Hartwell goes to Falcons - Dallas Cowboys Forum

SDogo · 03-21-2005

[font=Verdana, Arial]LAS VEGAN HITS JACKPOT: Hartwell goes to Falcons[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]Linebacker says he signs $26 million guaranteed pact[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial]By MARK ANDERSON
REVIEW-JOURNAL </B>

[/font]Linebacker Ed Hartwell did not panic when seemingly every other NFL free agent had signed.

"I think I wanted to wait, and patience is a virtue," he said. "I wanted the right situation and the right team."

Hartwell, who went to Cheyenne High School and lives in Las Vegas in the offseason, said he found that fit Sunday. He said he has signed a six-year, $26.24 million guaranteed contract with the Atlanta Falcons that includes an $8 million signing bonus.

Guaranteed NFL contracts are virtually unheard of anymore because of the risk of injuries.

"It's a great agent," Hartwell said of Harold Lewis. "Other than the money, I'm excited to go to Atlanta. It's a great organization. Arthur Blank, the owner, is a great guy, and the head coach (Jim Mora) and defensive coordinator (Ed Donatell) on down. It's a great team on the verge of a Super Bowl run."

The Falcons went to the NFC Championship Game last season before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.

They are most noted for an offense led by quarterback Michael Vick and running back Warrick Dunn. Atlanta's defense ranked in about the middle of the league.

"We never had the offense in Baltimore like they've had in Atlanta," said Hartwell, who spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Ravens. "They definitely have a lot of great players. If you put together that great offense with a great defense and play together as a team, it could be an unbelievably good future."

Hartwell signed to be an integral part of that future, and the Falcons obviously were interested in one of the NFL's most-noted free agents. ESPN ranked Hartwell (6 feet 1 inch, 250 pounds) as the league's No. 5 free agent.

He is coming off a season in which he made 96 tackles while playing in Ray Lewis' shadow. Hartwell's career high was 142 tackles in 2002.

Hartwell said 17 clubs expressed interest when the free-agent period began and told Lewis to organize the effort to pick the best one. Lewis previously said he set high contract standards to weed out the teams that weren't serious.

Though Lewis did not talks specifics, the asking price reportedly was $4 million annually. Hartwell made $1.348 million last season.

In the end, Hartwell said he chose Atlanta over Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City and Seattle. He said the offers were about $3.5 million to $5 million annually.

"I told my agent I didn't just want the highest payday," Hartwell said. "If one team offers $5 million and another $4.8 million, I wasn't going to automatically sign for $5 million because it wasn't just the money. I definitely wanted to go somewhere I would be happy. Atlanta is now my second home because Vegas is my first home."

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ho.../26121496.html

Avery · 03-21-2005

Pretty reasonable contract too. I guess we're in the market for LB's in the draft.

ravidubey · 03-21-2005

Wow, talk about a vote of confidence from the owner! Has there ever been a guaranteed contract for six years? I remember Marc Wilson of the Raiders had a guaranteed contract-- but six years is a long time for a linebacker.

lkelly · 03-21-2005

Did I read that right? His whole contract is guaranteed?

Wow.

LA=Pancakemaker · 03-21-2005

Quote:

I guess we're in the market for LB's in the draft

Yup we sure are.

SDogo · 03-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkelly

Did I read that right? His whole contract is guaranteed?

Wow.

That's what it sounds like. That's crazy!

**WoodysGirl** · 03-21-2005

If I was a player, I'd want an agent like that. He definitely earned his 3% commission. Guaranteed 26 mil. And it's better than getting crazy money up front and a contract that's back loaded with unreachable numbers. He's also young enough to play out the full contract, too.

lkelly · 03-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody'sGirl

If I was a player, I'd want an agent like that. He definitely earned his 3% commission. Guaranteed 26 mil. And it's better than getting crazy money up front and a contract that's back loaded with unreachable numbers. He's also young enough to play out the full contract, too.

And well protected if he blows out a knee or decides to hang out with Ricky Williams.

Guaranteed contracts have really hurt the NBA and MLB in my opinion. I certainly hope it doesn't become a trend in the NFL.

**WoodysGirl** · 03-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkelly

And well protected if he blows out a knee or decides to hang out with Ricky Williams.

Guaranteed contracts have really hurt the NBA and MLB in my opinion. I certainly hope it doesn't become a trend in the NFL.

