The NFL Offseason/Pre-Draft Thread

[KingPK 0]

ESPNEWS is reporting that Doug Flutie has signed with the Patriots. Great pickup as it puts a QB that people can have a little confidence in behind Brady should anything happen.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Great, my whole last post got completely no-sold. Anyways, entertaining news on the Eggles->

Eagles: Eagles: Reid tells Mitchell to stay home

by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com

Friday, April 29, 2005

 

News

Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell did not attend the first day of minicamp on Friday, and his absence was no accident. "I told him I was excusing him from this practice, that I did not want him here," head coach Andy Reid told the team's official web site. "I'm working on some things."

 

Views

Reid didn't want to go into further detail, but it's clear at this point that Mitchell is not going to be a part of the Eagles much longer. Freddie's contract runs through the end of the 2005 season, and it's likely Reid is trying to work on a trade or buyout. Greg Lewis, Billy McMullen, and rookie Reggie Brown have all taken a step up the depth chart.

[MikeJordan23 0]

``I don't play games in the media,'' McNabb said. ``I'm not going to sit here and try to have a war of words. I'm a man at what I do. If there's a problem with anyone, and they feel the need to lash out, they know how to get in touch with me and we can handle it like men.''

 

[therealworldschampion 0]

Either they're going to trade Freddie for something, or wait until other teams have filled out their WR depth to release him and really stick it to him for being a pain in the ass...

[the pinjockey 0]

Interesting development in the TO situation as the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that, since he skipped the mandatory mini-camp, the Eagles can exercise an option to recoup 1.8 million of the signing bonus he received last year.

 

I think it is about time he realizes he has a losing hand ,comes back to play out the year and see where it goes from there.

[2GOLD 0]

Interesting development in the TO situation as the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that, since he skipped the mandatory mini-camp, the Eagles can exercise an option to recoup 1.8 million of the signing bonus he received last year.

 

I think it is about time he realizes he has a losing hand ,comes back to play out the year and see where it goes from there.

 

Owens already fired his shots at McNabb, this is heading nowhere but straight to hell. And it was about time McNabb said something. So he comes back with a calm, cool response that seemed more like a sugar coated answer that basically was, "Shut up, this is my team and not yours you little whining bitch. My name is not Jeff Garcia and I will kick your ass."

 

Good for him.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Here's an interesting article on the Packers' meltdown which is summed up nicely in this thread already, and, most interestingly, a part on Drew Rosenhaus that is something of an argument against pinnacle's "Fuck the owners, support the players" claim:

Offseason notebook: The Packers' downward spiral

By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports

April 28, 2005

 

Headshot

Logo

Slowly and surely, the Green Bay Packers' grip on playoff berth in 2005 is loosening.

 

Arguably no team in the NFL has endured as much turmoil and talent fluctuation since the end of the regular season – from free-agent losses to legal clouds and even a looming holdout. If next season is indeed the Brett Favre retirement tour, the wheels fell off the bus disturbingly early.

 

Consider what the Packers have endured since their unceremonious collapse in the playoffs four months ago:

 

# Head coach Mike Sherman was stripped of his general manager title.

 

# For the first time, Brett Favre seriously contemplated retirement.

 

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# Roster attrition included the likes of Mike Wahl, Marco Rivera and Darren Sharper.

 

# Cornerback Al Harris was involved in a sexual assault investigation.

 

# Ahman Green was arrested for disorderly conduct.

 

# A holdout by wide receiver Javon Walker looms.

 

Oh, and their chief rival in the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings, might be having the best offseason in the NFL.

 

Someone should check and make sure the "b" hasn't fallen off the Lambeau Field sign hanging over the stadium entrance.

 

Sherman pooh-poohs the tumult.

 

"We've always had issues," he says. "There are 101 players that are going to be here on Friday [for minicamp]. To assume that we're not going to have issues come up – we've been very fortunate in the past that we haven't had very many.

 

"I know these things come up. They come up among family. You raise kids to do certain things, and sometimes they make bad decisions. … This is part of it."

 

Sherman's "bad decisions" reference could be in response to any number of players on the Packers roster.

 

Maybe it's a jab at Walker, who wants a new contract and isn't expected to show up when the team kicks off its mandatory full-squad minicamp on Friday. Or maybe it's a reference to Green, who was arrested after his fourth domestic "incident" since 1999. Or Harris, who hasn't been charged by police, but is being investigated due to sexual assault allegations by an exotic dancer in Florida.

 

From a talent standpoint alone, Green Bay lost significant ground this offseason when its two starting guards, Wahl and Rivera, inked lucrative deals with the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Sharper had to be cut loose for salary cap purposes – and landed with the Vikings. While the first round of last weekend's draft delivered Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the balance of the Packers' picks aren't likely to improve the NFL's 25th-ranked defense.

 

Instead, that responsibility will fall completely on new defensive coordinator Jim Bates, the highly regarded Miami Dolphins castoff who will install a new set of schemes.

 

"There's a big adaptation," Bates admitted this week. "Our total package, especially up front for the linemen and linebackers, is a tremendous change."

 

Bates and that front seven might have the easy part. Green Bay's biggest challenge in the coming months will be figuring out a way to solve Walker's contract issues, and healing the public relations black eye created by Harris and Green's personal problems. Neither fix looks easy at this stage.

 

Walker – who notched 89 catches for 1,328 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl – has essentially one year left on his current contract at an embarrassingly reasonable $515,000. He and agent Drew Rosenhaus want a new deal, which isn't a huge shock considering the portfolio of torn-up contracts Rosenhaus has been collecting.

 

As for Green and Harris, both issues will likely have been sorted out in the legal realm. Police are investigating claims from an exotic dancer that Harris sexually assaulted her in a private room last week in a Pompano Beach strip club. Meanwhile, Green will have to appear in court in May, stemming from his Monday arrest on disorderly conduct. The arrest occurred after a 911 call ended with a hang-up and police suspected a domestic dispute.

 

Green said Wednesday that he wanted the press to know that "there's two sides to the story – and not to take something out of context and run with it. … The people that love me, my family and friends that love me, they know what type of person I am."

 

"Things happen," Green added.

 

After this offseason, the Packers understand that better than anybody.

 

WIND SPRINTS

 

# Speaking of Rosenhaus: He's not a very popular guy around the NFL these days. More and more, personnel people are grumbling about Rosenhaus' clients wanting to tear up contracts.

 

Beyond Walker, Rosenhaus is seeking new pacts for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens and Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns. While Owens has established himself as a top-tier wideout, Droughns has just recently rounded into a productive player. After rushing for 97 yards on 40 carries his first three seasons in the NFL (two at fullback), Droughns switched to running back and rushed for 1,240 yards this past season with the Denver Broncos.

 

"I'm sure the complaint is the position switch and the contract being a [fullback] contract," said a source in an NFC front office. "But [Droughns has] shown one good year. Is it unrealistic to expect consistent performance before throwing [his last deal] out the window? … Take Javon Walker. [Rosenhaus] can't expect teams to get marginal return during developmental years, and then to just hop up and pay someone like they've been a Pro Bowler from Day 1. That's what a second contract is for."

 

# The drafting of running back Eric Shelton should have made it clear what the Carolina Panthers think about the continuing rehabilitation of Stephen Davis. While the Panthers have been publicly supportive – and Davis' agent has guaranteed his return – word is circulating around the NFL that the Panthers' organization doubts Davis will ever be able to effectively recover from last season's microfracture surgery.

 

# It's dumbfounding that the Buffalo Bills weren't willing to pull the trigger on a deal with running back Travis Henry around draft time. Bills general manager Tom Donahoe had been remarkably stubborn about receiving some kind of second-round compensation for Henry, despite there being no market for running backs and no team in the NFL willing to surrender that much for the former 1,000-yard rusher. What's most odd about this situation is that the longer Henry remains with the Bills, the more his value diminishes. But it seems Donahoe isn't the only person in this equation who needs to wake up.

 

If the Bills do trade Henry, he hopes to get a lucrative new deal. But that won't happen – not with other prime backs, such as Indianapolis' Edgerrin James and Seattle's Shaun Alexander, on the market. And not with another strong running back class in next year's draft (depending on some underclassmen declaring early, that is).

 

# More detail has emerged on a few guys who surprisingly went undrafted.

 

Scouts thought Michigan safety Ernest Shazor (who landed in Arizona) was hiding something when he didn't work out at the combine, then were tremendously disappointed in his 4.7-second speed at his pro day. But what really hurt the former Thorpe finalist's value was his inability to get his body turned quickly in deep coverage. That, combined with Shazor's speed, made him appear as a serious liability against the NFL's faster players.

