Can Seattle pay both Pro Bowl players? Alexander led the league with a team-record 1,880 yards rushing and a league-record 28 touchdowns before Pittsburgh held him to 95 yards and out of the end zone. He is expected to command over $20 million in a signing bonus alone. Agent Jim Steiner said last week the two sides remain so far apart in figures, he can’t predict where Alexander will be playing in 2006.

Late Sunday, Allen didn’t sound worried about Alexander leaving.

“As I said before, I am optimistic about that,” the Microsoft co-founder said in the Seahawks’ locker room. “Obviously, there will be discussions with his agent over the coming weeks.”

Hutchinson and his agent, Tom Condon, may aim for something approaching the $20 million in total bonuses Seattle gave perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones last offseason.

Hutchinson, on his way to his third straight Pro Bowl, said last week he expected to return. The Seahawks have a fallback plan they could use to keep him.

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Since they have already promised Alexander they would not use their lone franchise designation on him this offseason as a condition to get him signed for 2005, the Seahawks could use that tag and its mandated, one-year contract to keep Hutchinson for 2006.

Holmgren said that next season offers “hope.”

“As far as the window of opportunity and where a team is, this is a young team here,” Holmgren said on his way out of Detroit. “The key individuals are young and have a few more years of really good productivity.

“The organization is in good hands. Things are in place. There’s no reason to think that now we’ve got the taste of it a little we can’t continue this for a while.”

But for Holmgren and his frustrated Hawks, such optimism will have to wait.

“I’m not going to look ahead for a little while,” Holmgren said, still stuck on his second loss in three Super Bowls as a head coach.

“I’m going to hibernate for a few days somewhere.”