Pastabelly: Franchise Holdouts & News

[Hostile]

At one minute after midnight on Wednesday, the mandated NBA freeze on signing or trading players concluded, and the much anticipated event set off a mind-boggling frenzy, one which included the relocation of some of the sport's biggest stars.

Twenty-four hours later, the NFL's unofficial moratorium against signing "franchise" players to long-term contracts expired. The immediate impact on designated franchise players, their agents and some team officials?

Pretty much a stifled yawn.

Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson is a four-time Pro Bowler.
Which means that, for the five unsigned veterans who carry the franchise tag and the club negotiators who must hammer out a way to bridge the huge negotiation differences that always seem to exist, things figure to get ugly in coming weeks. Realistically, no one should count on any of the unsigned franchise players -- offensive tackles Walter Jones (Seattle) and Orlando Pace (St. Louis), corners Charles Woodson (Oakland) and Chris McAlister (Baltimore), and linebacker Julian Peterson (San Francisco) -- being in training camp on time for the first night's bed check.

"We haven't heard a word," said agent Roosevelt Barnes, who represents Jones, a four-time Pro Bowl performer and designated as a franchise player for the third straight year, when reached Thursday afternoon. "Not a peep."

That the silence has been deafening over the past four months, when teams could sign their franchise players to long-term deals but only with a pricey caveat, is not altogether surprising. One of the many tricky components of the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that, if a team signs a franchise free agent to a multi-year deal between March 17 and July 14, the franchise marker stays with that designated player for the length of the entire contract. Teams that sign designated players to long-term deals before March 17 or after July 14, though, essentially regain the franchise marker and can exercise it again in a subsequent year.

Wonder why, for instance, the Indianapolis Colts were so hell-bent on culminating a deal with quarterback Peyton Manning before the mid-March deadline? One reason might be that wide receiver Marvin Harrison and tailback Edgerrin James are both eligible for free agency next spring and Indianapolis might need a franchise marker to retain one of them. The Packers also hustled to consummate a contract with franchise offensive tackle Chad Clifton in March, first to help them come into compliance with the 2004 salary cap limit, and also to retain the franchise tag for the future.

Franchise cornerback Champ Bailey, of course, signed a long-term deal as part of the trade that sent him from Washington to Denver for tailback Clinton Portis.

At least in part, it seems, the nuances of the collective bargaining agreement explain the inertia of the last four months. Negotiations that broke off on March 17 were, in effect, tabled through the spring and now into the summer. During the ensuing four-month fallow period, only two franchise players, Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius and New Orleans defensive end Darren Howard, signed contracts.

But both veterans signed just their respective one-year qualifying offers, moves that do not carry any long-term consequences. As we've noted at ESPN.com in the past, it has always flummoxed us that more players don't adopt a similar tack and sign the qualifying offer. Doing so guarantees a player's base salary and precludes his club from rescinding the franchise label at the later date if it needs salary cap room. And, even after signing the qualifying offer, the player and team can subsequently negotiate a long-term deal.

Even more difficult to explain, though, is the annual lack of urgency which accompanies the end to the March 17-July 14 moratorium. Unlike their NBA counterparts, many of whom were reaching for speed-dial one minute into Wednesday morning, negotiators for NFL teams with franchise players were asleep at the switch 24 hours later. And for that matter, since it doesn't much matter who makes the first step to resume contract talks, so were the agents for franchise veterans, along with the players themselves.

To their credit, Baltimore Ravens officials did publicly proclaim their intentions to re-start negotiations with McAlister in the next few days, but nothing substantive occurred on any of the franchise fronts when the bargaining moratorium lifted Thursday morning. Apparently, teams and players put considerable stock in the old adage about haste and waste. They might be better advised to heed the saw that suggests he who hesitates is lost.

The history of free agency has clearly demonstrated that bargaining a deal for a franchise player is a painstaking task. But by delaying the pain, both sides also offset much of the gain, since negotiations characteristically spill over into training camp. There haven't been many such negotiations that didn't include animus, bile, name-calling and a sense of frustration on both sides. Better to confront the issues, one would think, before the clock starts ticking toward training camp. Or, in the case of many franchise player contracts, before the second hand moves perilously close to the start of the regular season.

