. He is also easily the best CB to play for the hawks. There are a handful of cornerbacks in NFL history that have come in and made an IMMEDIATE impact for their team. Since he was drafted in 2003 Tru has been the cornerstone and best player in our secondary, hands down. 05,06 were "unproductive" years for trufant where he played both injured and on the opposite side,RCB instead of LCB. Even those years considered "unproductive", were better than large majority of CB. Of the Elite, Tru is the most rounded, grounded, and disciplined. There is no other CB that offers better run support, NONE. Which is outstanding coming from the LCB spot which covers the BEST recievers in the league typically.

This is not trufants only good season, There was a team called the seahawks before 2005 people. I hope he signs for 8.5.....that would be fair

Comment by downinthegroove78 @ 18:31 - Saturday, March 15th, 2008

He is nowhere near a top 5 DB. Baltimore alone has two better than him. He is a top 10 CB in the league.

And yes, this was Trufants really only good season. And finally you are right. The Hawks played prior to 2005. Gold Star!

Comment by nighthawk2 @ 20:05 - Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Yes they played before 2005, and as usual you missed the point. Guys like you weren't on the bandwagon before then. Especially the clowns who think Ruskell is the reason we went to the Super Bowl.

Here's something that could and probably will affect Trufant's negotiations if it goes through:

"The Atlanta Falcons have reached an agreement in principle with the Oakland Raiders to trade cornerback DeAngelo Hall for the Raiders' second-round pick in the 2008 draft, pending the Raiders finalizing a contract with Hall, a source close to the Falcons told ESPN's Chris Mortensen...

The Raiders source said the deal is expected to pay Hall just below what Asante Samuel signed with the Eagles. Samuel signed a six-year deal worth a reported $57 million, with
$20 million guaranteed..."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3295344

This, as the article goes on to say, would give Oakland one of the top CB duo's in the league. They also Franchised a cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. This trade would mean Oakland would not draft again until the 4th round after round 1.

Comment by the3mitchells @ 01:34 - Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Trufant aint no Hall.....

If only we could have swapped corners it would be a huge upgrade other than the fact Hall is a tad of a loud mouth....

Comment by HawksKD @ 14:46 - Sunday, March 16th, 2008

downinthegroove please enlighten me to what you consider the top 10 cornerbacks in the league...

I need some humor for my day.

Comment by the3mitchells @ 15:24 - Sunday, March 16th, 2008

The best? What about Shaun Springs? Well guys who do you think was the best hawk corner?

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Seahawks Insider

Frank Hughes took over the Seahawks beat and Seahawks Insider blog in July of 2007. Hughes covered the Sonics for The News Tribune from 1997-2007. Frank also contributes to ESPN.com, KJR-AM radio and Pro Sports Exchange. In 2005, Frank co-authored "Slick Watts's Tales from the Seattle SuperSonics." Frank lives in Seattle with his wife, two sons and yellow lab.

News Tribune columnist Dave Boling and sports reporters Eric D. Williams, Ryan Divish and Darrin Beene also contribute to the Seahawks Insider blog.