 

As for Heisman winner Jason White, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, it wasn't simply arm strength that hurt his value. Apparently some teams weren't pleased with the way his knees looked after his college surgeries. One team said a training camp with White was "an injury settlement just waiting to happen."

 

And finally, Oregon State cornerback Brandon Browner, who left school after just two seasons, was thought of as too long (he's 6-foot-4) and a step too slow to play cornerback in the NFL. While he fared well in college, some teams thought his skills and size translate poorly to the pros. In short, they had no idea where they could play him effectively.

 

Now we'll see if the Denver Broncos, who signed Browner as an undrafted free agent, can figure it out.

 

Now, I can understand Javon Walker demanding getting a bigger contract. This certainly isn't like the Mike McKenzie situation (and guess who his agent is as well!) where McKenzie was entering the second to last year of his contract, didn't really do anything way outstanding to merit a new contract, held out, and became a major dark spot in the locker room. In fact it wasn't until he was traded the Packers turned around from a 1-4 start and finished 10-6. But anyways, Walker deserves to get paid like an elite receiver being that he established himself as one.. However, this is where something interesting comes into play, where an argument was being made that players deserve to hold out for more money since an NFL team can turn right around and cut them when they're 30 or when it financially benefits them. This is where the complete opposite is happening, where agents like Rosenhaus are making life extremely difficult for cap-strapped franchises like the Packers, or hell even smart thrifty ones like Philadelphia. How can you expect a team to want to pay a player for one good season where he can go off and keep slacking with his cash instead of playing like a million dollar player, when the million dollar player doesn't think he's getting paid enough either, and doesn't feel like honoring his contract?

 

It's not just a case of teams not honoring their contracts with players, it's the players themselves who are pulling this shit as well, and neither side deserves that kind of treatment. Although if you look at a typical NFL contract which is usually back-loaded and a portion of it is guaranteed (signing bonuses as well), it's not like a player will be making 1.6 million and then get cut and be completely fucked. Boohoo.

 

Warren Sapp said it best when he mentioned that they're paid a king's ransom to play a child's game. The bad part in it all is when the players then act childish about it. I mean, come on.. Reuben Droughns? And why does Owens STILL want even MORE money? Doesn't he get enough of it on the side from merchandising, advertising and the like as well? I mean, fuck.

Please do not confuse my stance as "the players are always right no matter what." They can be assholes and they can be greedy, but so can the owners. I just think the players need to have a little bitmore leverage and that it's unfair how alot of these players get treated. Contracts in the NFL don't mean shit anymore. they're more of a guideline of what a player should be paid than an indicator of what will actually happen. There's no way in hell somebody should sign a contract saying that they're expecting certain things to happen froma team and the team doesn;t have to honor that. If you feel a player isn't meeting your expectations, you shouldn't be allowed to just go cut his ass and take back away his money unless a player can restructure his contract when he outperforms it. I think the whole NFL system is bullshit.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Right, but it also doesn't make sense when a player signs a contract based on what he's worth at the time of signing and then want to rip up the current contract and get more money when they have a good year. Guys like Rosenhaus aren't really helping the players' causes too much in peoples' eyes.

 

Or you can look at things like the Dillon situation in Cincy, or the Moss situation in Minnesota, where they DEMANDED to be traded because they were unhappy with the team. Like, it's obvious that they weren't happy for their own reasons, but you sign a long-term deal with the franchise, you make the commitment to do it, and then you want out? It's not just the franchises that are fucking over the players; the players are doing enough of that on their own as well. I could even argue that Walker really SHOULD be the highest-paid receiver in Green Bay right now, with Driver's decline coming with age, Ferguson's injury being uncertain, and him exploding for a Pro Bowl year and establishing himself among the league's elite. However, a holdout is selfish and only hurts both sides. No good has ever come out of a player who held out for more money; almost every single time this has happened, especially when it extends through training camp, they suffer some kind of major injury at the beginning of the season and then are never quite the same player again, while being paid obscene amounts of money that they finally got.

 

I'm speaking as someone who had to go through the Dorsey Levens situation in `98, and the Antonio Freeman one the following year, and that I just put up with the Mike McKenzie bullshit (in which they essentially acquired in return an unproven rookie QB and a soon-to-be-released QB they were looking at) last year, and now TWO holdouts in this year, with two very important players to the offense in Franks and Walker.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I was reading a book by Tim Green, called the "Dark Side of the Game" (I don't know why he called it that, it really isn't a negative book. I guess for sales). Anyway, he mentioned that a lot of players sit out training camp not because they really want more money, but because they don't wanna do training camp. They don't see the point in putting that kind of wear and tear on their bodies especially when they don't really need to be there or if they are getting up there in age.

 

This is the main point I have about players wanting more money. If a team can automatically cut you and screw you out of money you deserve, than I see nothing wrong with holding out for more money when you know you're gonna get screwed over in the future.

 

The Vikings didn't want Moss either, I mean it's not like he said he wouldn't come to training camp if he was a Viking. He didn't like it there, but the team ultimately made the deal to get rid of him, when they didn't have to. They aren't as good as most think, as most of the defensive pickups they've gotten are overrated.

 

I was gonna say that the year is ripe for the Lions/Bears to take the division, because I think the other two teams aren't good at all, then I realized the Lions and Bears suck too. That's going to be the worst division in football this year.

[Guest El Satanico]

If it's not a rookie or someone that needs to get in game shape, I could care less if someone reports for training camp. This is why I don't concern myself with stuff like TO this year. They will do the talk and hold out during training camp, but still show up for the season.

 

As long as they aren't pulling the hold out stuff into the season, I could care less.

[the pinjockey 0]

This is the main point I have about players wanting more money. If a team can automatically cut you and screw you out of money you deserve, than I see nothing wrong with holding out for more money when you know you're gonna get screwed over in the future.

There are two general disagreements I have with this thought process:

 

First , the player's union allowed non-guaranteed contracts to become part of the business. So I can't sympathize with them over this. They know what they are getting when they sign.

 

Second , the idea that they will be screwed out of money on the backend is wrong, IMO, because those years are often tacked on with the understanding they are a sham. It is a win-win, as these extra years get tacked on so the signing bonus can be spread out by the team, but with big numbers so the agents and players can puff out their chests and say "look at what I am getting paid/getting my client". So I don't buy it when players and agents cry about not getting those years when everyone and their mother knows those years don't really exist.

[the pinjockey 0]

Just to clarify a little, I don't have a problem with a player asking to renegotiate. If the team is willing to give them a new deal then more power to them. My problem comes when they play the "woe is me, I am going to get hosed" card.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

You can't really place any blame on one particular group of people in this argument because the blame is shared on both ends.

 

You can blame the collective bargaining agreement all you want, but how much leverage does a player's union have? The guys who own the teams most likely have other means of making millions of dollars, the players don't. If they don't play sports, they don't eat.

 

If the owners don't want players holding out, they need to stop trying to cut costs all the time. How many times does a player get cut so he doesn't have to get a roster bonus? That's bullshit. People need to start being held accountable for this nonsense.

 

However, a holdout is selfish and only hurts both sides. No good has ever come out of a player who held out for more money; almost every single time this has happened, especially when it extends through training camp, they suffer some kind of major injury at the beginning of the season and then are never quite the same player again, while being paid obscene amounts of money that they finally got.

 

For the record, TO suffered a major injury at the end of the season, came back early to try to help his team win the Super Bowl and may probably never be the same player again. He wants to get paid more now because he knows they can also cut him or try to get him to restructure his contract and take a paycut.

[Guest Vitamin X]

You can blame the collective bargaining agreement all you want, but how much leverage does a player's union have? The guys who own the teams most likely have other means of making millions of dollars, the players don't. If they don't play sports, they don't eat.

That's not true. The majority of NFL players are college graduates, and the NFL has programs that actively encourage their players to pursue other career opportunities during the offseason, to get them ready for life after football. If a player doesn't believe he'll ever need those classes and refuses the help provided to him during the offseason, it's tough shit when they find out they might not be able to go out on the weekends and drop a grand at a sushi bar or make their next payments on their Escalades and Ferraris they bought during their rookie year. Hell, the league minimum is already six times what the average college graduate makes; you can't pass up the fame and fortune that comes with playing in the NFL; However, almost every single one of these players do have a backup plan and are taught to have one from the moment they're drafted or latch on with a team. And quite frankly if you don't have one, you deserve to be relegated to flipping burgers or finding some other means of acquiring food, shelter, and clothing.

