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Posted Aug. 20, 2004 Printable page
McKenzie, Packers won’t budge
By Rob Demovsky
PackersNews.com
There’s a faction within the Green Bay Packers organization that believes come early September, when the games are for real and the pay checks are cut, cornerback Mike McKenzie will end his holdout and return to the team.
Though the Packers have not ruled out trading McKenzie if the right offer comes along, their first choice remains to have their starting left cornerback return in time for the regular-season opener at Carolina on Sept. 13.
“I think there’s a decent chance of that,” said Reggie McKenzie, the Packers director of pro personnel.
“Regardless of what everybody thinks about him, I think Mike likes football. To sit and watch games on TV week in and week out, that’s not Mike McKenzie. He wants to be out there playing football. If his agent can’t do anything, and there hasn’t been anything trade-wise, I think he’ll play.”
But that opinion isn’t shared by everyone.
“The only sense I’ve gotten,” safety Darren Sharper said, “is that he’s going to be where he is now when the season starts.”
McKenzie, who has three years left on a five-year, $17.1 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus, has skipped all of the Packers’ offseason camps and the first three weeks of training camp. There has been no sign he plans to end his holdout anytime soon.
For a player who would appear to be as important to the Packers as McKenzie is, there has been little mention of him and his absence so far during training camp.
Part of that could be due to coach Mike Sherman’s edict that he would not talk about McKenzie until there were new developments to discuss. He held firm on that position after Thursday’s practice.
“I said I wouldn’t talk about Mike McKenzie until something happened one way or another,” Sherman said.
Asked whether that means nothing has changed, Sherman responded: “I’ll let you answer that question based on my answer.”
There’s been no word from McKenzie’s camp, either.
He hasn’t spoken publicly since news of his unhappiness broke in April. His latest agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who took on McKenzie after previous agent Brian Parker made the unusual move of firing a client, has not returned repeated phone messages seeking comment.
Rosenhaus is believed to have landed McKenzie because he convinced McKenzie he could get him out of Green Bay. But the Packers remain steadfast in their demands for nothing less than a first-round draft pick in exchange for McKenzie. The Packers don’t expect to hear from anyone unless a team loses one or more cornerbacks to injury. Any team that trades for McKenzie would have to be prepared to redo the contract that McKenzie is upset about.
The Packers made several concessions to remove de-escalator clauses in McKenzie’s contract and turn roster bonuses into a signing bonus. But when Parker took those changes to McKenzie, he claimed it wasn’t enough. McKenzie’s erratic behavior is believed to be part of the reason Parker, who did not negotiate McKenzie’s current contract, cut ties with him.
The biggest issue might be how McKenzie saves face if he returns to the Packers.
Two player agents not involved in the McKenzie situation that were interviewed Thursday said their experience says most players who hold out eventually return to their teams.
“When it comes time for that first game, the player and the team need each other really bad,” veteran agent Jack Bechta said. “They both want each other and often are willing to let bygones be bygones. But how do they save face?”
Bechta said in McKenzie’s case, it’s tough to choose sides.
“The team is saying you just signed this (contract) two years ago,” Bechta said. “It’s your fault for signing it. We can’t start a dangerous precedent by renegotiating a contract that has three years left on it.
“On the other hand, Mike’s playing at a very high level. He’s underpaid and is exercising one of the only tools given to him. Only time will tell if it was a good idea. He’s smart enough to know the risk in what he’s doing.”
To date, the holdout has not cost McKenzie major money. The Packers could fine him $5,000 a day for each day of training camp he has missed, but players don’t receive their salary until the regular season begins. Players get their base salary in 17 weekly installments. That means McKenzie, who has a base salary of $2.75 million this season, would lose about $161,764.70 for each game he misses.
“If you take a look at players that sit out a year,” agent Jeff Courtney said. “It usually doesn’t work out very well.”
Courtney cited Sean Gilbert, the defensive tackle who sat out the 1997 season in a contract dispute with the Washington Commanders, as the prime example. Gilbert was nowhere near the same player after the holdout as before it.
“That didn’t work out too well,” Courtney said. “Your skills erode more than you think they would in a year. It’s risky business.”
That said, both Bechta and Courtney said they would not always tell a client that holding out is the wrong move.
“Much of it would depend on the team and the situation and all the factors involved,” Courtney said.
Bechta said: “It’s a good idea every now and then. It’s a very calculated position that you take as a player and agent. Teams can come to the player and ask them to take a pay cut when they come off a bad year. If teams can do that, then it’s a two-way street. We should be able to say that a player has outperformed the contract so let’s adjust it. It’s the only piece of leverage we have to make our case.
