Seahawks, Okung agree to terms

RENTON, Wash. – The wait is over. Russell Okung’s career as the Seahawks present and future left tackle began Friday.

Okung, the No. 6 overall pick out of Oklahoma State, signed with the Seahawks and joined the team for his first practice of training camp Friday afternoon. The team didn’t disclose the terms of the deal, but a source confirmed that the contract is for six years and worth up to $58 million. More than $29 million of that is guaranteed money.

Okung has missed eight practices since training camp began Saturday, time Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said has hampered Okung’s development. And the Seahawks need Okung to develop quickly. On the day the team drafted him, offensive line coach Alex Gibbs declared Okung the team’s starting left tackle, making him the successor to Walter Jones and the protector of Matt Hasselbeck.

In offseason minicamps and organized team activities, Okung was immediately thrown in with the first-team offense. On Friday, however, Okung spent the practice with the second-team offense while Ray Willis continued to work with the starting line.

“He’s not going to be with the first group until he catches up, until he knows what’s going on,” Carroll said, adding that Okung could join the starting line in a week to 10 days.

Okung should still be available to play in the Seahawks’ first preseason game on Aug. 14.

Okung’s contract figures ended up falling between the No. 5 and No. 7 picks, bringing into question why it took so long to get the deal done when the parameters were set before training camp.

Okung declined to talk about the negotiations, saying he wanted to focus on his future with the Seahawks.

“That’s just the business side of it,” he said. “But I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the season, the future, and all that’s behind me. I’m out here now, that’s all that matters.”

Carroll indicated that the Seahawks held their ground in the negations.

“This could have been done sooner,” Carroll said. “We stood very strong. I really think John (Schneider, Seahawks general manager) did a great job of hanging in there and holding the line where we wanted. … We’re going to make good decisions and we’re going to stand strong on the things that we need to stand on, and that’s why this happened as it did. So I’m proud of John for holding the line and doing what we needed to do here.”

No. 9 pick C.J. Spiller reached an agreement with the Buffalo Bills Friday morning, briefly making Okung the last first-round pick without a deal.

But 15 minutes into practice, Okung was on the field making his training camp debut.

“It feels great,” he said. “I would say this is the best job in the world. I’m back out here. I’m enjoying the first day out with the guys and (I’m) just kind of getting back into the routine of things.”

Despite the pressure and expectations that come with his draft status and big contract, Okung said he doesn’t feel pressure to be the next Walter Jones.

“That’s the thing about it, I love the fans of Seattle,” he said. “They don’t expect me to be Walter Jones; they expect me to be the best I can possibly be. And I’m gonna be the best Russell Okung I can possibly be.”

Camp notes

Linebacker Aaron Curry, who suffered a concussion on the first day of training camp, sat out for the seventh straight practice. Carroll said he expects Curry should be back sometime next week. Carroll said the time away wouldn’t prevent Curry from playing in the first preseason game on Aug. 14. … Carroll has been hampered by a knee injury and said it has set him back during practices. “I’m in recovery mode here and I’m kind of upset about that,” he said. “I’ve never been so frustrated on the practice field because I can’t take off and run. I’m making everybody else run, and here I am stumbling around.” … RB Quinton Ganther has been a pleasant surprise. “He’s really been in the midst of it, and the fact that he’s playing fullback as well for us and can double up and give us some hard-nosed running at the tailback spot is really a plus,” Carroll said. … CB Marcus Trufant shined during team drills as he intercepted a pair of passes from backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.