Seattle Seahawks guard Mike Wahle has been released upon failing his pre-camp physical.
Wahle had surgery on his shoulder last December, but his recovery did not go as well as he and the team had hoped.
A second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1998 Supplemental Draft, Wahle moved into the starting lineup in 1999. He'd start 83 of 97 games over his seven seasons with the Packers before signing a five-year, $27 million dollar contract with the Carolina Panthers before the 2005 season.
Following his first season with Carolina, Wahle was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.
After three seasons, Wahle was released by the Panthers on February 11 for salary cap purposes, but three days later, signed a five-year, $20 million dollar contract with the Seahawks that included $3.5 million dollars in guarantees.
Wahle started at left guard for all 10 games he played for the Seahawks last season. His release clears approximately $1 million dollars in space on the team’s 2009 salary cap. Max Unger, Ray Willis, Mansfield Wrotto, Rob Sims, as well as centers Chris Spencer, Cory Withrow, and Steve Vallos, are candidates to replace Wahle at left guard.
The Seahawks also waived undrafted rookie center David Washington (Oklahoma State) and signed veteran center/guard Grey Ruegamer.
Ruegamer is a 10-year veteran capable of playing both center and guard. He's played with the Miami Dolphins (1999), New England Patriots (2000-02), Green Bay Packers (2003-05) and spent the last three seasons with the New York Giants, where he earned his second Super Bowl ring in 2007.
In addition to writing for NorthwestFootball.net, Brian McIntyre maintains his own blog, where he’s tracking the signing status of the 2009 NFL Draft Class, and writes for FalconInsider.com. If you’d like to e-mail Brian, you may do so by clicking here.
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