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'Tis the season for giving and, all around the NFL, first-round draft
choices are beginning to collect on early Christmas bonuses.
|  | | Rookie Gerard Warren's deal just keeps getting better. |
Because of a quirk in the collective bargaining agreement between the league
and its players, and with teams only able to prorate the huge first-round
signing bonuses over six seasons instead of the usual seven years, agents
and team negotiators had to be more clever than ever before. One of the
mechanisms employed was the two-tiered signing bonus in which teams paid players up-front money upon execution of the contract, then follow that up with a
second "option" payment next spring to buy back years of the contract or to
exercise their prerogative for future seasons.
But in no previous season in recent memory were so-called "escalator"
clauses as popular as they were this spring. Now, with many players
achieving predetermined performance levels, there are some rookies cashing
in big-time. Essentially an "escalator" enhances the value of a contract,
typically by raising the base salaries in latter years, when the player hits
certain benchmarks.
And make no mistake about it, Santa Claus has arrived weeks early,
particularly for a few of the first-round choices with lucrative
"escalators" in their contracts.
Foremost among them is Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Gerard Warren, who will boost his base salaries for the 2004-2006
seasons by $20.5 million, ESPN.com has confirmed. That is because the Browns have won five games,
two more than a year ago, and Warren's contract had a threshold point of
four victories. Plus he has played in the required 35 percent of the snaps.
"My guy (agent Joel Segal) took good care of me in that regard," Warren
said. "Some of the stuff he did, in terms of bonuses and things, are really
boosting the value of our deal."
With what might have been the most lucrative two-yard run in NFL history, San
Diego tailback LaDainian Tomlinson earned an additional $16.2 million, as we
first reported earlier this week on ESPN News, in last Sunday's loss. The
two-yard plunge over right tackle late in the third quarter nudged Tomlinson
over the 1,000-yard mark for the season and triggered "escalators" that will
skyrocket his salaries to $5.5 million in 2004, $6.5 million in 2005 and
$7.5 million in 2006.
It's hard to believe that, after standing firm during Tomlinson's training
camp holdout, the San Diego front office caved on such an easy "escalator"
clause. They began negotiations demanding that Tomlinson rush for 1,500
yards or more in each of his first three seasons, a feat never before
achieved in the NFL, to trigger the bonus clauses. Lowering the threshold to
1,000 yards, and with the knowledge Tomlinson would start, was almost a
"gimme" to the player.
When first-round defensive end Justin Smith gets one more sack -- and he has
five in his previous two games -- he will trigger a clause that will reward
him an extra $500,000 in base salary for each of the five seasons left on
his contract. Carolina quarterback Chris Weinke has page after page of
"escalators" and incentives, and though his ante this year is difficult to compute, it certainly appears that earning the starting job for the Panthers has
earned him at least $3.5 million more than he was to have received.
There will be other high-round choices who will trigger "escalators" in
their contracts before the end of the season. Ultimately, what the bonuses
will do is force teams to renegotiate the contracts before the player
reaches a season with an escalated salary. But even in reshuffling a
contract, the team is going to pay approximately the same dollars earned,
although perhaps distributing them in a different way.
So while the holiday economy is experiencing a turndown, NFL first-round
choices have more than sufficient reason to be jolly right now, as they
continue to hit the jackpot on "escalators."
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SIDE LINES
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The List
Entering this weekend's games there are nine players -- Keyshawn Johnson, Rod Smith, Jimmy Smith, Troy Brown, Hines Ward, Terrell Owens, David Boston,
Marvin Harrison and Marty Booker -- who are on pace for 100 receptions.
That would be the most since '95, when there were also nine, and when four
of the top five seasons in NFL history were posted. No other season has had
more than four 100-catch performers. At his current pace, Johnson would
finish with 124 receptions, or one more than the current league record, held
by Herman Moore (1995). Here is a list of the 11 players who had more than
110 catches in a season:
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No.
