Hasselbeck's days numbered in Seattle?

Peter King says he keeps "hearing" that the Seahawks are thinking of letting
Matt Hasselbeck go this off season. Hasselbeck has a $9.5 million cap charge, but
it would be foolhardy for Jim Mora to start over at quarterback without any
clear alternatives. The free agent market is fool's gold. Hasselbeck's play on
Thanksgiving was encouraging and a strong finish to the season could keep him in
Seattle.

Source: SI.com

Ok so it's a tenuous link at best. Peter King, who writes for SI.com has claimed that he 'keeps hearing' that the Seahawks are considering cutting Matt Hasselbeck.

At first I read that and couldn't believe what I was reading and simply ignored it straight off. The thought of dumping Matt for a rookie or someone like Matt Cassell in free agency initially seems like a great way to make sure the Seahawks are drafting in the top 5 again next year.

But then I started to consider some other factors. Matt has had back problems all year, and it remains unclear how this will affect him in the future. Backs can be a problem area, not just in that they are frequently problematic themselves but they can lead to other injuries as was claimed earlier this year when they said Matt felt numbness in his legs brought about by his back injury.If the doctors are saying it could be a real problem, Matt could end up missing a lot of time.

The quality is still there, as seen against the Cowboys, but can it be there for 16 games + playoffs?

Combine this with the fact we are going to be drafting anywhere between 2nd overall and 6th/7th overall in the 2009 draft. If the threat of a 'rookie salary cap' for 2010 is real, you could see a currently unrealistic situation with a number of young college QB's declaring for the draft. Sam Bradford, Matt Stafford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow could all declare if they think this is their last chance to get a big pay cheque.

If Ruskell is particularly fond of one of these QB's and with us potentially in position to take one of them, he may see it as a golden chance to draft a franchise QB.

Quarterbacks taken that early earn an absolute ton and would make it nearly impossible to sit him for too long. Maybe he sees this is a chance to capitalise with a new QB when we're drafting so high? Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco's displays will hardly put him off even if they are the exception to the rookie rule.

Also, with a new coaching staff and possibly new offensive scheme, it could be that the front office want a new type of QB to go forward. New head coaches often seem to begin with a new QB who suites the style they wish to play.

I originally thought the Seahawks without Matt behind centre in 2009 was just plain unthinkable. But when I actually gave it some thought, I began to consider that maybe there's no smoke without fire here? The same kind of talk happened with Shaun last year and although it dragged on for ages, it ended up being the worst kept secret in the NFL when he was cut.

The fact is, if the doctors are saying his health isn't good and this back problem could be a long term issue... as harsh as it sounds the front office have a duty to cover every eventuality.

It could be a case of either going into a new era for the franchise with an ageing Matt Hasselbeck who might drop at any second because of his back. Or you can try and get some kind of pick for Matt and draft a QB early to try and mould them into a franchise QB for the next decade.

Like I said, it might sound harsh but this is business.

The franchise have a massive decision to make here.