Emtman To Ride Dolphins Signing Bonus Lures Ex-Husky As Seahawks, 49ers Come Up Short

Two days after saying money was not important to him, Steve Emtman accepted the most lucrative offer and became a Miami Dolphin Tuesday evening.

The Seattle Seahawks had been “finalists” in the sweepstakes to sign the free-agent defensive lineman, but could come nowhere near the Dolphins’ offer, which reportedly adds up to nearly $1 million this year in guaranteed salary and signing bonus.

“The deal (Emtman) took from Miami was substantially more in structure and cash than any of the other offers,” said Randy Mueller, Seahawks vice president of football operations, who handled negotiations with Emtman.

“I think Miami viewed this as the last piece to the puzzle,” Mueller said. “We have some limitations because we have some other building blocks to put in place.”

The Seahawks were reluctant to offer a great deal of guaranteed money to Emtman - a Cheney High and University of Washington product - because he had played only 18 games in three seasons due to injuries.

Emtman, the No. 1 choice in the 1992 draft, was scheduled to earn $2 million this year from Indianapolis, which asked him to take a pay cut to $700,000. An agreement could not be reached and the Colts waived him.

Sunday, when he visited Seattle - one of six teams seeking his services - Emtman talked of how good it would be to return to his home state.

“Money’s not a big thing to me,” Emtman added at the time.

But money, clearly, turned into an important element in the negotiations sometime between Sunday and his Tuesday signing.

“You can only do what you can do as far as money is concerned,” said Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson, who now stands 0-2 on recruiting Emtman - having also whiffed on signing him to Washington State in 1988. “Whoever gets him is going to get a guy who brings a lot to their football team. I’d hoped it was going to be us. All we can do is wish him good luck.”

Emtman also hinted on Sunday he was looking for a team that could challenge for the Super Bowl. That obviously enhanced the attractiveness of offers by San Francisco and Miami, considered by some as early favorites to make it that far this season.

Further, both those teams play home games on natural turf, while Seattle plays on the AstroTurf inside the Kingdome.

Miami, which didn’t make a formal announcement of Emtman’s signing but did confirm it, will probably use him at defensive tackle. Seattle had hoped to put him at end to supplement first-round defensive tackles Cortez Kennedy and Sam Adams.

The Miami Herald reported Emtman could earn $928,000 this season, the brunt of which will come from a $750,000 signing bonus. With playing-time incentives, he could earn an additional $1 million this season.

“I think at the end, there were a lot of reasons why he chose Miami,” said Emtman’s agent, Marvin Demoff. “They’re a quality team and contender. The way he was dealt with by the organization from the time of his visit, to his talks with coaches, to the way management dealt with negotiations.

“When he wound everything up, everything considered, the Dolphins came out No. 1.”

The 49ers had offered him a $200,000 base salary, plus a $100,000 signing bonus with the chance to earn up to $1.5 million in incentives.

San Francisco general manager Dwight Clark said Miami overwhelmed Emtman with the $750,000 signing bonus.

“Apparently, (Dolphins assistant) Joe Greene called the kid and the kid said, ‘I really want to go to the 49ers and it would take something crazy to change my mind,”’ Clark said. “It came down to the $750,000 signing bonus. Apparently, that was enough. They’re really trying to get (coach Don) Shula that Super Bowl this year, aren’t they?”

Erickson said he felt the Seahawks’ offer was “the best we could do.”

Mueller said, as he understands it, Emtman’s contract was a multi-year deal with a voidable-year clause - meaning Emtman might become a free agent again after this season.

Joey’s tied up

Shouting “Welcome to the Seahawks,” a sizable group of veterans corralled top draft pick Joey Galloway and taped him to a blocking sled after Tuesday’s afternoon practice.

Once immobilized, Galloway got an early shower as teammates dumped a bucket of water on him.

“It was cold,” Galloway said after drying off. “I knew something was coming because I saw a couple big guys circling around me. I thought I could get away, but Cortez grabbed me.”

No lasting harm done, Galloway said. “Except, I thought I was about to have a heart attack, that water was so cold.”

Sure sign of age

Experience has its perquisites.

Defensive tackle Joe Nash is into his 14th training camp with the Seahawks.

So it’s only fair he gets a privilege or two. In the Seahawks players’ parking lot, a sign reads: Senior Citizen Parking Only - Reserved for Joe Nash.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Dave Boling Staff writer The Miami Herald and Associated Press contributed to this report.