Housh Signs Big Deal With Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh, according to numerous sources and confirmed by ESPN's Michael Smith on SportsCenter a few moments ago.

Smith reports that while the Minnesota Vikings put the "full court press" on Houshmandzadeh, in the end he simply couldn't turn down what is apparently a five-year, $40 million ($15 guaranteed no less) contract from the Seahawks for the 31-year-old wide receiver.

It's a huge statement by the Seahawks on a number of levels: first off, as noted in our Offseason Road Map, wide receiver was a position that they absolutely had to address. Many folks had them taking Michael Crabtree with the fourth pick, but the stress fracture in his foot may have given Jim Mora cold feet. Housh allows the Seahawks to focus on their offensive line and/or secondary in the draft while still providing a fantastic West Coast weapon for Matt Hasselbeck.

The contract itself is pretty outrageous given Houshmandzadeh's age, but at the same time, he has more catches than anyone else in the NFL over the past three seasons, and if the Seahawks want to return to the top of the NFC West, picking up an impact wide receiver was a must. Now they've done just that.