In case it wasn't entirely clear if Lofa Tatupu was really going to walk away from the Seattle Seahawks rather than accept a pay cut, the latest sign that he is at least seriously considering a move came Monday when he was scheduled to visit the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. The Seahawks reportedly asked Tatupu over the weekend to take a pay cut of a couple million dollars from his scheduled salary of $4.35 million. He was then released, freeing him up to look for work elsewhere.
Lofa Tatupu Testing Options, Visits Raiders
The decision not to accept the pay cut apparently came as a bit of a surprise for the Seahawaks, for whom Tatupu has been a locker room leader and a team captain. After signing his extension in 2008, he said that he planned to retire as a Seahawk. Tatupu also played for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll when both were at USC.
The decision to release Tatupu was not hugely surprising from the Seahawks’ perspective. Since signing his six-year, $42 million contract, he has battled injuries and his effectiveness has declined considerably. After appearing in just five games in 2009, he played all 16 in 2010, but had a career low 88 tackles.
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