NFL: Seattle Seahawks news...

[The_Dude]

via Yahoo! Sports:

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- On the eve of free agency, the Seattle Seahawks made offers to six of their restricted free agents Thursday, including offensive tackle Sean Locklear, wide receiver D.J. Hackett and defensive back Jordan Babineaux.

Locklear received a first-round tender, meaning the Seahawks would receive a first-round pick if Locklear signed with another team and Seattle didn't match the offer. If Locklear returns to Seattle under the tender, he would have a $1.85 million base salary in 2007.

Locklear was bothered by an ankle injury last season, but started all 10 regular-season games he played in at right tackle.

Both Hackett and Babineaux received second-round tenders and would make $1.3 million next season.

Hackett emerged last season as a dependable target, catching 45 passes in the regular season for 610 yards and four touchdowns. He took advantage of injuries to Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson and posted career-best numbers, despite being inactive for two games early in the season.

"Right now, we do not know if there is going to be any action," Hackett's agent Jack Mills said. "We know there is interest (from other teams), but we don't know if there will be action at that level. D.J. likes Seattle and wants to remain there."

Babineaux made big plays for the Seahawks' secondary. He was responsible for saving Seattle's 21-20 playoff win over Dallas, sprinting across the field to trip up Dallas quarterback Tony Romo after a mishandled snap on a potential winning field-goal attempt.

He started eight games at safety, and both playoff games at cornerback.

Seattle also offered tenders to reserve linebacker Niko Koutovides, defensive tackle Craig Terrill and fullback Leonard Weaver.

The Seahawks did not tender offers to safeties Guss Scott and Oliver Celestin, running back Josh Parry and offensive lineman Thatcher Szalay.

[The_Dude]

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Looking to add depth and bolster their pass rush, the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a six-year deal with defensive end Patrick Kerney on Monday night.

Kerney's agent, Richard Rosa, said Kerney agreed to a deal worth $39.5 million, including $19.5 million in guaranteed money.

Kerney spent his entire career with the Atlanta Falcons, but was limited by injury to just nine games last season. He voided the final two years of his contract late last month and became one of the most lucrative commodities on the free agent market.

The 30-year-old Kerney ranks third on the Falcons' career list with 58 sacks. He made 105 consecutive starts before he tore his right pectoral muscle in the ninth game of 2006. He was leading the team with 4 1/2 sacks at the time of the injury.

The injury may have reminded Kerney, a 1999 first-round pick out of Virginia, that this could be his last chance for a big contract.

Seattle appeared to win out over Denver for Kerney, whose agreement was first reported by ESPN.com. Kerney visited with the Broncos before coming to Seattle.

"It was a very tough decision for him. It was neck and neck to the end," Rosa said late Monday night. "He felt the better opportunity to win a championship was in Seattle."

With Seattle, Kerney will join a defensive end unit that includes veterans Bryce Fisher and Grant Wistrom, and energetic youngster Darryl Tapp. The Seahawks struggled to get any consistent pass rush from their ends for much of last season as Wistrom and Fisher combined for just eight sacks. Hybrid linebacker Julian Peterson led Seattle with 10 sacks.

Kerney earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2004 with a career-high 13 sacks. He had 12 sacks in his 2001 breakout season.

There were early concerns that Kerney (6-foot-5, 273 pounds) would be too light to be an effective run-stopper, but he bulked up and even started at end in a 3-4 scheme.

Kerney will be reunited in Seattle with former Atlanta head coach Jim Mora, who is now the Seahawks' assistant head coach in charge of the secondary. Kerney also had a previous relationship with Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell, who spent one season in Atlanta as the Falcons' assistant GM.

"I think that played a factor," Rosa said.

[The_Dude]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens was accused of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after police stopped his car in downtown Scottsdale early Tuesday.

A Scottsdale patrol officer noticed the car traveling erratically and made the stop about 2:15 a.m.

Stevens, an unrestricted free agent after five seasons with Seattle, told the officer he had "four of five margaritas" at Salty Seniorita, a downtown Scottsdale bar.

According to the police report, the officer smelled alcohol and noticed Stevens' eyes were "bloodshot and watery and half-closed. Spoke with slow, slurred speech."

As he got out of the vehicle, the report said, Stevens "dropped his cell phone and wallet on the ground, bent down to pick them up, then stutter-stepped to walk" toward the officer.

A second officer arrived and began a field sobriety test, but after Stevens "almost fell down" during the "walk-and-turn" test, the player declined to participate in any further testing.

Police said they found a "leafy green substance" believed to be marijuana in Stevens' pocket.

Stevens refused a breathalyzer test and declined to give a blood sample until police obtained a warrant about 5 a.m., the report said. Stevens was booked and posted bail and an initial court appearance was set for April 2. The blood test results haven't yet been released.

Stevens has had other run-ins with the law.

In June 2003, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a plea deal after being stopped in the Seattle suburb of Medina on investigation of drunken driving. He got a two-day jail sentence for that offense.

He received another five days in jail for violating his probation after he drove into a nursing home in 2000 in a hit-and-run case. Stevens was a student at Washington at the time of that incident.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound player was a first-round draft pick by the Seahawks, the 28th selection overall, in 2002. He had a career-best 45 catches for 554 yards, a record for Seattle tight ends, in the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl season.

Last season, Stevens caught 22 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.

[The_Dude]

Update: TE Marcus Pollard signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks on Tuesday morning, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Recommendation: This is a good move for Pollard, who goes to a team that likes to use its tight ends. Couple that with Jerramy Stevens' latest drunk driving arrest and it's clear that Pollard will be the No. 1 tight end next season for the Seahawks.