March 26th, 2008 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
It became increasingly clear as time went by that the Seattle Seahawks needed to sign cornerback Marcus Trufant as soon as possible – and sign him they did. According to the Associated Press and verified by Trufant’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, Trufant and the Seahawks have agreed to a 6-year, $50.2 million deal that will run through 2013. The deal in question includes $20.3 million in guaranteed money; in addition, a $3 million roster bonus due to Trufant in 2010 means that he is due $28 million over the first 3 years of the contract – making Trufant one of the highest-paid CB’s in the NFL. A team spokesman confirmed that a media conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon is to announce Trufant’s new deal.
The Seahawks had initially made Trufant their “franchise” player, meaning they were obligated to offer him a 1-year tender worth $9,465,000, the average of the top 5 salaries of CB’s in the league. Trufant had the opportunity to test the free agency waters, but Hendrickson said that it never happened, due to the fact that other teams did not want to give up two first-round picks if Seattle had declined to match other offers for Trufant. Because of the signing, the Seahawks realized some salary-cap relief.