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Player
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Year
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123
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Herman Moore
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1995
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122
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Cris Carter
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1995
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122
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Cris Carter
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1994
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122
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Jerry Rice
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1995
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119
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Isaac Bruce
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1995
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116
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Jimmy Smith
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1999
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115
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Marvin Harrison
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1999
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112
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Jerry Rice
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1994
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112
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Sterling Sharpe
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1993
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111
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Michael Irvin
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1995
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111
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Terance Mathis
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1994
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Stat of the Week
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown six interceptions
that have been returned by opponents for touchdowns this season. There are a
half-dozen quarterbacks who will start games this weekend -- Todd Bouman
(Minnesota), Quincy Carter (Dallas), Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle), Rob Johnson
(Tampa Bay), Mike McMahon (Detroit) and Kordell Stewart (Pittsburgh) -- who
have thrown six or fewer touchdown passes to their own teammates. More
amazing than that is that Stewart has led the Steelers to the best record in
the AFC and Johnson and Hasselbeck still have their teams in wildcard
contention.
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Stat of the Weak
The Dallas Cowboys play at Seattle on Sunday and, while nothing is a lock in
the NFL anymore, one might suggest the Seahawks have a pretty good shot of
emerging victorious. The Cowboys have lost nine straight games against
non-division opponents and, dating back to December 1999, they are 2-15 in
matchups outside the NFC East.
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The Last Word
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| Shanahan |
Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, announcing Thursday that quarterback
Brian Griese will not start in Sunday's game at Kansas City because of the
aftereffects of a concussion suffered in last week's victory over Seattle:
"It's your brain. You only have one of them. Football is great and all, but
you have to look at the rest of your life." |
Around the league
So what was the supposed dastardly deed that earned New Orleans wide
receiver Albert Connell the rest of the season off? The legalities of the
situation preclude anyone from explaining fully why the veteran wide
receiver was told by general manager Randy Mueller and coach Jim Haslett
that, while not officially released, his services won't be needed for the
final month of the season. One thing that can be reported is that, even
though Connell's problems have been described as "personal" and "off-field,"
they do not involve drugs. Instead it was a gambling vice that led to his
downfall. But there was also a serious locker room breach of trust that
mandated the Saints not keep him around any longer. The problem for the
Saints is that, having awarded Connell a signing bonus of $2.5 million, they
have no choice but to keep him on the books for now. He will not be paid,
but New Orleans can't cut Connell, because it can't afford to absorb the $2
million salary cap hit that would accompany his official departure. So for
now, Connell is on vacation, but without pay. Mueller was warned about
Connell some by folks who had him in Washington, but didn't heed their advice. Apparently putting Connell in a city like New
Orleans, with its myriad temptations, was like assigning the fox to stand
sentry over the hen house. Connell has some talent but Mueller, the league's
executive of the year in 2000 and a guy who should have known better,
grossly overpaid for him and seriously underestimated how flawed a player
and character he could be.
High-ranking league sources continue to insist there is nothing to the
rumors that beleaguered San Diego owner Alex Spanos will sell his team to
Los Angeles multi-billionaire Phil Anschutz, who would then relocate the
franchise to a new stadium he might build on the site of the current L.A.
Coliseum. And they dismiss speculation that Spanos, who has a clause in his
agreement with San Diego officials that would permit him to bolt the city
after the 2002 season, would simply move the team himself. Chances are,
those sources are on-target, and that the Chargers will stay in San Diego.
But two owners to whom ESPN.com spoke this week, one of whom ranks among the
most powerful men in the league, feel the Chargers situation bears watching.
