Kendall close to being ex-Jet
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, August 23rd 2007, 4:00 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...-23_kendall_close_to_being_exjet.html?ref=rss
Pete Kendall works out yesterday at the Jets' training facility.
After several months of acrimony, the Jets and Pete Kendall are parting ways - finally.
The Jets, trying to move past a bizarre and ugly chapter, were on the verge last night of trading the disgruntled left guard to an undisclosed team, NFL sources told the Daily News. Multiple teams expressed an interest once the Jets made it clear they wanted to move Kendall, 34, a starter for the Jets since he arrived in 2004.
Kendall is expected to receive a new contract, and it's believed he will earn at least $2.7 million for the coming season. He was due to make $1.7million from the Jets and was seeking a $1million raise, but they refused to renegotiate his deal, which had three years and $6.1 million remaining.
In return, the Jets will get an undisclosed draft choice. As of midnight, details of the trade still were being finalized. An announcement is expected this morning. Kendall must pass a physical before the trade is official. Kendall's agent, Neil Schwartz, declined to comment.
It became apparent yesterday that something was brewing because Kendall was pulled off the practice field by GM Mike Tannenbaum.
Kendall didn't practice the last two days because of an injury to his right shoulder, which doesn't appear serious. While riding a stationary bike on the sideline, he was approached by Tannenbaum. The GM invited Kendall to his office, according to an eyewitness - an indication that a deal was in the works. A few minutes later, Kendall was back on the bike.
The Jets rid themselves of a headache, but the quality of their offensive line takes a hit.
They will turn over the left-guard job to rookie Jacob Bender or Adrien Clarke, whose NFL resume consists of only 13 games and four starts, all with the Eagles in 2005. Clarke started the first two preseason games, but the new flavor of the week is Bender, a sixth-round pick from Nicholls State. Bender, working with the regulars this week in practice, probably will start Saturday night against the Giants.
Kendall's relationship with the Jets deteriorated in June, when he went public with his bitterness, claiming the organization had reneged on a promise to renegotiate his contract. Since then, he has ripped the Jets at every opportunity, trying to hasten his release by becoming a nuisance. He threatened to hold out, hoping they'd release him before camp, but the Jets called his bluff, creating a sideshow in camp.
The Jets gave Kendall plenty of fodder for complaining. They gave away his starting job, assigned him to the rookie dorm on the first day of camp and made him double as a backup center, a position they know he hates. In last week's game, he misfired on two shotgun snaps, one of which was returned for a touchdown by the Vikings. There were whispers that he did it on purpose as a form of protest, but he insisted that wasn't the case.
On Sunday, Kendall learned that Bender, a small-college rookie, had moved ahead of him on the depth chart, yet another indignity. Disgusted, Kendall made a remark that's considered borderline heresy in the NFL, suggesting he wouldn't take pain-killing injections in order to play hurt. In 2004 and 2005, he took needles for various injuries, missing only one game.
Kendall took a pay cut after the 2005 season and, after a strong performance last year, he felt he was entitled to a bump in pay. But the Jets refused, claiming it would set a dangerous precedent by renegotiating a deal that ran through 2009. They were afraid that other players, claiming to be underpaid, would make a stink.
The Jets held their ground, showing they weren't going to be bullied by a player. It was a strong statement, but they also lost a quality player in the process.
