RENTON – Although he left his former team under less-than-ideal circumstances, Seattle Seahawks running back Edgerrin James says he doesn’t hold a grudge against the Arizona Cardinals. James faces Arizona for the first time since the team granted his release earlier this year, several months after he first asked for it.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt acknowledged in a conference call with Seattle-area reporters Wednesday that the 31-year-old veteran was an important part of his team’s rise to a playoff-caliber club, and ultimately the team’s Super Bowl run last season.

“It was a financial issue with us more than anything, certainly not from a standpoint of not wanting Edgerrin,” Whisenhunt said. “It’s always hard because Edgerrin has done a lot for this organization, especially at a time when it was really struggling as far as bringing fans in, bringing ticket sales in.

“And certainly last year in the playoffs, he had an important part of our run. So you never like to see players like that go, but in this business, those kinds of things happen.”

In the prime of his career, James left Indianapolis as a free agent and signed a four-year, $30 million deal with Arizona in 2006. He was due to make $5 million this season if he stayed in Arizona. However, once the Cardinals drafted Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells in the first round of this year’s draft, James became expendable.

“A lot of people wouldn’t take the risk, coming from where I came from,” James said about going to Arizona. “And I took the risk to go out there. And I don’t regret nothing. When I do something, I do it fully.”

James initially asked for his release in November of last year when Arizona put the future Hall of Famer on the bench in favor of rookie Tim Hightower.

But as Arizona struggled running the ball, James worked himself back in the rotation toward the end of the regular season. And he started all the games in the postseason, giving the Cardinals enough of a running game to keep defenses honest during the team’s deep playoff run.

After the team’s Super Bowl loss to the Steelers, James still wanted out. The Cardinals released him in April.

James signed a one-year, $2 million deal to join Seattle in September after the Seahawks released running back T.J. Duckett.

James said the release had more to do with taking care of some personal issues in his life, including the death of longtime girlfriend and the mother of his four children, Andia Denise Wilson, after a battle with leukemia.

“There were a bunch of things that factored into it, but at the end of the day my last year there I wasn’t even thinking about football,” he said. “So it’s not a big deal, man. They’re a nice football team. And I watched them progress, and we made some strides. And I feel like I played a big part in everything that went on there, from the day I got there until the day I left. So I’m satisfied.”

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner said it will be odd seeing James in a Seahawks uniform come Sunday.

“Yeah, it’s going to be strange, especially in a Seahawk uniform after we had so many battles against them when he was here,” Warner said. “But everybody in this locker room loves him, and he was a great teammate and meant so much to our run last year.”

The Seahawks have yet to fully develop a role for James. He has been used in spot duty to give starter Julius Jones a rest.

However, Seahawks coach Jim Mora said James won’t be limited to helping run out the clock at the end of games.

“I don’t want that to be his only role,” Mora said. “I’d like to see Edge run the ball during the course of the game some. It’s not up to him to get himself involved, it’s up to us to get him involved, and that’s something that we’ll work towards.”

Extra points

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck talked with reporters for the first time since Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, and said his rib injury feels fine. ... For Seattle, LB Leroy Hill (groin), T Walter Jones (knee), T Sean Locklear (ankle), G Rob Sims (ankle) and S C.J. Wallace (hamstring) are out. CB Ken Lucas did not practice because he’s in Mississippi handling funeral arrangements for his father. WR Nate Burleson (back) was a limited participant in practice. Hasselbeck, DE Lawrence Jackson (rib), DE Cory Redding (shoulder), G Mansfield Wrotto (ankle), CB Travis Fisher (pelvis) and DE Patrick Kerney (groin) were full participants in practice. ... Cornerback Marcus Trufant continues to make progress to getting back on the field. After practice Trufant worked against wide receivers Deion Branch and Ben Obomanu covering routes, and seemed to hold up pretty well.

Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437

Eric.williams@thenewstribune.com

blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks