Receiver on his way out
Trade or release for Houshmandzadeh
SEATTLE – T.J. Houshmandzadeh’s departure from Seattle appears inevitable.
The question now is more a matter of the logistics of his exit as today is the deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters to 53 players.
Houshmandzadeh said Thursday he knew the Seahawks were willing to trade him even before it was reported on the league’s Website. On Friday, indications were Seattle will release him if it can’t strike a deal.
Either way, Seattle is expected to cut ties with the receiver it signed only a year ago, even if that means eating the $7 million in guaranteed salary he would be owed for 2010.
Houshmandzadeh did not answer his phone or return a text message Friday. Chad Ochocinco, his former teammate at Oregon State and with the Cincinnati Bengals, expressed his surprise over Twitter.
“Disturbing news,” Ochocinco wrote. “I can’t even fathom the thought of a receiver the caliber of Housh being traded, let alone released.”
Ochocinco indicated he will be lobbying heavily for the Bengals to bring him back. Houshmandzadeh played eight seasons in Cincinnati before signing with Seattle as a free agent in March 2009.
The addition was considered a victory when Houshmandzadeh picked the Seahawks over the Vikings and a return to the Bengals. He caught 79 passes last season, the most on the team, but fewer than he had each of the previous three seasons.
Now, it appears Seattle not only decided Mike Williams and Deion Branch are better choices for starring roles in the offense, but that Houshmandzadeh is ill-suited to be part of the supporting cast or injury insurance. Seattle is poised to part ways with Houshmandzadeh, a receiver who averaged 93 catches the previous four seasons, rather than risk the fact he might not suffer silently if his opportunities are reduced.
The Seahawks will instead clear room for younger receivers like Golden Tate and Deon Butler. It also increases the likelihood Ben Obomanu will be kept for a special-teams role and perhaps even Brandon Jones, a former third-round pick Seattle signed during training camp.