 

However, a holdout is selfish and only hurts both sides. No good has ever come out of a player who held out for more money; almost every single time this has happened, especially when it extends through training camp, they suffer some kind of major injury at the beginning of the season and then are never quite the same player again, while being paid obscene amounts of money that they finally got.

 

For the record, TO suffered a major injury at the end of the season, came back early to try to help his team win the Super Bowl and may probably never be the same player again. He wants to get paid more now because he knows they can also cut him or try to get him to restructure his contract and take a paycut.

 

So why not rehab the fuck out of what he needs to, work his ass off in training camp and PROVE that he deserves getting a deal restructured during the course of the season? That's every bit as bad as a franchise thinking a player isn't good enough anymore and cutting his ass onto the streets.

 

Also, more INTRIGUE~ regarding the Walker/Franks situation as well.. won't post the whole thing since I don't want to bore you all with too much Packer drama, but here's the link and an excerpt:

Then there's Walker's holdout. From his perspective, you can't blame him for wanting more money. He has clearly outplayed his five-year, $7.5 million contract. If Terrell Owens thinks he's worth more than his seven-year, $49 million contract, then Walker is worth more than the $515,000 base salary he'll pocket in 2005.

 

Everyone knows contracts in professional sports are comical at best. Really, what's the difference between the Packers tearing up Mike Wahle's contract and Walker wanting his contract torn up?

 

With that said, why hold out? Why couldn't Walker and his agent, the meddlesome Drew Rosenhaus, go to the Packers, state their case, and quietly try to work out a long-term contract beneficial to both parties?

 

Well, according to Walker, that's because of the shabby treatment the Packers are giving to tight end Bubba Franks . The Packers named Franks their transition player, basically keeping him off the free-agent market. By doing so, the Packers are limiting Franks to a salary of $2.095 million - the average of the 10 highest-paid tight ends - unless they sign him to a long-term deal. The Packers and Franks are having trouble reaching such an accord, and Walker doesn't want to suffer the same ignominious fate.

 

"If the record would show that teams and everybody were loyal to that, then I could follow the same movement," Walker told Sirius Satellite Radio.

 

The transition-player salary for a wide receiver is about $6.4 million, and you can see why Walker wouldn't want to subject himself to such a humiliatingly low number. At that price, why not deliver pizzas, instead?

 

"Obviously, right now it's a slow process," Walker said, foreshadowing what could be a lengthy holdout. "The team's probably going to see how far I'm going to go and I'm going to see how far they're going to go. (But) I'm a strong person. I don't need the money for them to force me back in. I'm going to stick (with) what I believe in. Ain't nobody going to look after me but me.

 

"I hope something does come around. I do love the Packers. I would love to be there for the rest of my career, with Brett (Favre) for this year and if he decides to come back for more years, and with the young quarterback that they just drafted. I've never played for a team that has fans like Green Bay fans. I just hope they can respect the decision that I'm making."

 

You know, looking back, even Heath Miller might have made a better pick at #24 than Aaron Rodgers, rather than kicking around Bubba "I only catch passes in the red zone" Franks.

[the pinjockey 0]

How dare they offer a mediocre TE a lousy 2 mil? The disgrace of it all. And the players wonder why they don't get sympathy from fans.

 

Note to Bubba: If you can make the average of the top 10 TEs take it and run before you get arrested for stealing.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Winslow Hurt

 

What a dumb fuck. I hope he gets zero money from the Browns if he misses most of the season because of this.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Reason #89589054 I love Brett Favre:

Favre: Walker is selfish

Todd Korth - Scout.com

May 3, 2005 at 12:15pm ET

 

Brett Favre says that the Green Bay Packers can win without Pro Bowl wide receiver Javon Walker.

 

Favre, reached as his home by a Green Bay newspaper, said that Walker is not showing that he's a "team player" by skipping the recent post-draft mini-camp.

 

"If Javon wants to know what he quarterback thinks, and I would think he might, I'd tell him he's going about this the wrong way," Favre told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "When his agent tells him not to worry about what his teammates think and all that stuff, I'd tell him I've been around a long time and that stuff will come back to haunt you."

