- Thread starter
- #1
dude82
Well-Known Member
- 3,013
- 330
- 83
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2013
- Location
- Washington
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 1,000.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
John Clayton's mailbag this week featured a couple of questions involving the Seahawks and I thought I'd post them in case some of you haven't read it.
Q: Marcus Trufant signed a one-day contract to retire with the Seahawks. It reminded me how obscure these kinds of contracts really are. There are no details released about them, leading me to ask the question: Are there any details at all? Is there any sum of money given to a player who signs a one-day contract? And is there any contractual obligation that must be fulfilled? Or is it all just for show with no money or service of any kind involved?
Miles in Seattle
A: It's a very simple process. Trufant signs a one-year, $955,000 contract that counts $570,000 against the cap because it's under the minimum-salary-benefit program. The base salary is based on his years of experience. The next day, Trufant goes on the reserve retired list. His contract is terminated. He receives no money. The team breaks the obligation to him. But for life, he is officially listed as having retired as a Seahawk, which is what Trufant wanted. It happens all the time.
Q: I am totally confused on how the defending Super Bowl champs get one prime-time home game all season and it's the obligatory opening game. Is this a serious East Coast bias coming out? Some of the best prime-time matchups have been in Seattle the last couple of seasons. What's the NFL's angle here?
Casey in Seattle
A: The Seahawks were a victim of their success and their schedule, not bias. Their two biggest home games after the opener are against the Broncos and 49ers, and CBS and Fox protected them from being moved to prime time. The other options were Dallas, Oakland, the New York Giants, Arizona and St. Louis. The Rams game is in Week 17, when no game is selected for prime time until late in the season. There is no interest in Raiders-Seahawks, and no one was willing to take a chance on Giants-Seahawks with New York coming off a poor season. The Dallas game could be problematic because the Mariners control the October schedule in Seattle's SoDo district and could force the Seahawks to move an October night game if the Mariners make the playoffs. That leaves the Cardinals, but NBC decided to take that matchup in prime time when it's in Arizona, because the Cardinals theoretically would have a better chance of making it a competitive game at home.
Q: Marcus Trufant signed a one-day contract to retire with the Seahawks. It reminded me how obscure these kinds of contracts really are. There are no details released about them, leading me to ask the question: Are there any details at all? Is there any sum of money given to a player who signs a one-day contract? And is there any contractual obligation that must be fulfilled? Or is it all just for show with no money or service of any kind involved?
Miles in Seattle
A: It's a very simple process. Trufant signs a one-year, $955,000 contract that counts $570,000 against the cap because it's under the minimum-salary-benefit program. The base salary is based on his years of experience. The next day, Trufant goes on the reserve retired list. His contract is terminated. He receives no money. The team breaks the obligation to him. But for life, he is officially listed as having retired as a Seahawk, which is what Trufant wanted. It happens all the time.
Q: I am totally confused on how the defending Super Bowl champs get one prime-time home game all season and it's the obligatory opening game. Is this a serious East Coast bias coming out? Some of the best prime-time matchups have been in Seattle the last couple of seasons. What's the NFL's angle here?
Casey in Seattle
A: The Seahawks were a victim of their success and their schedule, not bias. Their two biggest home games after the opener are against the Broncos and 49ers, and CBS and Fox protected them from being moved to prime time. The other options were Dallas, Oakland, the New York Giants, Arizona and St. Louis. The Rams game is in Week 17, when no game is selected for prime time until late in the season. There is no interest in Raiders-Seahawks, and no one was willing to take a chance on Giants-Seahawks with New York coming off a poor season. The Dallas game could be problematic because the Mariners control the October schedule in Seattle's SoDo district and could force the Seahawks to move an October night game if the Mariners make the playoffs. That leaves the Cardinals, but NBC decided to take that matchup in prime time when it's in Arizona, because the Cardinals theoretically would have a better chance of making it a competitive game at home.
