According to an article this morning by Frank Hughes, the Seahawks are walking along the apex of a slippery slope.
The Seattle Seahawks are offering free-agent cornerback Marcus Trufant less money over six years than San Francisco cornerback Nate Clements was given over five, according to league sources.
For analysis....
Well, this is probably why the two sides have been described as far apart in negotiation. Really, you can't blame either party. From Trufant's perspective, he was a Pro Bowl corner who is trying to build on the last contract signed by a free agent Pro Bowl corner. Also, he certainly can read the paper, he knows his services are in demand, he could get his money.
From the Seahawk's perspective, they still aren't 100% sure what they have in Trufant. All teams are weary of players who improve their game dramatically in their contract year and then start looking for huge money. They want to find out if Clements money is for real. If Samuel gets 10 mil per, they can make the decision about a long term deal then. Maybe they know that most teams feel the same way as the Hawks, and will shy away from that money.
The problem lies in how Marcus feels he is being treated. The Hawks would be better to communicate to Tru that they are waiting to see what Samuel gets. This is better than offering a way below market deal. What if Samuel takes a lesser deal, but Trufant is upset beyond the point of reconciliation. At least with the tag, Trufant plays another year in Seattle, or the Hawks get a good return for him. Right now, it looks like his long term future is intricately tied to how much money Asante Samuel can get. Unfortunately for the Hawks, as league insiders often say, "it only takes one." And that one will probably give Samuel a mega deal.
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