 

Walker, entering his fourth season, is unhappy with his current contract, which expires in 2006. He is scheduled to be paid base salaries of $515,000 this season and $650,000 in 2006. Walker led the Packers last season with 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named to the NFC squad in the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

 

Walker, represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus, is among a handful of stars in the league who are holding out for more money. He is not expected to be at the June mini-camp and his holdout could last well into training camp.

 

As far as Favre is concerned, the Packers will be fine without Walker, if the receiver continues to hold out. He was fined $1,000 a day by the Packers for skipping the final three days of the post-draft mini-camp. The June mini-camp is not mandatory for players to attend.

 

"He's a great player," Favre said. "I think he can help us. He's likeable and easy to get along with, but I'm guessing he's getting the wrong advice, and he's buying into that.

 

"I just don't see much good that can come from it. If it gets time for the start of training camp and he's not in, I think it'll start bothering him, and he'll be here. But once again, nothing should surprise you."

 

"We've got guys who'll give great effort. Stars are made that way. Look at what happened when Sterling (Sharpe) left. Robert Brooks stepped up. We can win without him."

 

Favre isn't the only one who is unhappy with Walker's decision to hold out. Head coach Mike Sherman says the Packers are prepared to enter the 2005 season without Walker.

 

"We've already moved on," Sherman said as mini-camp practice closed on Sunday. "You can't wait for anybody in regard to that situation. You always put another guy in (his place), and you go forward. Just like if you get somebody hurt - you move on, and you go."

 

Without Walker, Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson are the team's top two receivers. Both looked strong in the mini-camp. Sherman also sang the praises of Antonio Chatman and Andrae Thurman . Draftees Terrence Murphy (second round) and Craig Bragg (sixth), along with free agent Vince Butler, also caught Sherman's attention during the mini-camp.

 

"The strongest position on our team right now probably is the receiver position," Sherman said.

 

Favre feels Walker should be more of a team player and honor his current contract.

 

"Nowadays you're seeing more and more guys pulling that stunt," Favre said. "If guys continue to do that and are successful getting away with it, then I'll be gone, but I think the game will be ruined. My reaction to Javon's situation was, 'Here we go again.'

 

"Javon has tremendous potential. We got to see some of that last year. The sky's the limit for that guy, and I'd be the first to defend him, but he's going about it the wrong way. What happened to honoring your contract and saying, 'Let's work as a team to see if we can get this done?' Why not go about it that way?

 

"Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract. Sure, sometimes guys pass you up in salary, and maybe it's a lesser player, but it's all based on what a team has as far as value in that person. "I sure hope the Packers don't give into him," Favre said.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

"Maybe I'm old-school, but I always thought you honor a contract. Sure, sometimes guys pass you up in salary, and maybe it's a lesser player, but it's all based on what a team has as far as value in that person. "I sure hope the Packers don't give into him," Favre said.

 

Those are my sentiments too, but it should go both ways.

[teke184 0]

Winslow Hurt

 

What a dumb fuck. I hope he gets zero money from the Browns if he misses most of the season because of this.

My sentiments exactly.

 

In addition, he's supposedly violated a clause of his contract by even riding a motorcycle, so there's a decent chance that he has to pay back part of his signing bonus (about $6 million).

[Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0]

Winslow Hurt

 

What a dumb fuck.  I hope he gets zero money from the Browns if he misses most of the season because of this.

My sentiments exactly.

 

In addition, he's supposedly violated a clause of his contract by even riding a motorcycle, so there's a decent chance that he has to pay back part of his signing bonus (about $6 million).

I think it's close to 9 Million, because of the option bonus

[Damaramu 0]

The Jason White saga is not over. The Titans have signed him to a contract.

[Guest MikeSC]

Interesting development in the TO situation as the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that, since he skipped the mandatory mini-camp, the Eagles can exercise an option to recoup 1.8 million of the signing bonus he received last year.

 

I think it is about time he realizes he has a losing hand ,comes back to play out the year and see where it goes from there.

 

Owens already fired his shots at McNabb, this is heading nowhere but straight to hell. And it was about time McNabb said something. So he comes back with a calm, cool response that seemed more like a sugar coated answer that basically was, "Shut up, this is my team and not yours you little whining bitch. My name is not Jeff Garcia and I will kick your ass."