“Now I do believe not every holdout is wise and warranted, but usually these things do get resolved.”
http://www.packersnews.com/archives/news/train_1_17423324.shtml
McKenzie, Packers won’t budge
By Rob Demovsky
PackersNews.com
There’s a faction within the Green Bay Packers organization that believes come early September, when the games are for real and the pay checks are cut, cornerback Mike McKenzie will end his holdout and return to the team.
Though the Packers have not ruled out trading McKenzie if the right offer comes along, their first choice remains to have their starting left cornerback return in time for the regular-season opener at Carolina on Sept. 13.
“I think there’s a decent chance of that,” said Reggie McKenzie, the Packers director of pro personnel.
“Regardless of what everybody thinks about him, I think Mike likes football. To sit and watch games on TV week in and week out, that’s not Mike McKenzie. He wants to be out there playing football. If his agent can’t do anything, and there hasn’t been anything trade-wise, I think he’ll play.”
But that opinion isn’t shared by everyone.
“The only sense I’ve gotten,” safety Darren Sharper said, “is that he’s going to be where he is now when the season starts.”
McKenzie, who has three years left on a five-year, $17.1 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus, has skipped all of the Packers’ offseason camps and the first three weeks of training camp. There has been no sign he plans to end his holdout anytime soon.
For a player who would appear to be as important to the Packers as McKenzie is, there has been little mention of him and his absence so far during training camp.
Part of that could be due to coach Mike Sherman’s edict that he would not talk about McKenzie until there were new developments to discuss. He held firm on that position after Thursday’s practice.
“I said I wouldn’t talk about Mike McKenzie until something happened one way or another,” Sherman said.
Asked whether that means nothing has changed, Sherman responded: “I’ll let you answer that question based on my answer.”
There’s been no word from McKenzie’s camp, either.
He hasn’t spoken publicly since news of his unhappiness broke in April. His latest agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who took on McKenzie after previous agent Brian Parker made the unusual move of firing a client, has not returned repeated phone messages seeking comment.
Rosenhaus is believed to have landed McKenzie because he convinced McKenzie he could get him out of Green Bay. But the Packers remain steadfast in their demands for nothing less than a first-round draft pick in exchange for McKenzie. The Packers don’t expect to hear from anyone unless a team loses one or more cornerbacks to injury. Any team that trades for McKenzie would have to be prepared to redo the contract that McKenzie is upset about.
The Packers made several concessions to remove de-escalator clauses in McKenzie’s contract and turn roster bonuses into a signing bonus. But when Parker took those changes to McKenzie, he claimed it wasn’t enough. McKenzie’s erratic behavior is believed to be part of the reason Parker, who did not negotiate McKenzie’s current contract, cut ties with him.
The biggest issue might be how McKenzie saves face if he returns to the Packers.
Two player agents not involved in the McKenzie situation that were interviewed Thursday said their experience says most players who hold out eventually return to their teams.
“When it comes time for that first game, the player and the team need each other really bad,” veteran agent Jack Bechta said. “They both want each other and often are willing to let bygones be bygones. But how do they save face?”
Bechta said in McKenzie’s case, it’s tough to choose sides.
“The team is saying you just signed this (contract) two years ago,” Bechta said. “It’s your fault for signing it. We can’t start a dangerous precedent by renegotiating a contract that has three years left on it.
“On the other hand, Mike’s playing at a very high level. He’s underpaid and is exercising one of the only tools given to him. Only time will tell if it was a good idea. He’s smart enough to know the risk in what he’s doing.”
To date, the holdout has not cost McKenzie major money. The Packers could fine him $5,000 a day for each day of training camp he has missed, but players don’t receive their salary until the regular season begins. Players get their base salary in 17 weekly installments. That means McKenzie, who has a base salary of $2.75 million this season, would lose about $161,764.70 for each game he misses.
“If you take a look at players that sit out a year,” agent Jeff Courtney said. “It usually doesn’t work out very well.”
Courtney cited Sean Gilbert, the defensive tackle who sat out the 1997 season in a contract dispute with the Washington Commanders, as the prime example. Gilbert was nowhere near the same player after the holdout as before it.
“That didn’t work out too well,” Courtney said. “Your skills erode more than you think they would in a year. It’s risky business.”
That said, both Bechta and Courtney said they would not always tell a client that holding out is the wrong move.
“Much of it would depend on the team and the situation and all the factors involved,” Courtney said.
Bechta said: “It’s a good idea every now and then. It’s a very calculated position that you take as a player and agent. Teams can come to the player and ask them to take a pay cut when they come off a bad year. If teams can do that, then it’s a two-way street. We should be able to say that a player has outperformed the contract so let’s adjust it. It’s the only piece of leverage we have to make our case.
“Now I do believe not every holdout is wise and warranted, but usually these things do get resolved.”
http://www.packersnews.com/archives/news/train_1_17423324.shtml