Alexander Cashes in Big - 8 years, $62 million

[Jerry]

FOXSports.com has learned that the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with Pro-Bowl running back Shaun Alexander on a whopping eight-year, $62 million deal that includes a total of more than $15 million in the first year in bonuses (signing and roster) and salary.

NFL MVP Shaun Alexander will return to Seattle and help the Seahawks try to get back to the Super Bowl. (Harry How / Getty Images)

The Alexander deal is not contingent upon a new CBA getting done as the Seahawks have the necessary cap space to make such a move. However, the contract still has to get approved by the NFL front office and Alexander needs to sign the contract.

The league's MVP was wise to take such a deal as the running back market in free agency will likely be much lower than several big-named veterans may think. In addition, Alexander didn't want to leave the Seahawks.

Alexander broke the NFL's single-season touchdown mark this past season, helping push the Seahawks to the NFC title. Now Seattle must turn their attention to Pro-Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson.

It's unclear how the deal is structured with regards to how much cap space this deal takes up in the first year of the new contract. Seattle had a decent amount of salary cap room heading into this free agent period.

Now that Alexander is off the market Edgerrin James, Chester Taylor and Jamal Lewis as well as DeShaun Foster (transition tag) will try to follow up in a very slim market.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5384774

[cap1]

Originally Posted by Jerry

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5384774

That is good for him. The Seahawks should have a great team for the next 3 or 4 years now.

[Wolf]

he is what 27 or 28 years old now.. I doubt he will see the end of that contract

but I don't understand why teams do stuff like that..just like the Texans and Gary Walker.. signed a deal that more than likely will extend past your playing days

Alexander may run until he is 36 but I wonder being he is carrying the ball right now over 325 times a season.

[Texas_Thrill]

Not sure I get the deal. Maybe its cap logic.

I like alexander but not that much. I think salaries have just gotten out of hand all together but that's just me.

Which is why we saw peyton and marvin re-doing their salaries.

[Kaiser Toro]

Originally Posted by Texas_Thrill

Not sure I get the deal. Maybe its cap logic.

I like alexander but not that much. I think salaries have just gotten out of hand all together but that's just me.

Which is why we saw peyton and marvin re-doing their salaries.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2359425

Little more insight:
The eight-year contract, agreed to on Sunday night and then officially signed Monday, pays Alexander a signing bonus of $11.5 million. He will receive a roster bonus of $2 million and a base salary of $1.625 million for 2006. In the absence of an extension to the collective bargaining agreement, the signing bonus can be amortized over just four years, at $2.875 million annually from 2006-2009.

Adding the prorated signing bonus share to Alexander's other compensation for each season creates the salary cap charge. The cap charge jumps to $7.35 million for 2008 and $8.437 for 2009.