NFL seattle Seahawks

Michael Vick's release from prison Wednesday morning in no way ensures that he's going to play in the NFL in 2009. But the mere fact that Vick is headed home has prompted a new round of speculation about which teams might be willing to give him a second chance in the NFL.

Just five months after walking away from the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Holmgren says he already has the itch to get back to football, and he expects to be in the league in some capacity in 2010.

Holmgren told KJR in Seattle (via Sports Radio Interviews) that he was so excited during NFL draft weekend that he had to remind himself that he's no longer part of any NFL team.

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The Seattle Seahawks have signed linebacker Leroy Hill to a multi-year contract less than a week after drafting linebacker Aaron Curry and removing the franchise tag from Hill, according to a report by Greg Johns of seattlepi.com:

(Hill's) signing allows the Seahawks to retain a strong linebacking trio that also includes Pro Bowl veteran Lofa Tatupu and Curry, the fourth player selected in Saturday's first round of the NFL draft.

The Seahawks admittedly gambled in taking the franchise tag and its guaranteed $8.3 million tender offer away from Hill after adding Curry to the roster, but hoped the move would speed up a negotiating process that had bogged down.

The Seahawks landed arguably the top player in the 2009 draft with the fourth pick, then followed it up by drafting a center/guard who should start soon after the team was willing to trade away its third and fourth-round picks to move up.

But if there was one position of dire need that Seattle didn't address in the draft, it was cornerback, where the team was relying on disappointing former first-round pick Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson to occupy the spot opposite Marcus Trufant.

But we found out today why the Seahawks weren't that worried about drafting a corner on Sunday--they signed a veteran instead, bringing back Ken Lucas five years after he left to head to Carolina as a free agent. Lucas' signing is the first benefit from the cap room brought about by dumping the franchise tag on Leroy Hill. The Seattle Times is reporting that the 'Hawks added fullback Justin Griffith as well. Griffith fills the hole left when starting fullback Leonard Weaver left to sign a free agent deal with the Eagles.

UPDATE: Rex Ryan all up in my face, kid: Jets have made a play for Mark Sanchez by trading into the top five. PK calls it "paying a ransom."

Before the draft started, many folks across the realm of sports media predicted that Mark Sanchez could fall all the way down to the Redskins, mostly predicated on the Chiefs taking Tyson Jackson third overall. Or, at the very least, the 49ers. This was in stark contrast to the earlier notions (even leading up to the Rams' pick) that he could go as high as second.

But Sanchez might have wisely avoided New York for the lack-of-public-embarrassment-safety of California. Why? Because the Chiefs just picked Jackson.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

For all the good that Mike Holmgren did in Seattle (and everywhere else he coached), it's hard to argue that the first year of the Jim Mora Era hasn't already started out better than the Holmgren Farewell Trainwreck Tour. The Seahawks traded Julian Peterson, but they signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh and managed to pick up Colin Cole. Sure, it's not that impressive, but it's still better than what happened to Holmgren and Co. last year.

Something very odd is going on in Detroit this offseason: the Lions are actually showing signs of knowing what they're doing. The latest move reportedly has the Lions sending defensive tackle Cory Redding and a 2009 fifth-round to Seattle for Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson.

Peterson was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in Seattle. The Michigan State alum will slide into Detroit's starting strongside linebacker spot and, paired with Ernie Sims on the weakside as the Lions continue to rapidly rebuild their miserable defense. There are implications here beyond immediate on-field payoffs, though.

Tarvaris Jackson can't even catch a break during the offseason when he's seven months away from the nearest interception. The Vikings sometimes-starting quarterback has struggled with consistency during his three-year career, which explains why he's had to share the gig with Gus Frerotte, and why the team recently traded for Sage Rosenfels.

But according to a reader email ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert posted on his blog, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was seriously considering signing with the Vikings, decided against it after meeting T-Jack.

Brian Bosworth is infamous. That's mainly because he was such a bust in the NFL, and because his persona was such a mix of Motley Crüe and Super Bowl Shuffle.

Oh, and also because he deigned to send NFL teams letters stating that he would not play for them if drafted. Because he was that good. And humble. That infamy has taken an even more disturbing turn now, as it was reported today by TMZ that Bosworth was arrested on a DUI charge for riding his motorcycle intoxicated last night.

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.