I agree about the injury protection. Hartwell is set no matter what. On the flip side, on those non-guaranteed contracts, player gets hurt and he's cut, and he's stuck out. My position as far as player salaries is get all that you can while you can. No one says anything about the owners making billions of dollars off these guys physical abilities, so I don't have a problem with players trying to get as much as they can.

JMO, the NBA and MLB have issues that have nothing to do with guaranteed contracts.

k19 · 03-21-2005

Great Job by his agent and hopefully a great player long term for the Falcons.

jay cee · 03-21-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody'sGirl

I agree about the injury protection. Hartwell is set no matter what. On the flip side, on those non-guaranteed contracts, player gets hurt and he's cut, and he's stuck out. My position as far as player salaries is get all that you can while you can. No one says anything about the owners making billions of dollars off these guys physical abilities, so I don't have a problem with players trying to get as much as they can.

JMO, the NBA and MLB have issues that have nothing to do with guaranteed contracts.

I totally agree with you on both points WG.

**WoodysGirl** · 03-21-2005

Looks like it's not fully guaranteed after all, but it's still a good deal nonetheless...
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Hartwell is fourth defensive free agent inked by Atlanta

By Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Standout inside linebacker Ed Hartwell, arguably the premier player remaining in the unrestricted free agent pool, has reached a contract agreement with the Atlanta Falcons, ESPN.com has learned.

[font=Arial]Edgerton Hartwell[/font]
[font=Arial]Linebacker
Baltimore Ravens[/font]

[font=Arial]Profile
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The deal, which came after days of intense negotiations, fits nicely with Atlanta's often-stated offseason priority of further upgrading a defense that statistically ranked 14th in the NFL in 2004. A four-year veteran who had played his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens, Hartwell is the fourth defensive free agent signed by the Falcons, joining safeties Rich Coady and Ronnie Heard and linebacker Ike Reese.

Certainly the aggressive Hartwell is the Falcons' highest-profile offseason addition and, by far, the highest paid. Despite its need to upgrade at linebacker and safety, and to add more speed to both positions, Atlanta had spent modestly in opening three weeks of the free agent period.

His six-year contract totals $24.25 million and includes an $8 million signing bonus. There are additional base salary guarantees in the first three seasons of the contract. The deal will pay Hartwell $10 million in its first two years and $13.25 million over the first three seasons.

In the end, Hartwell chose the Falcons over the Kansas City Chiefs. Seattle had been in the chase for him as well but, over the past few days, dropped out of the bidding. Agent Harold Lewis negotiated extensively with officials from Atlanta and Kansas City over the weekend and the deal came together when the Falcons raised their offer from $4 million per year, a number on which they had been stuck for days.

A number of Atlanta officials -- including owner Arthur Blank and head coach Jim Mora and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell -- lobbied Hartwell hard the past few days.

"They made me feel wanted and I just think it's a great organization, a great city, and a great chance to win a Super Bowl," Hartwell said on Monday. "There are a lot of really good players there already and I hope I can add that something special, having come from a winning program, that helps get them over the hump. The more they called, the more it all came together and, on Sunday, I told my agent, 'Get a deal done with them. It's where I want to be.' And he took care of business."

Hartwell, 26, has started at inside linebacker in Baltimore's 3-4 front the past three years, but considers himself a pure 4-3 middle 'backer. His addition means that the Falcons will likely have two new starters in 2005. Keith Brooking, a perennial Pro Bowl performer, will likely remain on the weak side. Second-year pro Demorrio Williams, mostly used as a "nickel" linebacker in 2004, is projected as the strongside starter. Hartwell will bump Chris Draft from the middle spot.

The result should be a much quicker and significantly deeper unit, which is exactly what Mora and Donatell were seeking going into the offseason.

In four seasons, Hartwell posted 335 tackles, six sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles. He averaged 111.7 tackles in his three years as a starter, including a career-best 144 stops in 2002. That season, with Ray Lewis injured for much of the year, Hartwell took over as the Ravens' primary inside force against the run. His performance that year signaled that he was an emerging player who, in time, might be able to move out of Lewis' considerable shadow and make his own reputation as a top-shelf run defender.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here .

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...len&id=2018331

Nors · 03-21-2005

I read it $8M SB, $13M Guaranteed, 6 year $26M total.

Thats real real bad precedent to set if they guaranteed it all! Thats totally over payaing for a good player, not a GREAT player.

Thurman, Ruud Looking better and better at #42. Dallas historically never spends $ at LB.

Pooz · 03-21-2005

Hartwell's good but not for that guranteed cache