"You know the old saying about 'Where there's smoke, there's fire,' right?"
said one owner, who recently spoke to San Diego team president Dean Spanos
about the club's plight. "Well, there's a bit of smoke in this thing. Maybe
more like an ember, but it's something we need to keep our eye on, because
the (Spanos) family is seeking some advice right now." Anschutz is certainly
a man of means and of financial wherewithal, and that's putting it mildly,
since he owns half of the franchises in Major League Soccer and built the
Staples Center. His $9.6 million fortune makes him the 16th-richest man in
the country, according to Forbes magazine. He is planning a major sports
project at Cal State-Dominquez Hills outside of Los Angeles, and the
blueprints include a football training camp site, with the complex scheduled
for completion around 2003. Most owners feel that, at some point, the issue
of not having a team in the nation's second-largest market will have to be
addressed. With another expansion franchise unlikely for the foreseeable
future, there seems but one way to place a team in Los Angeles, and that is
relocation. "Somebody is going there, and I would guess the timetable is
within the next 10 years," said one owner. "Who knows, maybe it will be
sooner." Maybe it will be the Chargers. Maybe not. But with the team again
slumping on the field, and the city still having to toss money into the
team's till for every non-sellout, it seems that the Spanos family is
looking for some solutions no matter where the club is located.
Although there is no guarantee his wrist will heal with rest, Dallas
Cowboys quarterback Ryan Leaf has decided to forego surgery, and will take
his chances that the injury will not keep him from competing with Quincy
Carter for the starting job next summer. There was some difference of
opinion, even among orthopedic specialists, over the merits of surgery.
Rather than face what would have been a rehabilitation of a few months, Leaf
opted this week for the status quo, and will take a month or so off after
the season to rest his arm. "I just think this is the way for me to go right
now," Leaf said. "There is still some occasional pain but, on a whole, it's
much better than what it was. If it keeps improving the way it has been,
things will be fine, I think."
It doesn't matter to head coach Mike Riley where the Chargers play in 2002
because -- and you can take this one to the bank -- he won't be around anyway.
Management can deny it all it wants to, but the decision on Riley's future
has been all but settled, with the likeable coach ultimately undone by an ugly
losing streak and his flirtations with various college head coaching jobs.
As we first reported two weeks ago, Riley would be coaching at San Diego
State now if his contract didn't include a $750,000 loan he would have had
to repay the Chargers were he to bolt during the year. By getting fired,
Riley will at least get the two remaining seasons on his contract, worth a
total of about $1.5 million. Just a hunch on where Riley might end up: How
about Nevada-Las Vegas, where John Robinson is also athletic director, and
where he is strongly considering stepping out of the head coach position?
Don't be surprised if New York Jets standout defensive coordinator Ted
Cottrell, who worked with San Diego general manager John Butler in Buffalo,
is the new head coach. The feeling in San Diego is that, while the Chargers
have some pretty solid pieces on the defensive side, the team let down late
in games. Part of that can be explained by the absence of coordinator Joe
Pascale, who was forced out by back surgeries, but there is also a suspicion
the defensive players weren't very well conditioned. And don't make book yet
on offensive boss Norv Turner being around to oversee the development of
Drew Brees at quarterback. There is a chance the Chargers won't retain
Turner, either, and could look elsewhere for a guy with a strong background
in developing quarterbacks. Want a name? Try current Hawaii coach June
Jones, who turned down the chance to be head coach at San Diego in 1998, but
he could be interested in returning to the mainland if school officials
can't meet some of his demands.