Problem is, everyone in the NFL -- teams, players, agents -- adheres to the time-honored but flawed "deadline mentality" by which the league has operated for years. The basic rationale around which negotiations revolve is that, unless there is a figurative shotgun up against someone's temporal lobe, nothing will ever be accomplished. In recent years, though, negotiations for franchise free agents have been so acrimonious that one would think a fresh approach could be in order. Given the mixed results of the hackneyed, old "deadline mentality," a newer tack might not be such a bad idea.

That might be especially true this year, when the five remaining unsigned franchise free agents look like a group capable of producing severe migraines, and long holdouts.

McAlister and agent Mitch Frankel have been adamant about fetching a contract equal to the blockbuster that Bailey signed with the Broncos four months ago. McAlister proved his intransigence last year, it should be noted, when he signed just the one-year qualifying offer for a franchise cornerback. He's a piker, though, compared to Walter Jones, who has twice previously been tagged a franchise free agent, and twice signed the one-year deal. This could mark a third straight season in which Jones, certainly among the premier group of left tackles in the NFL, signs the one-year qualifier.

According to San Francisco general manager Terry Donahue, Peterson already rejected an offer that would have made him the highest paid player in 49ers history and the second-highest paid linebacker in the NFL, behind only Ray Lewis. Pace has been through long holdouts in the past and didn't blink. Woodson views himself as the league's top cover guy and is also aware of the size of the Bailey deal.

One common thread for Pace, Woodson and Peterson: All are represented by brothers Carl Poston and Kevin Poston, whose names send chills up the spines of club officials. The Postons, in the past at least, have never demonstrated a qualm about keeping a player out of camp. In many cases, like that of Pace, their contract proposals are unrealistic. All the better, perhaps, for the three teams that have to deal with the Postons to just face the poison as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet, and likely won't.

The upshot of all this: For the five unsigned franchise players, and the teams that still face the rather daunting specter of completing contracts with their stars, it's probably going to be a long, hot summer.

to be continued...

[Hostile]

...continued.

Around the league

Speaking of long, hot summers, agents for many first-round draft choices continue to predict that negotiations for their clients will be long and heated, and that there will be a considerable number of rookies absent from the first week or two of training camps. "At the top (of the first round), it's just going to be dead, because everyone is going to wait and see what the other guy does," acknowledged one agent. "You've got the unusual situation of having the top player picked no longer with the team that picked him. You know that Tom Condon (the agent for Eli Manning) is going to argue that, even though his client is in the No. 4 slot because of the trade, he should get the best deal. And you know that Philip Rivers' guy (Jimmy Sexton) is going to argue that, since the Chargers have more rookie pool room than anyone else, largely because of having the first pick, his player should get more. It could be a mess. A long mess." As noted here in the past, there is also the matter of teams being able to amortize signing bonuses over just six years, not the seven years they were able to use in the past. And elements like a "flat" rookie pool, combined with cap technicalities like the so-called "Deion Sanders Rule" are going to make for some difficult bargaining sessions.

No one in Washington, where Darrell Russell appeared in eight games in 2003, was very surprised when Tampa Bay released the trouble defensive tackle Tuesday afternoon. After all, the Redskins were the first misguided franchise to provide Russell a chance to salvage his career, coming off an 18-month suspension for repeat violations of the NFL substance abuse policy, and he repaid them with a string of listless performances. He was suspended by the team for the final game of the season for violating a club rule. Redskins officials were not stunned, either, when ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Russell was cut by the Bucs because he had tested positive for alcohol, thus violating the parameters of his aftercare program. Late last year, Redskins officials and players were alarmed over the quantity of alcohol Russell was tossing down during the team's annual Christmas party at owner Dan Snyder's digs. Fact is, some team officials wondered aloud at the Christmas party if Russell was, indeed, violating his NFL probation. Recalled one player: "Even if it wasn't (a violation), you'd have thought that a guy with his history, trying to make it back into the league, would have been a little more (discreet), right? I mean, if you're Darrell Russell, you've got to know they're watching every move. But he didn't seem to care." It remains to be seen if any other team takes a chance on Russell now although, the point may be moot, if the NFL suspends him again. Defensive linemen who weigh 300 pounds and are as athletic as Russell are always tempting. But given his penchant for recidivism, getting another opportunity will be difficult. Certainly he'll never have a support group like the one in Tampa, with general manager Bruce Allen, coach Jon Gruden, and d-line coach Rod Marinelli. It should have been a blessed trinity for Russell, since Allen drafted him in Oakland, Gruden coached him there, and Marinelli was his college position coach at Southern California. If that threesome couldn't convince Russell to walk the straight and narrow, chances are no one else can, either.

