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Sticky contract situations abound
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(July 15, 2005) -- A highly sensitive situation -- Kellen Winslow 's incentive-based contract -- is in the process of being resolved peacefully. The Browns and Winslow already are discussing various ways about how to best address the situation in which the tight end's contract calls for him to be paid a $2 million bonus on Friday, another $950,000 bonus on Dec. 15 and a $2.4125 million bonus on July 15, 2006.
The Browns are determined to prove that Winslow's actions -- riding a motorcyle, crashing it and suffering season-ending injuries -- carry consequences. Thus, they won't pay him the $2 million bonus due to Winslow on Friday.
But the Browns, Winslow and Winslow's father are discussing a long-term solution so Cleveland can be properly compensated and Winslow can remain a significant part of the Browns future. It's not expected to be resolved soon, but then it doesn't have to be. Winslow is not playing this season, and there will be plenty of time for negotiating. But what's most important now is that there is ongoing dialogue between the two sides and there's no reason not to think that, in time, they won't be able to produce an amicable solution.
RICKY DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER
Before the Dolphins report to training camp next Sunday, July 24, there still is some significant bookkeeping to be done. Running back Ricky Williams is scheduled to earn $3.7 million in base salary, yet there is language in his contract that, based on his prior behavior, could reduce his salary figure to $540,000. But if his four-game suspension is tacked on, that would lower Williams' salary to $405,000 -- and somewhere around $275,000 after taxes. Under no circumstances does Williams plan to spend the coming season playing for $405,000, that is a certainty.
Then there is the matter of the $8.6 million that an arbitrator ruled Williams owes the Dolphins for walking out on them. But that money was actually incentives and rollovers built into Williams' contract, not signing bonuses. Still, however it is figured, the Dolphins and Williams must figure out how they want to handle it and, as of Thursday, Williams' agent Leigh Steinberg insisted that the two sides hadn't even addressed the issue. Nor had they addressed Williams' salary. So before or during training camp, there are plenty of money matters to work out.
FLASH GORDON
The Dolphins drafted Ronnie Brown with the second overall pick, are getting back Ricky Williams, and their starting running back on opening day might be none other than Lamar Gordon.
Brown is not expected to sign his contract before the Dolphins report to training camp on July 24, which could make his road to the starting lineup all the more challenging. Williams is facing a four-game suspension to open the season. And Gordon is completely recovered from the season-ending shoulder injury he suffered last season against Pittsburgh. After undergoing shoulder surgery, Gordon feels as if he is in the best shape of his life. And it is an important year for him. He is headed into the last year of his contract, so he is running for dollars, just the way Lamont Jordan did last season in New York as a backup to Curtis Martin. It's possible that Gordon -- whom Miami dealt a third-round draft pick for one year ago -- could wind up with the bulk of Miami's carries early in the season, until Brown learns the offense and Williams is reinstated.
OH HENRY
At this point, it's a foregone conclusion that Buffalo running back Travis Henry is going to be traded. The Bills are on high alert, bracing for a trade to be announced any time now.
Travis Henry should be on the move shortly, but where is he headed?
It is close, and is expected any time within the next few days. And there are going to be two deals when it all comes together and is announced. There is going to be the deal for the player, and there is going to be the deal with the player. The Bills are going to get, at the very least, a third-round pick, and Henry is going to get a long-term extension from a team, saving him from the mistake he made a few years back when he tacked on one more year to his contract in exchange for a $300,000 signing bonus. Had Henry not taken that deal, he would have been a free agent this off-season and this whole saga would have been avoided.
Now the big question is, where does Henry end up? The only two candidates are the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans, each of which has questions about the health of its starting running back, Fred Taylor in Jacksonville and Chris Brown in Tennessee. There are questions about how much Taylor, who underwent yet another offseason knee surgery, will be used in training camp. Brown is recovered from a broken hand he suffered in May, but he has not proven to be the most durable back. But Henry will not end up in Seattle nor Houston, two teams once rumored to be interested in his services. Neither team ever was an active suitor for Henry. The active ones are Jacksonville and Buffalo. We're about to find out which one has been more active.
CROSBY SHOW GOES TO INDY
In the days leading up to the supplemental draft, the prevailing thought was that Clemson wide receiver Roscoe Crosby would be a late-round pick. But the draft came and went without his name being called and once it was over, the Colts got right on the phone and reached an agreement with Crosby. In the end, the Colts' situation appealed more to Crosby than the Chiefs', who also tried to woo the wide receiver to Kansas City. Now Crosby will get to learn from wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley, while catching footballs from Peyton Manning. Not a bad situation for a 6-foot-2, 218-pound wide receiver that has been out of the game of football the past four seasons.
