Seahawks sign Walter Jones to long-term contract

By Hugo Guzman  |   Wednesday, February 16, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

SEATTLE, Washington - The Seattle Seahawks signed all-pro offensive tackle Walter Jones to a seven-year contract worth more than $50 million on Wednesday, keeping a possible marquee free-agent off the market.

Jones' agent, Roosevelt Barnes, would not give specific figures, but said the contract includes a signing bonus of more than $15 million and total bonuses of more than $20 million. "Walter's very happy with the deal," Barnes said. "He's very happy to get a deal done and make sure he is going to end up as a Seattle Seahawk."

The Seahawks have used their franchise player designation on Jones since 2002, keeping him on a series of one-year contracts that paid him the average of the NFL's highest-paid offensive linemen. Jones made $7.1 million last season. Jones' signing allows Seattle to use the designation on one of its other prime free agents, most likely either running back Shaun Alexander or quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Barnes praised the work of Mike Reinfeldt, who was hired as a consultant by Seahawks owner Paul Allen on Feb. 3. Reinfeldt had worked as the Seahawks contract negotiator, but left the team before the 2004 season. "Mike was the key to this whole thing," Barnes said. "It just seemed that Mike had a lot of freedom to go ahead and we were able to talk about Walter as a player and what he means to the organization."

Barnes spent last week with Jones at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii working on the deal. Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 1997 draft and has played his entire career in Seattle. Widely considered the Seahawks' best player, Jones has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times, including the last four seasons. Jones could have become a free agent on March 2.

Without Reinfeldt's work, Jones would have tested the free-agent market if the Seahawks did not franchise him, Barnes said. Jones has skipped most of the last four Seattle training camps hoping for a long-term deal, and last season did not report to the team until a week before the season opener against New Orleans.

Jones said he spent the summer working out at home in Huntsville, Alabama, doing all the things he believes he would have been doing at training camp: lifting weights, drills and physical conditioning. Barnes jokingly said he hoped Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren would let Jones skip camp again, even though a long-term deal is in place.

Seattle still has 15 free agents from last year's team that won its first division title since 1999 and lost to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Playoffs. The organization is also without a team president. Bob Whitsitt was fired Jan. 14 and a replacement has yet to be named.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report