The Redskins continue to wait for their top draft choice, former University of Miami safety Sean Taylor, to settle on an agent, so they can begin negotiations. The fifth overall pick in the draft, Taylor released agent Drew Rosenhaus shortly after the draft, and has yet to explain his reasoning or choose a replacement. Recent scuttlebutt had Roosevelt Barnes of Maximum Sports Management as the favorite to represent Taylor, but there are no indications that will happen. "Sean called me from the rookie symposium (in San Diego) more than a week ago and said that, as soon as he was done out there, we'd get together," Barnes said. "I still haven't heard back from him, so I have no idea what is going on. Would I like to represent him? Sure. Am I going to represent him? I guess only Sean knows that right now."

The return of middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to Philadelphia this week was a nice story, and one that will get even better if the prodigal two-time Pro Bowl performer gets a Super Bowl ring, and is able to make a legitimate contribution. It's also another example of just how subjective NFL physical exams can be. Less than two weeks before Trotter passed the exam administered by the Eagles medical staff on Thursday morning, he failed a physical with another NFC team, which was concerned about his knees. That's not to suggest the Philadelphia orthopedists are any better or worse than the doctors from the team that red-flagged the six-year veteran. The reality in the NFL is that there are really no across-the-board standards, and it's usually general managers or team presidents who render a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the exam, after consulting with the physicians. In many cases, the tough, borderline calls come down to how much financial exposure a club will have on a player. In the case of Trotter, if his knees hold up, the Eagles likely will have scored a bargain. The one-year deal he signed is worth just the minimum base salary of $535,000 for a six-year veteran -- because of some salary cap quirks, the Eagles couldn't even add the standard $25,000 signing bonus -- and even if Trotter doesn't wrest the starting job from Mark Simoneau, he'll probably outplay that modest investment. By the way, an indication of how little some phat NFL contracts really mean in the long run: Trotter banked only about $10 million of the $36 million that was in the contract that he signed in Washington in 2002. Thankfully, given his meager spending habits, Trotter has probably stashed away much of the $7 million signing bonus he received.

New England caused a ripple on its quarterback depth chart Thursday by adding free agents Jim Miller and Kurt Kittner for training camp. But the big news surrounding the Patriots quarterback position is yet to come. At some point in the next year or so (maybe even sooner), given their current salary cap situation and the negotiating position they have adopted, the Pats will make adjustments to Tom Brady's contract. The two-time Super Bowl most valuable player is under contract through 2006 and his salary cap charges, while not unwieldy, are big enough to be potentially problematical. Brady is due base salaries of $5.5 million (2004), $5.5 million (2005) and $6 million (2006). He'll get all of that, and more, in the next three years. The Pats were interested spectators when the Indianapolis Colts were going through the negotiating ordeal with Peyton Manning earlier this offseason. The bet is that, when it comes to Brady, the Pats will never get to the point where he is entering the final year of his deal and essentially has the franchise backed into a corner. Owner Bob Kraft and the NFL's most talented front office will never permit such a situation. Nor or they likely to ever pay anyone, even Brady, a signing bonus even approximating the $34.5 million Manning got from the Colts. Rest assured, the Brady situation will be addressed well ahead of time.

Not to boost the Pats too much, but the signing of Miller, whose surgically repaired right shoulder might not even be fully rehabilitated until just before the start of the season, is yet another example of the team's organizational foresight. Since there is no signing bonus involved, the only element New England will invest in Miller over the next two months is time, and perhaps some patience. The payoff, though, could be very good for a team that lacks an experienced backup to Brady on the roster. Miller is a bright guy and a proven leader. If his arm is sound by early September, and he can do more than just lob the ball, New England will have filled a hole for the minimum base salary $660,000. If the Patriots coaches determine Miller is never going to be 100 percent, they can release him, and the cost will have been just room and board at training camp. It's amazing that some other teams in need of an experienced backup weren't inclined to make the same arrangement for Miller. It's also a sign of the short-sighted approach most other teams take in such circumstances.