FOR KICKS
Whether it's because he is headed into the last year of his contract or because the Colts invested a sixth-round pick in another kicker, Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt has taken the unusual step this offseason of hiring his own kicking coach. And not just any kicking coach. Vanderjagt hired former Dallas Cowboys kicking coach Steve Hoffman, who has helped develop so many unproven NFL kickers over the years. In recent weeks, Vanderjagt has been working with Hoffman in Dallas, trying to improve his performance. It's a big year for Vanderjagt. As it is, he is scheduled to count $2.87 million against the Colts salary cap. After this season, he is scheduled to become a free agent. And he will have to battle for his job in training camp with sixth-round pick Dave Rayner, who is said to have looked impressive in the Colts minicamp.
HOLY MOSES
Seattle and Chicago are trying to make room on their rosters right now for dynamic return specialist J.J. Moses, the Texans former-kick and punt returner from the past two years. Seattle would like to add Moses so that it would not have to use Bobby Engram returning kicks and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace returning punts. Chicago is looking at Moses as the potential successor to recently-released cornerback R.W. McQuarters, who handled the Bears return game. Bears director of pro personnel Bobby DePaul called Moses "electrifying."
But part of the problem is Moses is only 5-foot-6, and teams are hesitant to use him at receiver. Thus, when a team signs him, it is signing him strictly as a return specialist, and many teams are up to their numbers roster-wise. Houston released Moses once it traded for cornerback/punt returner Philip Buchanon and signed wide receivers Reggie Swinton and Kevin Kasper, all of whom are capable of being the Texans return man.
LET THE TALKS BEGIN
Now that it's Friday, July 15, teams can resume negotiating long-term contracts with their designated franchise players. For the past four months, they couldn't. But don't exactly look for a rush of activity; it's not like this day has been awaited like a typical April Draft Day.
The more intresting question surrounding franchise players such as Seattle's running back Shaun Alexander, Philadelphia's defensive tackle Corey Simon and Jets defensive end John Abraham is whether they will report to training camp. None of those three franchised players has signed his tender, and none is obligated to report to camp. The prevailing thought is that none of those players will be reporting with the rest of their teammates on the opening day of camp. Franchised players who have signed their one-year tenders, such as Oakland's Charles Woodson and Indianapolis' Edgerrin James, are obligated to be at training camp, and they are expected to report on time.
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
(July 15, 2005) -- A highly sensitive situation -- Kellen Winslow 's incentive-based contract -- is in the process of being resolved peacefully. The Browns and Winslow already are discussing various ways about how to best address the situation in which the tight end's contract calls for him to be paid a $2 million bonus on Friday, another $950,000 bonus on Dec. 15 and a $2.4125 million bonus on July 15, 2006.
The Browns are determined to prove that Winslow's actions -- riding a motorcyle, crashing it and suffering season-ending injuries -- carry consequences. Thus, they won't pay him the $2 million bonus due to Winslow on Friday.
But the Browns, Winslow and Winslow's father are discussing a long-term solution so Cleveland can be properly compensated and Winslow can remain a significant part of the Browns future. It's not expected to be resolved soon, but then it doesn't have to be. Winslow is not playing this season, and there will be plenty of time for negotiating. But what's most important now is that there is ongoing dialogue between the two sides and there's no reason not to think that, in time, they won't be able to produce an amicable solution.
RICKY DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER
Before the Dolphins report to training camp next Sunday, July 24, there still is some significant bookkeeping to be done. Running back Ricky Williams is scheduled to earn $3.7 million in base salary, yet there is language in his contract that, based on his prior behavior, could reduce his salary figure to $540,000. But if his four-game suspension is tacked on, that would lower Williams' salary to $405,000 -- and somewhere around $275,000 after taxes. Under no circumstances does Williams plan to spend the coming season playing for $405,000, that is a certainty.
Then there is the matter of the $8.6 million that an arbitrator ruled Williams owes the Dolphins for walking out on them. But that money was actually incentives and rollovers built into Williams' contract, not signing bonuses. Still, however it is figured, the Dolphins and Williams must figure out how they want to handle it and, as of Thursday, Williams' agent Leigh Steinberg insisted that the two sides hadn't even addressed the issue. Nor had they addressed Williams' salary. So before or during training camp, there are plenty of money matters to work out.
FLASH GORDON
The Dolphins drafted Ronnie Brown with the second overall pick, are getting back Ricky Williams, and their starting running back on opening day might be none other than Lamar Gordon.
