Cunningham Makes Case for Raise : Eagles May Give Him One; Seahawks Lose Game and Largent

Randall Cunningham showed Sunday why the Philadelphia Eagles want to give him a raise.

Before Cunningham picked apart the Seattle Seahawk defense for 240 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-7 victory, the Eagles, responding to a CBS-TV report, disclosed they are renegotiating his three-year contract, which has two years left and pays $1.4 million per year.

“It’s simply something we would like to do,” said Eagle President Harry Gamble, who had an 18-month bitter negotiation with defensive standout Reggie White.

In addition to losing the game, the Seahawks lost receiver Steve Largent.

Largent did not not return after halftime because of what the Seahawks called a “small” fracture of the right elbow.

Seattle Coach Chuck Knox said Largent would be sidelined for six weeks. Largent said he thought the fracture occurred on an incomplete pass in the second quarter as he attempted to break up an interception.

The Eagles shook Seattle in the game’s opening four minutes with a blocked punt that led to a touchdown. Then they turned the game over to Cunningham, who completed 13 of 27 passes, six for 140 yards to wide receiver Mike Quick.

The Seahawks’ offense was dominated by Philadelphia’s defense, which intercepted four passes, registered three sacks and held Seattle’s running game, led by Curt Warner and John L. Williams, to 77 yards.

The defense set up a one-yard touchdown with the blocked punt and scored a touchdown on cornerback Eric Everett’s fourth-quarter, 30-yard interception.

The Seahawks, last year’s AFC West winners, were in the game briefly in the first period when they tied it, 7-7, as Dave Krieg threw a 23-yard scoring pass to Largent, who holds the league’s career record for receptions and yardage.

Cunningham said the Eagles’ offer to negotiate came as a surprise.

“I just signed a contract last year,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for anything. Whatever happens, happens. If I get a new contract, great. If not, I’ll play it out.”

Knox, analyzing the loss, said: “It was no big mystery what happened. We had the punt blocked and they scored early. We got behind and they controlled from there on.”