You'd better believe that NFL scouts are keeping very close tabs on the current legal entanglements of University of Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle. The rising senior was suspended indefinitely by Hurricanes coach Larry Coker on Tuesday after Rolle was charged with resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct following an incident in Coconut Grove last weekend. Rolle, whose father is the chief of police for Homestead, Fla., is projected as a top 10 choice in the 2005 draft, a player who is seen as a true, shut-down cornerback. He is rated as the No. 3 senior on the rankings of Blesto, one of the two scouting combines that provide reports to NFL subscriber teams. The other combine, National Football Scouting, has Rolle tied for the top spot among seniors. "Look, if 'indefinite' turns into the entire season, there could be a problem," said one NFC personnel director. "But no one thinks that will happen."

It certainly looks like the Bucs have dug in their heels and, for now at least, have zero intention of upgrading the contract of wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who has vowed to sit until his current deal is adjusted. McCardell, who has boycotted all of the Bucs' offseason workouts, has two seasons remaining on his contract, at compensation of $2.5 million for this season and $2.75 million in 2005. Tampa Bay officials concede that McCardell is an important player for them. But even privately, they are suggesting that they are now deep enough to play without him, if his stance warrants it. The Bucs feel they have helped themselves with the acquisition of Joey Galloway, even though he has allowed that the Tampa Bay offense has been tough for him to assimilate, and the choice of former LSU star Michael Clayton in the first round. What they won't say publicly is that they feel the Jon Gruden offense will make their current wideouts better, and that McCardell's numbers benefited from the scheme as well. We'll see.

Now that he has officially signed a $68 million contract with the Utah Jazz, perhaps former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Carlos Boozer can afford to take care of some loose ends he left behind in the city where he once worked. Like the $15,000 he allegedly owes in unpaid rent. Seems that Boozer, who is now persona non grata in Cleveland, forgot he wasn't a house guest in the pricey place he bunked every night and is being sued by his onetime landlord for overdue payments. What does any of this have to do with the NFL? Well, the landlord is former Cleveland Browns safety Percy Ellsworth, who hasn't played since 2000, and isn't predisposed to charity when it comes to Boozer.

Punts: Look for the Cleveland Browns to announce a significant front office addition next week. The hire won't be involved in football operations but it will reinforce that Browns ownership is very aware of how the franchise is perceived and that the club must do a better job of marketing itself locally. ... Kansas City coaches expect second-year corner Julian Battle, a physical cover guy built more like a safety, to make a real run at a starting job this year. The coaches are starting to get impatient with Eric Warfield, who has yet to take the big step everyone thought he would by now, and Dexter McCleon, despite a very good 2003 season, will turn 31 in October. ... Wide receiver Antonio Bryant is back in Dallas and working out, but still hasn't been to the Cowboys facility. That said, now that his much-ballyhooed spat with Bill Parcells in minicamp has calmed down a bit, Bryant is expected to be in training camp. ... The Cowboys almost certainly will release quarterback Chad Hutchinson in the next week to 10 days and at least two teams have indicated some interest in auditioning him when he is free. ... Tennessee still hopes to re-sign safety Scott McGarrahan, a special teams standout, but the Titans are so tight against the cap, they might not be able to afford even a minimum salary for him.

The last word: "I don't know how I'd react under the scrutiny. I don't know how I'd react on the Senate floor if I got into a confrontation with somebody that I didn't really appreciate, or (who) maybe didn't appreciate me." -- Mike Ditka, on his reasons for not seeking the Republican candidacy for U.S. Senator from Illinois.

[Jimz31]

I'm surprised he didn't just go ahead and say ".....and Antonio Bryant will probably be cut or traded....." That way, we could have 3 sources that all said the same thing.

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by Jimz31

I'm surprised he didn't just go ahead and say ".....and Antonio Bryant will probably be cut or traded....." That way, we could have 3 sources that all said the same thing.

Yeah I need to be more worried he's out of here than I already am. Those two sources may not be on the money but two of them independant of each other is enough to make me think Derek Ross all over again. Another source might be the need to go to the drugstore for some Maalox.