The NFL's Thursday night season opener will match the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, with the game possibly starting 1 1/2 hours earlier to avoid clashing with the Republican National Convention.

The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Sept. 4 - the concluding night of the Republican convention - and will be televised by NBC. League spokesman Greg Aiello said yesterday that the NFL is talking with the network about changing the game's starting time to 7 p.m.

The Redskins' participation was confirmed to the Associated Press by a person familiar with the NFL schedule who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league has not announced it.

Seahawks -- Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant and Seattle have agreed to a six-year, $50.2 million contract that runs through 2013. Agent Doug Hendrickson said the deal for the 11th overall draft choice out of Washington State in 2003 includes $20 million in guarantees. A $3 million roster bonus due in 2010 effectively means Trufant will get $28 million over the first three years of the contract, making him one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.

Rules -- At their meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., next week, NFL owners will consider a proposal to ban players from having hair flow from their helmets below their names on the back of their jerseys. The rule banning long hair on the field was proposed by Kansas City. It does not require players to get haircuts, but does "require them to tuck it up inside their helmets," said Atlanta president Rich McKay, chairman of the league's competition committee.

Colts -- Indianapolis has signed president Bill Polian to a contract extension through 2011. The Polian-led Colts have posted a 105-55 regular-season record over the past 10 seasons, reached the playoffs eight times and won the Super Bowl in the 2006 season.