An offseason of uncertainty for Seahawks
Nov 17, 2010, 6:43 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:54 pm
By Michael Simeona, MyNorthwest.com intern
When quarterback Matt Hasselbeck becomes a free agent in the offseason, exactly how much will he demand on the open market?
Hasselbeck has set numerous franchise records in his ten seasons with Seattle, and led them to their first ever Super Bowl appearance in 2005. While Hasselbeck stated on Monday’s show how he wants to retire as a Seahawk, some have speculated how Hasselbeck could garner a multi-year contract worth between $25-30 million in free agency this offseason.
ESPN NFL insider John Clayton seems to think otherwise.
“That to me sounds a little high,” Clayton said on Wednesday’s show.
“He’s got to make more than the $8 million a year that he has now, and I think they’ll accommodate him on that.”
Last offseason, the Seahawks swapped second round picks and traded away a third-rounder to the San Diego Chargers for third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. The hope was for Whitehurst to push Hasselbeck for the starting job in training camp, and possibly become the quarterback of the future.
But Whitehurst has become somewhat of an afterthought due to a dreadful performance in a 41-7 loss to the New York Giants, his first career NFL start.
With Hasselbeck’s impending free agency not lost upon the Seahawks, how important 
is it for the team to resign their franchise quarterback?
“You’ve got to get Matt Hasselbeck back because you’re going into no where’s land if you go out and just start looking for quarterbacks on the street,” said Clayton. “It’s very, very difficult as I think the Seahawks found this year in the (Whitehurst) trade that they made.”
Another alternative is to draft a quarterback, considering this year’s class is ripe with talent at the position led by Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Washington’s Jake Locker.
If the Seahawks were to consider drafting a quarterback, where does Hasselbeck fit into the organization’s long-term plans?
“So much is going to be depending on if they take a quarterback in next year’s draft, and if that’s the case then you know it’s going to be a phasing out process for Matt Hasselbeck,” said Clayton.
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