Seattle Waives Proehl

The Seattle Seahawks have waived wide receiver Ricky Proehl, a seven-game starter last season.

Proehl’s release this weekend also saves Seattle $750,000 off the salary cap for next year. The team had about $1.3 million under the cap before safety Bennie Blades and quarterback Warren Moon agreed to terms with the Seahawks last week.

Now, both free agents can officially sign contracts and the Seahawks will have room to pursue other players.

NFL owners and club executives will convene today in Palm Desert, Calif., for their annual winter meetings. On the agenda for the four-day session is a vote on reinstating instant replay to aid officiating crews, and a discussion of expansion to 32 teams by the 1999 season.

The league has a contractual agreement with the city of Cleveland to provide a team to replace the departed Browns by 1999. Tagliabue would prefer that an existing franchise does not relocate, thus leaving expansion as the most practical way to meet that commitment.

Los Angeles also has been without a team the past two seasons, and the league would like to have a franchise located in the nation’s second-largest television market.