Perhaps with the release of Peyton Manning, this kind of got swept under the rug. One the few remaining links to the Seattle Super Bowl team, Marcus Trufant was let go by the Seahawks after being drafted No. 1 in 2003.
In his heyday, he was a dangerous commodity on defense. While injury curtailed the end of his time with the Seahawks, I don't think too many fans can speak ill of this guy. Throw in the fact that he's a former WSU Cougar and he's a-OKAY in my book.
One of the toughest jobs in the NFL is being a corner back. You have to have a short memory and chances are, you're going to get burning. Trufant was solid back there at the position and I wouldn't be surprised if the Seahawks welcome him back to join the Ring of Honor at some point. Just look at this resume...
The move also cleared about $4.5 million in salary under the cap, where the Seahawks already have more than $20 million to work with.
“Out of respect for Marcus and his family, we’ve decided to release him today so that he has an opportunity to explore the full window of unrestricted free agency and the options that go along with it,” said general manager John Schneider.
“Marcus has done so much for this organization, but because of the changing landscape of the NFL, tough decisions have to be made and this is the correct thing to do at this time.”
The Seahawks selected Trufant with the 11th overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. Trufant became an immediate starter, missing only one start in 124 career games played, returning from a back injury and playing in the nickel defense at Dallas (Dec. 1, 2009). He also started all nine Seahawks postseason games in his career.
He made 604 tackles (533 solo) to rank 10th in club history. His 21 interceptions rank fifth. He also return two picks for TDs, had 113 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Trufant was voted to the Pro Bowl after the 2007 season, when he notched a career-high seven interceptions (2nd NFC, T3rd NFL), 85 tackles and 16 passes defensed, including tying the franchise-mark with three interceptions in one game (vs. Arizona, 12/9/07) and returning one 84 yards for his first career score.
In 2004, he became only the fourth cornerback in NFL history to lead his team in tackles when he recorded a career-high 93 (83 solo). He also tied his career high with 20 passes defensed (2003).
I can't see why another team wouldn't take a flyer on him, even if he has been injury prone as of late. He won't make a ton of money but I'd imagine we'll see him in another NFL uniform.
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