Seahawks looking to trade Houshmandzadeh
Just one year after the Seattle Seahawks acquired wide receiver T.J Houshmandzadeh in free agency, they are looking to trade the veteran, primarily to save some money, it was revealed by NFL.com on Thursday. Houshmandzadeh is set to make at least $7 million this season and is coming off a disappointing 2009 season, at least by his standards. Teams looking for receivers have said though that they do not want to be saddled with his contract.
Unless Houshmandzadeh’s contract is restructured, then teams will find his deal too much of a burden. He has proven that he is a reliable receiver but after nine seasons, his best years may be behind him. In 2009, he had 79 catches for 911 yards and just three touchdowns.
There are some teams in need of receivers like the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins, but both teams have cheaper options. The Vikings were interested in Houshmandzadeh last year but they drafted Percy Harvin to fill that need and they traded for Greg Camarillo whose style is similar to Houshmandzadeh and is much cheaper.
If the Seahawks are unable to find any takers, they may just release him. The Seahawks want to keep Deion Branch and they have some good young talents including Golden Tate, Deion Butler and Mike Williams. It is also rumoured that the Seahawks are looking to save the money in order to go after San Diego Chargers’ holdout Vincent Jackson. The Chargers have given permission to Jackson to speak with the Seahawks. That may be a sign that they’re exploring the possibility of trading him.
Houshmandzadeh may have had a disappointing season by his standards last year but the Seahawks were without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for most of the year, with Seneca Wallace getting most of the work. Don’t forget that Branch hasn’t exactly lit it up either with the Seahawks. He’s locked in as well but the Seahawks have never discussed trading him.
Odds are though that Houshmandzadeh will only find some takers if the Seahawks release him. He would likely get a deal with incentives and Washington would be the favourite to land him. They’re in desperate need of receivers and Houshmandzadeh may fit in well with Donovan McNabb.
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