Seattle Stays Put Over Moon Matter

The Seattle Seahawks sent Warren Moon a letter Tuesday, saying the team won’t budge from its latest contract offer, Leigh Steinberg, Moon’s agent, said.

Steinberg responded with a verbal volley.

“That’s a little strange given that they’re creating a quarterback payroll that is one-third to one-half of what other teams pay their quarterbacks,” Steinberg said. “If Warren were to take their offer, there would only be six quarterbacks behind him and four of those are guys still on their rookie contracts.

“The type of quarterback Warren is makes between $3.5 million and $7.5 million a year. What’s the rationale for paying Warren less? It flies against football knowledge.”

Randy Mueller, Seahawks vice president of operations, was unavailable for comment.

Steinberg wouldn’t specify what he’s seeking for Moon, who has skipped the first two days of training camp. It’s been reported that Moon wants a three-year deal that includes a $6-million signing bonus.

“We’ve got a wide range of potential offers, but he ought to be somewhere between the $3- and $5-million (per year) range,” Steinberg said. Moon is scheduled to make $550,000.

The Seahawks have offered a one-year contract for $1.85 million, saying Moon’s age (41) and salary-cap restrictions prevent offering a multiyear deal. Steinberg challenged the team on both fronts.

“We’re willing to be extremely flexible and there isn’t any cap problem,” he said. “We can take any amount of money and do a good contract. We’re willing to take two years and Warren has committed to playing two years. We can be creative and flexible but they’ve been stonewalling. There’s an element of age discrimination here.”

Steinberg said Moon doesn’t intend on retiring, especially after maintaining his off-season conditioning program.

Steinberg, who also represents former Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, said he expects an agreement soon between Leaf and the San Diego Chargers.

“We understand how critical it is to be in camp on time as a rookie,” Steinberg said. “That was my pledge to him.” Chargers players report to camp on Thursday at UC San Diego. If a contract agreement isn’t reached by Thursday, Steinberg anticipated a resolution by no later than this weekend.

Leaf was the second selection in the April draft.

“Of course we’d like to see (No. 1 Peyton) Manning’s contract,” Steinberg said. “We’re making progress.” Manning hasn’t yet signed with Indianapolis.