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‘‘I understand the business part of it,’’ says Willie McGinest, expected to be a salary cap victim. (Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)
By Ron Borges, Globe Staff | March 3, 2006
Willie McGinest is a realist, which means he knows the ax is coming. He understands the situation he's in and the business he's in, which isn't the same as liking either. Rather, it's the mature reaction to the uncontrollable circumstances McGinest finds himself in at the advanced age (by NFL standards) of 34.
McGinest has been a stalwart on the Patriots' three Super Bowl championship teams, elevating his play at an age when most of his peers begin to diminish. Last season, his play got stronger as the season progressed, culminating with a playoff-record 4 1/2-sack game against Jacksonville. But he likely will be among hundreds of veterans released by their teams.
Although McGinest received a 72-hour reprieve when the Players Association and NFL management agreed to delay the start of free agency until Sunday night, in the hope of hammering out an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, he and many others might become victims of a tight-fitting salary cap.
''We didn't think they were ever going to pay me $7 million or $8 million next year," McGinest said from his home in Los Angeles. ''This last year [2006] was a ghost deal. It wasn't meant to stick. That's why we escalated the numbers the way we did. It would be great if they exercised it and gave me $7 million or $8 million, but I knew if it came to it, they'd renegotiate, release me, or release me and then do a new contract."
Before delaying the free agency period, yesterday's unanimous vote by owners to reject the Players Association's final offer to extend the CBA left franchises up against difficult economic circumstances until well past an 11th-hour reprieve, which was seven hours after the owners rejected the union's proposal. With free agency scheduled to begin at midnight last night, teams had to be under what will be roughly a $94 million cap. For many to get there, heads had to roll and some did before the sides delayed for three more days. If positions harden again, McGinest understands his fate.
''I want to retire in New England," McGinest said. ''I'm hoping and wishing they do what's best for our team and secure the players we need to win another championship. I think I'd be part of that. I think I'm still a top-level type guy with a lot left in the tank. I'm pretty sure everyone knows where my heart is but I understand the business part of it, too."
His heart is in New England, but if McGinest's body gets on the open market, he will find many suitors, according to NFL sources, and he will have a hard business decision to make. The Browns, Cowboys, Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, and Jets are interested in him. Some, like the Jets and Chiefs, have cap problems, but others, like the Chargers and Browns, will have money to spend because they are well below the current $94 million cap, which could drive up McGinest's price even in a difficult market, and drive him out of New England.
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That doesn't mean McGinest will not return to Foxborough next season, but it does mean he might be faced with a choice he never wanted to make.
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''Your play speaks for itself," said McGinest, who passed Bruce Smith and Reggie White to become the NFL's all-time postseason sacks leader with 16 in 18 games. ''Everybody knows what I bring to the table and how hard I work, and I know what the Patriots bring me to elevate my game. They put me in certain schemes to excel.
''But I understood with the cap number I have I'd probably get unloaded. I'm not worried about it. That's what I pay [agent] Gary [Uberstine] for. When it's time to talk business, we'll converse and make our decision. Until then, I'll wait for the next move from them.
'
'I've been blessed to do the two things you hope to accomplish in professional football -- make a lot of money and win a lot of Super Bowls. I've been with a great organization, playing with great players in a great city. We built some sports history there. I'm not saying I'm content [to leave] but I'm relaxed. I'm confident something will happen for me because I'm not looking for something crazy, like a first-rounder coming in. I just figure they'll try and do the right thing.
''Either way, whether I get to stay or I have to go, I can't ever be bitter with any decision the Patriots make. Mr. Kraft brought me in and I've been treated well. I've been able to make a name for myself and propel myself into the business world. They've given me 12 good years, so I've got to respect their business decision, whatever it is."
Willie McGinest doesn't want anyone to be confused about his point. He wants to finish his career as a Patriot. He was not happy with the way last season ended (with a playoff loss in Denver) and he wants to be part of changing that outcome one more time. But if the ax must be wielded and he is a victim this time, he understands it's not personal. It's business. The business he chose. The football business. A business he believes he'll still be in next fall. He just doesn't know where.