 

Good for him.

I want it on record that I'm shocked --- SHOCKED --- that Owens is a locker room cancer.

 

He was such a wonderful guy in SF.

-=Mike

...Did anybody NOT see this ball in that pocket long ago?...

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Pretty much every major writer said it would happen, Mike. Philly fans were expecting it.

[Guest El Satanico]

Reason #89589054 I love Brett Favre:

Favre: Walker is selfish

Fuck Favre, Walker is making one step above minimum wage and does deserve a pay raise.

 

Favre is just pissed about the team falling apart around him.

[tominator89 0]

Pretty much every major writer said it would happen, Mike. Philly fans were expecting it.

Hey, we gave him a chance since he seemed to actually want to play in Philly. I hope I don't regret buying his jersey. Although, I already replaced him in my signature.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Reason #89589054 I love Brett Favre:

Favre: Walker is selfish

Fuck Favre, Walker is making one step above minimum wage and does deserve a pay raise.

 

Favre is just pissed about the team falling apart around him.

Heh, $515k a year is certainly not one step above $5.15... But I get what you're saying.

 

The point is, Walker has more than one year left on his contract, and he's playing like he's supposed to now, for a first round pick. Favre isn't necessarily criticizing his wanting more money as it is his not being at the mini-camp; which is ironic since Favre actually conducted that interview over the phone from his house in Mississippi, since he was excused from the camp to be with his wife Deanna who's recovering from breast cancer. First mini-camp he's ever missed in his entire career though, and it's certainly for a much better reason than "I want more money, renegotiate my contract NOW or I'm not playing or practicing." If he wanted that money, he should get his payday after this season- it's not like he's been proven time and time again that he'll repeat this kind of season or anything. And of course, center Mike Flanagan, who besides Favre and FB William Henderson, is the longest tenured Packer still on the team (since being drafted in `96), chimed in as well:

Center chimes in on Walker

Todd Korth - Scout.com

May 5, 2005 at 7:58am ET

 

Center Mike Flanagan joined Brett Favre in disapproving Javon Walker's contract holdout. Flanagan spoke on a national radio show Wednesday and aired his concerns.

 

Walker did not participate in the team's recent post-draft mini-camp because he wants a new contract. The receiver has two years remaining on his existing contract. He is scheduled to receive a base salary of $515,000 this season and $650,000 next season.

 

Last year, his third in the league, Walker led the Packers with 89 catches for 1,382 yards and was named to his first Pro Bowl. Green Bay's top pick in 2002, Walker had 23 catches (319 yards) as a rookie and 41 catches (716 yards) in 2003.

 

"Javon wasn't holding out last year before he went to the Pro Bowl, but now that he went to the Pro Bowl, all of a sudden he deserves more money when in the reality of it, he's playing like he's supposed to play beging a first-round pick," Flanagan said.

 

With the exception of Brett Favre, the Packers have never renegotiated a player's contract with more than one year remaining.

 

"If Javon tries to force the hand and force them (the Packers) to re-do a deal, there's gonna be 10 guys knocking on the (management's) door and saying, 'I'm holding out, too,'" Flanagan said, "and I'll tell you I'm going to be one of them. "I went to the Pro Bowl two years ago and I didn't walk upstairs with my hand out and say, 'I deserve more money.' They're paying us a ton of money, some guys more than others. Some guys are earning their pay and some guys aren't. The reality of it is your contract is never going to be exactly where it should be because you're going to fluctuate from year to year."

 

Flanagan, a 10th year pro, is entering his fifth straight season as the Packers' starting center.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think he meant league minimum wage.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I know, which is $250k. Which is up to 6 times as much as the average college graduate makes. Don't forget these guys have degrees as well usually, and can find another job if football doesn't work out for them.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I know, which is $250k. Which is up to 6 times as much as the average college graduate makes. Don't forget these guys have degrees as well usually, and can find another job if football doesn't work out for them.

Oh c'mon now, you're not serious.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I know, which is $250k. Which is up to 6 times as much as the average college graduate makes. Don't forget these guys have degrees as well usually, and can find another job if football doesn't work out for them.

So because he's making a little more than the average person that justifies not paying him what he's worth?

 

I don't support players doing this sort of thing but you're making a poor argument.