Seahawks sign offensive guard Wahle; hire QBs coach

Mike Wahle, a free-agent guard most recently with the Carolina Panthers, has signed a multi-year contract with the Seahawks, the team confirmed today.

Wahle, 30, is a 10-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler who was released mainly for salary-cap reasons on Monday by the Panthers. He traveled to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks on Tuesday, had his visit that presumably included a physical on Wednesday, and signed.

Wahle played left guard for the Panthers and began his career in Green Bay in Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren's last season there, 1998. He has had shoulder injury issues in the past, but it appears the injury was not big enough of a concern to keep the Seahawks from signing him.

Wahle was on Sirius NFL Radio this afternoon and announced on the air that he is now a Seahawk. He figures to at least compete for the starting left guard spot with third-year pro Rob Sims.

The Seahawks also hired former Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor as their quarterbacks coach, to replace Jim Zorn. Zorn left last month after seven seasons in Seattle to become the Redskins' offensive coordinator. Washington then promoted Zorn to head coach.

His arrival still leaves Seattle in need of a running backs coach, because Stump Mitchell left Wednesday to join Zorn in Washington.

The Associated Press also contributed to this report