Brown is not expected to sign his contract before the Dolphins report to training camp on July 24, which could make his road to the starting lineup all the more challenging. Williams is facing a four-game suspension to open the season. And Gordon is completely recovered from the season-ending shoulder injury he suffered last season against Pittsburgh. After undergoing shoulder surgery, Gordon feels as if he is in the best shape of his life. And it is an important year for him. He is headed into the last year of his contract, so he is running for dollars, just the way Lamont Jordan did last season in New York as a backup to Curtis Martin. It's possible that Gordon -- whom Miami dealt a third-round draft pick for one year ago -- could wind up with the bulk of Miami's carries early in the season, until Brown learns the offense and Williams is reinstated.
OH HENRY
At this point, it's a foregone conclusion that Buffalo running back Travis Henry is going to be traded. The Bills are on high alert, bracing for a trade to be announced any time now.
Travis Henry should be on the move shortly, but where is he headed?
It is close, and is expected any time within the next few days. And there are going to be two deals when it all comes together and is announced. There is going to be the deal for the player, and there is going to be the deal with the player. The Bills are going to get, at the very least, a third-round pick, and Henry is going to get a long-term extension from a team, saving him from the mistake he made a few years back when he tacked on one more year to his contract in exchange for a $300,000 signing bonus. Had Henry not taken that deal, he would have been a free agent this off-season and this whole saga would have been avoided.
Now the big question is, where does Henry end up? The only two candidates are the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans, each of which has questions about the health of its starting running back, Fred Taylor in Jacksonville and Chris Brown in Tennessee. There are questions about how much Taylor, who underwent yet another offseason knee surgery, will be used in training camp. Brown is recovered from a broken hand he suffered in May, but he has not proven to be the most durable back. But Henry will not end up in Seattle nor Houston, two teams once rumored to be interested in his services. Neither team ever was an active suitor for Henry. The active ones are Jacksonville and Buffalo. We're about to find out which one has been more active.
CROSBY SHOW GOES TO INDY
In the days leading up to the supplemental draft, the prevailing thought was that Clemson wide receiver Roscoe Crosby would be a late-round pick. But the draft came and went without his name being called and once it was over, the Colts got right on the phone and reached an agreement with Crosby. In the end, the Colts' situation appealed more to Crosby than the Chiefs', who also tried to woo the wide receiver to Kansas City. Now Crosby will get to learn from wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley, while catching footballs from Peyton Manning. Not a bad situation for a 6-foot-2, 218-pound wide receiver that has been out of the game of football the past four seasons.
FOR KICKS
Whether it's because he is headed into the last year of his contract or because the Colts invested a sixth-round pick in another kicker, Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt has taken the unusual step this offseason of hiring his own kicking coach. And not just any kicking coach. Vanderjagt hired former Dallas Cowboys kicking coach Steve Hoffman, who has helped develop so many unproven NFL kickers over the years. In recent weeks, Vanderjagt has been working with Hoffman in Dallas, trying to improve his performance. It's a big year for Vanderjagt. As it is, he is scheduled to count $2.87 million against the Colts salary cap. After this season, he is scheduled to become a free agent. And he will have to battle for his job in training camp with sixth-round pick Dave Rayner, who is said to have looked impressive in the Colts minicamp.
HOLY MOSES
Seattle and Chicago are trying to make room on their rosters right now for dynamic return specialist J.J. Moses, the Texans former-kick and punt returner from the past two years. Seattle would like to add Moses so that it would not have to use Bobby Engram returning kicks and backup quarterback Seneca Wallace returning punts. Chicago is looking at Moses as the potential successor to recently-released cornerback R.W. McQuarters, who handled the Bears return game. Bears director of pro personnel Bobby DePaul called Moses "electrifying."
But part of the problem is Moses is only 5-foot-6, and teams are hesitant to use him at receiver. Thus, when a team signs him, it is signing him strictly as a return specialist, and many teams are up to their numbers roster-wise. Houston released Moses once it traded for cornerback/punt returner Philip Buchanon and signed wide receivers Reggie Swinton and Kevin Kasper, all of whom are capable of being the Texans return man.
LET THE TALKS BEGIN
Now that it's Friday, July 15, teams can resume negotiating long-term contracts with their designated franchise players. For the past four months, they couldn't. But don't exactly look for a rush of activity; it's not like this day has been awaited like a typical April Draft Day.
The more intresting question surrounding franchise players such as Seattle's running back Shaun Alexander, Philadelphia's defensive tackle Corey Simon and Jets defensive end John Abraham is whether they will report to training camp. None of those three franchised players has signed his tender, and none is obligated to report to camp. The prevailing thought is that none of those players will be reporting with the rest of their teammates on the opening day of camp. Franchised players who have signed their one-year tenders, such as Oakland's Charles Woodson and Indianapolis' Edgerrin James, are obligated to be at training camp, and they are expected to report on time.