Hindsight is 20/20, but Vikings are 8-1

Many things appealed to T.J. Houshmandzadeh about the Vikings as they courted the free-agent wide receiver last winter.

Houshmandzadeh loved the Vikings' top-notch ground game that featured Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson and a solid offensive line that would open up things for the pass. He felt extremely comfortable with Vikings coach Brad Childress and wide receivers coach George Stewart. Heck, Houshmandzadeh even thought owner Zygi Wilf was "super cool."

But one thing bugged the veteran. "When it came down to it, I felt like the quarterback situation -- which kind of makes a receiver go -- it was a better situation here so I did what any receiver would do," Houshmandzadeh said.

Here is Seattle, the place from where Houshmandzadeh was speaking Wednesday, and what he did was bolt the Twin Cities after a two-day visit with the Vikings last March in order to sign a $40 million, five-year contract with the Seahawks that included $15 million in guarantees. (The Vikings made a similar offer.)

Houshmandzadeh, 32, will return to town Sunday to get a glimpse of what might have been as the Vikings play host to the Seahawks. What Houshmand- zadeh will see is an 8-1 Vikings team that is led by Brett Favre -- the quarterback signed nearly six months after Houshmandzadeh's decision -- and a wide receiver corps that includes NFL offensive rookie of the year candidate Percy Harvin. Houshmandzadeh, meanwhile, is part of the 3-6 Seahawks.

"The situation [with the Vikings] at the time wasn't what it is now," Houshmandzadeh said to Seattle reporters when asked if he had any regrets. "So you make the best decision at that time that you think is right. As of right now, it doesn't look like it was the best decision, but it's very early in the process. I feel like I can play a lot more years. I feel great, and so you can't just say one year, 'Oh, it was a bad decision.'"

Houshmandzadeh, who leads Seattle with 50 receptions for 582 yards and three touchdowns, reportedly had reservations about playing for the Vikings because he got the impression Tarvaris Jackson was going to be the starter. Favre had retired from the New York Jets by that point but wouldn't be released from that team's roster until the end of April.

"I'm just glad Brett didn't come out of retirement around that time because T.J. probably would have picked Brett," Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said.

Hasselbeck might have been half-joking, but he also probably knew he was right. Houshmandzadeh attempted to downplay how much of a difference it would have made if he knew he would have had a chance to not only play with Peterson but also Favre.

"It's hard to say, 'What if, what if?'" said Houshmandzadeh, who also turned down the opportunity to return to Cincinnati after spending his first eight seasons with the Bengals. "So you make the decision at the time that was best. I tried to look at everything and I talked to a lot of people ... different coaches throughout the NFL, and got advice what they thought was best for me. People that I really trust. I would say it was split even with [Favre] not there and so I just had to do what I thought was best."

Unknowingly, Houshmandzadeh might have ended up doing the Vikings a huge favor. Although Childress refused to deal in such hypotheticals when asked earlier this week, it's safe to say if the Vikings had signed Houshmandzadeh, they wouldn't have taken Harvin with their first-round pick.

Harvin has proven to be a terrific addition, contributing 31 receptions for 422 yards and three touchdowns. He also leads the NFL with an average of 30.7 yards on 29 kickoff returns with two touchdowns. By all accounts, Harvin has proven to be a very good teammate; Houshmandzadeh, on the other hand, has openly displayed his displeasure in Seattle at times.

He did have his best game of the season in the Seahawks' 31-20 loss at Arizona last Sunday, catching nine passes for 165 yards. The Vikings, though, are very happy with how things ended up. "All I know is we have Percy, Bernard [Berrian] and Sidney [Rice], and those are the guys that we love and need here," tight end Visanthe Shiancoe said. "As far as Houshmandzadeh, I have no idea. He made a decision he felt was best for his career. We feel good over here and hopefully he feels good over there."

Staff writer Chip Scoggins contributed to this report.