CHENEY, Wash. -- Reports that Matt Hasselbeck had fired his
agent and intended to play for the Seattle Seahawks under terms of
his current contract were "close to being completely false," the
quarterback said Thursday.
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"Don't believe what you read," Hasselbeck said at training
camp at Eastern Washington University.
Hasselbeck declined to go into detail, saying he'll make a
statement about his contract status this weekend when training camp
begins.
The Seattle Times reported this week that negotiations between
the Seahawks and Hasselbeck were suspended because the quarterback
had released his agent, Vann McElroy, and intended to play for
$440,000 next season. That deal expires after the season, making
Hasselbeck a restricted free agent.
"I probably shouldn't comment on it because those stories are
close to being completely false," Hasselbeck said as he posed for
photographers on his first day in camp. "I don't know where they
came from ... I'm going to set the record straight."
Hasselbeck has acknowledged that he has severed ties with McElroy, making it unclear what part of the newspaper report Hasselbeck is disputing.
During his three years with Green Bay, the last two as a backup
to Brett Favre, Hasselbeck negotiated a one-year contract himself.
He hired McElroy a year ago.
He is expected to be Seattle's starting quarterback this season.
One of Seattle's two first-round draft picks, Steve Hutchinson,
also reported to camp Thursday after signing with the team
Wednesday.
"It's just a big relief for me," Hutchinson said. "It's just
getting started on the right foot."
Hutchinson, 17th pick overall, signed a five-year contract worth
about $6.7 million, including a $3.3 million signing bonus and a
$1.3 million option bonus that can be paid next spring, the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer reported.
The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Hutchinson was a four-year starter on
the offensive line at Michigan and expects to play left guard for
the Seahawks.
"I'm going to work hard to get into that spot," Hutchinson
said.
Although the team has reportedly reached an agreement with its
top draft choice, wide receiver Koren Robinson, Seahawks officials
would not confirm the deal Thursday. Robinson was not at camp
Thursday with other rookies.
The Seahawks announced Thursday they had signed their
second-round pick, cornerback Ken Lucas, and third-round selection,
fullback Heath Evans.
"I told my agent to get me into camp on time so I could be here
with the veterans," Lucas said. "I didn't want to sit out. I
didn't want to leave that bad taste in their mouth."
Lucas, a cornerback from Mississippi, said he needed to learn
Seattle's defensive scheme.
"Hopefully we'll do something that a lot of people don't expect
us to do this year and that's go to the Super Bowl," he said.
Lucas signed a multi-year contract, Seahawks officials said. No
details were provided. He had 17 regular-season starts, with 85
tackles and seven interceptions for UM.
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