Tailback Shaun Alexander on Tuesday evening signed a one-year contract with the club and will report to camp on time later this week. The one-year deal is for $6.32 million, the same amount Alexander would have received had he signed the one-year qualifying offer for a "franchise" tailback, a concession that the Seahawks have been attempting to gain for months. But there is a fairly monumental caveat included in the contract: The deal stipulates that the Seahawks cannot designate Alexander a franchise player again at the end of the 2005 season. So unless the two sides reach a deal on an extension, which could be difficult given the acrimony that built up over the spring, Alexander would be an unrestricted free agent next spring and free to leave. The contract, which is totally guaranteed, also precludes the Seahawks from trading the five-year veteran during the season without his approval.