The Seattle Seahawks Bow Down to Sidney Rice's Wishes

The Seattle Seahawks may not know who their next franchise quarterback will be, but now (and perhaps for the first time since the glory days of Steve Largent), they know who their franchise receiver is. On Wednesday afternoon, several sources reported the news that we intimated in today's scouting report '" the Seahawks agreed to terms with former Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice(notes) on a 5-year, $41 million contract that includes $18 million in guaranteed money. The deal is pending a physical, which Rice would likely take on Friday, when free agency officially begins. The agreement is also part of a seeming exodus of Vikings players to Seattle to re-unite with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell '" on Tuesday, former Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson(notes) agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million deal. Before he lost 10 games of the 2010 season to a hip injury, Rice had become one of the best up-and-coming receivers in the game, with his 2009 season as the standout. It was the one year in which he worked with an elite quarterback '" Brett Favre's(notes) first of two seasons with the Vikings '" and Rice put up elite numbers. He caught 83 passes in 121 targets for 1,312 yards and 8 touchdowns, finishing first in the NFL in Football Outsiders' cumulative opponent-adjusted metrics (DYAR) and third in FO's per-play numbers (DVOA). If healthy, and with a high-quality quarterback throwing to him, Rice could develop into one of the game's best on a consistent basis. The Seahawks will have to find the right quarterback for their future (Jackson doesn't look to be the long-term answer), but it's clear that the Seahawks are looking to fill the personnel holes they can this year. Wednesday also saw the Seahawks agreeing to terms on a multi-year deal with former Oakland Raiders guard Robert Gallery(notes).