It took two days and a number of premature reports, but Matt Leinart's future has been decided. It's not in Seattle.

Leinart will re-sign with the Houston Texans, where he was a backup last season. This constitutes a bit of a surprise after all, he was a backup there last season and Matt Schaub is entrenched as the starter for what most consider a playoff-caliber team.

There was interest in Leinart both from Seattle and Washington, and on the surface, each of those teams would present a clearer path to playing time. Neither team's quarterback situation could be considered completely settled.

Where would Leinart have fit into the quarterback situation in Seattle? That remains to be seen. The Seahawks can't have been too enamored with him. After all, he was available last season after the Cardinals released him prior to the start of the regular season and he wound up in Houston.

But that was a different situation: Matt Hasselbeck was Seattle's established starter, Charlie Whitehurst the player Seattle acquired with the hope he could eventually become the starter and to acquire Leinart, give his history with Pete Carroll in college, would have created an atmosphere where he would be perceived to be the chosen one by Carroll.

Now? That situation was less certain, and if Leinart came in he could conceivably play his way into the competition for the starting job or be the third-stringer.

He decided for the second seat in Houston.