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Chargers won't pay key guard top bucks
By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 1, 2007
Kris Dielman took time off from helping paint his house yesterday, and reluctantly acknowledged he is ready to leave.
However, as he has since negotiations with the Chargers began, he repeatedly proclaimed he prefers to remain in San Diego.
“I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed,” he said of the possibility the Chargers will at the last minute break their silence and increase their offer. “ . . . I want to stay here. We all know that.
“It's very disappointing. They gave me the chance to play here. They brought me in and saw me as an offensive lineman. They were patient with me. What I am today is because of the San Diego organization and the coaches I've had. Because of that, I'm very loyal – to a point.”
But with what he and his agent believe is much more money available in the free-agent market, Dielman said, “It would be dumb for me to not go to free agency.”
He made $1.573 million last year.
Dielman, a left guard who was named the team's co-Lineman of the Year, is uncomfortable talking about his contract situation. But free agency begins tonight at 9 (PST), which means he is a day away from most likely wearing someone else's uniform.
Dielman has no hard contract offer yet – that would constitute tampering – but teams know what it will take to sign him. Seattle and Miami are considered top suitors.
“It's a great situation, but it's a (bummer) at the same time,” Dielman said of his impending riches – guaranteed money that could approach the $16 million Steve Hutchinson got from Minnesota last year. “When I say it (stinks), it does (stink) because a lot of decisions have to be made. They're hard decisions. But when the decisions are made, I'm not going to be too disappointed in the outcome. I want to be happy. I'm going to find a place where I'm happy.”
Dielman believes the Chargers thought they could take advantage of his desire to stay.
“I thought they would honor that,” he said. “I'm a pretty simple person. I don't like smoke and mirrors. I like to be pretty straightforward.”
Dielman told the Chargers he wanted to stay before last season. The sides continued to speak about a contract before breaking off talks at the end of November about $1 million per year apart. The disparity has only grown since then.
General Manager A.J. Smith has been resigned for some time to the likelihood Dielman will leave.
“This will hurt,” Smith reiterated yesterday. “I don't blame him. He deserves everything he gets. He's a great kid, a great pro. But the only way to make him stay is to give him what he wants.”
Neither side will specify its numbers. But Smith said the Chargers “are really stepping out of the box” in their offer to Dielman – for significantly more than they would another interior lineman because they think he is “a special player.” There has been some consternation among fans that the Chargers did not put the franchise tag on Dielman. That is something that was never considered a possibility. A franchised offensive lineman would get $9.556 million this season, which would eat up almost all of what the Chargers have to spend under the salary cap this offseason.
Dielman was an undrafted free agent in 2003 who signed for $7,500 out of Indiana. A defensive lineman in his first training camp, he was moved to the offensive line and signed to the practice squad to start 2003. All during his rookie year he slept on an air mattress in a week-to-week rental in Mission Valley. “I'm proud of where I've come from,” Dielman said. “People say I'm greedy. But I can live as poor as you want me to. I came here for pretty much nothing. At that point in time I was just happy to have a shot. As it works out, we're in this situation now. A lot of guys had huge contracts before. I didn't. This is my one time I can make sure for my future.”
By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 1, 2007
JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Guard Kris Dielman helped give the Chargers a season to celebrate in 2006. Kris Dielman took time off from helping paint his house yesterday, and reluctantly acknowledged he is ready to leave.
However, as he has since negotiations with the Chargers began, he repeatedly proclaimed he prefers to remain in San Diego.
“I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed,” he said of the possibility the Chargers will at the last minute break their silence and increase their offer. “ . . . I want to stay here. We all know that.
“It's very disappointing. They gave me the chance to play here. They brought me in and saw me as an offensive lineman. They were patient with me. What I am today is because of the San Diego organization and the coaches I've had. Because of that, I'm very loyal – to a point.”
But with what he and his agent believe is much more money available in the free-agent market, Dielman said, “It would be dumb for me to not go to free agency.”
He made $1.573 million last year.
Dielman, a left guard who was named the team's co-Lineman of the Year, is uncomfortable talking about his contract situation. But free agency begins tonight at 9 (PST), which means he is a day away from most likely wearing someone else's uniform.
Dielman has no hard contract offer yet – that would constitute tampering – but teams know what it will take to sign him. Seattle and Miami are considered top suitors.
“It's a great situation, but it's a (bummer) at the same time,” Dielman said of his impending riches – guaranteed money that could approach the $16 million Steve Hutchinson got from Minnesota last year. “When I say it (stinks), it does (stink) because a lot of decisions have to be made. They're hard decisions. But when the decisions are made, I'm not going to be too disappointed in the outcome. I want to be happy. I'm going to find a place where I'm happy.”
Dielman believes the Chargers thought they could take advantage of his desire to stay.
“I thought they would honor that,” he said. “I'm a pretty simple person. I don't like smoke and mirrors. I like to be pretty straightforward.”
Dielman told the Chargers he wanted to stay before last season. The sides continued to speak about a contract before breaking off talks at the end of November about $1 million per year apart. The disparity has only grown since then.
General Manager A.J. Smith has been resigned for some time to the likelihood Dielman will leave.
“This will hurt,” Smith reiterated yesterday. “I don't blame him. He deserves everything he gets. He's a great kid, a great pro. But the only way to make him stay is to give him what he wants.”
Neither side will specify its numbers. But Smith said the Chargers “are really stepping out of the box” in their offer to Dielman – for significantly more than they would another interior lineman because they think he is “a special player.” There has been some consternation among fans that the Chargers did not put the franchise tag on Dielman. That is something that was never considered a possibility. A franchised offensive lineman would get $9.556 million this season, which would eat up almost all of what the Chargers have to spend under the salary cap this offseason.
Dielman was an undrafted free agent in 2003 who signed for $7,500 out of Indiana. A defensive lineman in his first training camp, he was moved to the offensive line and signed to the practice squad to start 2003. All during his rookie year he slept on an air mattress in a week-to-week rental in Mission Valley. “I'm proud of where I've come from,” Dielman said. “People say I'm greedy. But I can live as poor as you want me to. I came here for pretty much nothing. At that point in time I was just happy to have a shot. As it works out, we're in this situation now. A lot of guys had huge contracts before. I didn't. This is my one time I can make sure for my future.”
