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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, May 19, 2010

NFL: Seahawks agree to 1-year deal with QB Losman


By GREGG BELL
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE — Former Buffalo Bills starting quarterback J.P. Losman and the Seahawks have agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract, as new Seattle coach Pete Carroll continues to spin his competition carousel.

Agent Gary Wichard confirmed the deal in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Foxsports.com first reported the agreement between Buffalo's first-round pick in 2004 and the Seahawks, who are loading up with competition at every position — including the most important one.

Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is 34 and entering the final season of his contract. He threw a career-high 17 interceptions last season while getting battered for the second consecutive year.

Seattle recently traded two draft choices and then gave an $8 million contract to former San Diego Chargers third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst to have him challenge Hasselbeck now — and eventually replace him.

"I am real pleased with Matt being our quarterback right now and being in the lead position," Carroll said Monday. "However, we are trying to make it as competitive as possible. We are trying to push Matt to make him better and try to elevate Charlie's game as well. That is just the way we are doing it. It will always be a competition in my mind."

Now, for depth, there's the 29-year-old Losman. He threw one pass for Oakland last season after five years with the Bills plus time in the United Football League.

His agreement came hours after the Seahawks released Mike Reilly, the former record-setting passer at Central Washington they had claimed two weeks ago off waivers from St. Louis to compete for the No. 3 job.

Losman's only full season as a starter was 2006 — not counting his 2009 UFL championship season with the Las Vegas Locomotives. Known for his strong arm, he threw 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in '06 for Buffalo. The Bills then drafted Trent Edwards, and Losman soon wanted out of Buffalo.

Carroll has also acquired LenDale White, his former star running back at Southern California, while adding former New York Jets All-Pro Leon Washington at a running back position that now has six veterans.

At wide receiver, Carroll has signed Reggie Williams and Mike Williams out of free-agent tryouts. Both are failed former top-10 overall picks getting a new NFL life behind leading receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.