KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Ryan Leaf is hoping Mike Holmgren's quarterback coaching magic can help his stalled NFL career.

Released by San Diego, Tampa Bay and Dallas in the past 15 months, Leaf was introduced on Wednesday as the newest member of the Seattle Seahawks.

``This is a lot of attention for a third-string quarterback,'' a smiling Leaf told a jam-packed news conference at the Seahawks' headquarters.

Leaf, the second player picked in the 1998 NFL draft after leading Washington State into its first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years, signed a one-year contract with the Seahawks on Tuesday. The Cowboys released him Monday.

Under Holmgren, Seattle's coach and general manager, Leaf will start out competing for the third-string job with two rookies: seventh-round draft pick Jeff Kelly and Ryan Van Dyke.

Trent Dilfer is the No. 1 quarterback of the Seahawks and his backup is Matt Hasselbeck.

Leaf, 26, said he asked Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to call Holmgren about two weeks ago when Jones told him he no longer was wanted in Dallas.

``I wanted to come back home,'' he said.

Leaf said he wanted to see if he could succeed under Holmgren, who coached the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre into two Super Bowls before coming to Seattle in 1999.

``He's helped so many quarterbacks in this league,'' Leaf said. ``I felt if anybody could help me out and get me back to where I was when I left college, I think coach can do it. It's a great opportunity for me.''

Leaf said he probably would have retired from football if the Seahawks hadn't offered him a contract. He said he expects Seattle to be his last NFL stop.

``Ever since I left San Diego, this is kind of where I wanted to be,'' he said. ``This is about me trying to become a better quarterback. If I'm not good enough to do it, I think that's it.''

Leaf will play for the league minimum of $525,000 in the 2002 season if he makes the Seahawks' roster. He will count $450,000 against the salary cap.

When he entered the league as a rookie, he got an $11.25 million signing bonus from the Chargers.

In San Diego, Leaf clashed with coaches, teammates and reporters. In 1999, he was suspended for four weeks after berating then-Chargers general manager Bobby Bethard in front of the team.

Holmgren said Leaf would have to be on his best behavior in Seattle.

``I don't see any downside to this, I really don't,'' Holmgren said Tuesday. ``We've worked hard to establish a certain chemistry on the team. I won't let any player disrupt that.''

Leaf expects no problems in Seattle. He said Holmgren has been supportive of him since he came into the league.

``We've talked after every game I've played against him,'' he said. ``He always seemed to be interested in how I was doing and it seemed sincere how he spoke to me.''

Leaf said he is comfortable with his role in Seattle. He looks for Dilfer, who quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl win, to help him, too.

``I'm a very competitive person, but this allows me to sit back and learn from a guy who has won a Super Bowl as a coach and a quarterback who has won a Super Bowl as a player,'' Leaf said.

He passed a physical before signing with the Seahawks and said a lingering wrist injury would not be a problem.

``It's fine,'' he said. ``It doesn't bother me at all.''

Leaf was 0-3 as a starter with the Cowboys last season, completing 45 of 88 passes for 494 yards and one touchdown, with three interceptions. He was sacked a dozen times and had a 57.7 quarterback rating.

In his NFL career, he is 4-17 as a starter, with 3,666 yards passing, 36 interceptions and 14 touchdown passes.

Leaf said he was a different person now than when he first joined the Chargers.

``You grow from all those things you go through,'' he said.