FOR c4 flap : New NFL Rules Force Seattle to Plan for Future

If the Seattle Seahawks have a franchise player, it is Cortez Kennedy. Without a doubt.

But don’t expect them to make it official, at least not now.

The NFL will launch veteran free agency Monday, and each team can prevent one player from negotiating with other teams by designating him a “franchise” player.

For Seattle, that player would surely be Kennedy, the defensive tackle who was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year this season. But the Seahawks might not make that official just yet.

“We do not have to name that franchise player,” said Tom Flores, the Seahawk general manager and coach. “We don’t have to name him ever. We just have the right to at any time.”

Kennedy still has two years left on the contract he signed as a rookie, and as a third-year player he’s two years away from the five-year minimum for free agency anyway. In other words, there’s no need for Seattle to give Kennedy the franchise label until 1995, and there’s no good reason to do it before then.

“What if he injures his knee this year and doesn’t stay at that level?” Flores said of a hypothetical franchise-type player who has two years left on a contract. “Then what do you do?”

One thing Flores said they will do is name two “transitional” players.

The NFL is expected Thursday to release the list of transitional players, up to two from each team. When his contract expires, a transitional player can negotiate with other teams, but his current team can keep him by matching any contract offer he accepts or by paying him the average salary of the 10 best-paid players at his position, whichever sum is higher.

The Seahawks may stray from the herd in that regard, too, in that they might not use the transition label on players who are free agents this season.

“We have two transition players for this year, but they don’t have to come due this year,” Flores said. “(Brian) Blades’ contract is up in 1994. If we declare him our transition player, we have the right of first refusal in 1994.”

When deciding whether to make someone a transition player, a team has to ask: “Is he someone we’re sure we want to keep for at least one more contract? Are we likely to lose him to free agency? And are we willing to pay him top 10 money?”

The Seahawks have a weak free-agent class this year--Wyman, a linebacker, and Woods, a defensive end, are the only projected starters who are eligible-- and none of them are an obvious yes to all three questions.