Since we've written at least twice now that the pending sale of the
Atlanta Falcons to Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank will likely mean a
three- or four-year contract extension for coach Dan Reeves, we don't want
to backtrack. Well, not too much. But a little hedging on the future of
Reeves, and his long-term viability in a potentially reshaped front office
paradigm, might be in order. The smart money remains on Reeves coming back
beyond 2002, which is what he and Blank seem to want, if the coach plays his
cards right. Reeves already had a so-called "mutual option" with current
owner Taylor Smith to return in '02 if both men wanted that. The new hitch
in any long-term deal, however, is that Blank wants some of his own people
in the front office looking over his $545 million investment. Blank is too
savvy a businessman to want his folks meddling into the coaching end of
things. Smart people like Blank, after all, get rich by knowing exactly what
they don't know and getting out of the way. But it's conceivable Blank might
want one of his beancounters looking over the shoulder of general manager
Harold Richardson in contract negotiations. If that's the case, it would be
indirectly stepping on Reeves' toes a little, since the coach relishes his
sway over the entire football side of the operation. Sources close to both
men vehemently deny a report that Reeves angrily bolted from his meeting
with Blank last week. Those same sources acknowledge, though, things weren't
as smooth as the two would have liked. One element on which Reeves and Blank
are said to be in concert is the possible addition of Miami offensive
coordinator Chan Gailey in the same capacity. Gailey is a longtime disciple
of Reeves, was coached in Little League by him in Americus, Ga., and was a
Denver assistant under him. The two have had some falling outs at various
times in their relationship, but always mended things and moved forward.
It's been long rumored that Gailey would be considered as successor to
Reeves and, bringing him in as coordinator with the understanding the top
job would be his in a few years, is a possible scenario. Know this: Gailey
loves mobile quarterbacks -- yep, like Michael Vick -- and under Reeves the
Falcons have never had anything more than a nominal coordinator on the
offensive side. Know this, too, conspiracy theorists: While the Bill
Parcells talk has quieted in Atlanta, there has been some tacit contact in
recent days between the retired coach and at least one Blank confidant. As
noted here last week, Parcells would never knock longtime buddy Reeves out
of a job. But the Atlanta situation is one he continues to monitor, and
closely, in the event the Reeves-Blank marriage is annulled.
Now that the Chicago Bears have retained one pending free agent with a
five-year extension for defensive left end Bryan Robinson, general manager
Jerry Angelo and cap specialist Jim Miller will turn their attention to
some other priority players. Next on the shopping list looks to be
cornerback R.W. McQuarters, one of the five remaining starters eligible for
unrestricted free agency next spring. Because fellow corner Walt Harris
appears headed into the free agent market for a second consecutive spring,
McQuarters is a player the Bears desperately need to keep. The team signed
"nickel" cornerback Jerry Azumah to a five-year, $12.5 million deal just
before the start of the season, because management considered him a future
starter. But he has struggled at times even in a "sub" role and that only
exacerbates McQuarters' value to the team. "We've had some talks, and R.W.
really likes it there and would like to stay, but they haven't come close
yet to the number we feel is fair," agent Tom Condon told ESPN.com. "But I
think we're in a pretty good position right now." Also scheduled for
unrestricted free agency are quarterback Jim Miller, center Olin Kreutz and
strong safety Tony Parrish. The club would also like to get extensions with
a trio of potential restricted free agents -- linebackers Rosevelt Colvin and
Warrick Holdman and wide receiver Marty Booker -- either by the end of the
season or early in the spring. Chances are, the Bears won't be able to
retain everyone, and it appears Kreutz is a guy who will perhaps be
sacrificed. As noted here in the past, San Francisco already has targeted
Kreutz as a free agent in whom it will be very interested. By the way, the
breakdown on the contract that Robinson got on Thursday is as follows: A
signing bonus of $5.5 million and base salaries of $1.3 million (for 2002),
$2.8 million (2003), $3.1 million (2004), $3.5 million (2005) and $3.8
million (2006). His salary for his year, as a "transition" free agent who
signed the one-year tender is $4.177 million.
Just a year after he promulgated a dramatic shakeup of his coaching staff,
it looks like Dennis Green is prepared to alter the Minnesota Vikings
assistants again. There are strong indications that both Vikings
coordinators, Sherm Lewis on offense and Emmitt Thomas on defense, will be
gone at the end of the year. The relationship between Green and Lewis, who
came to the Vikings last season, is said to have deteriorated to the point
where the two don't speak much. Thomas is believed to be hot in the running
for the defensive coordinator spot with the Houston Texans expansion
franchise. It would not be surprising to see assistant head coach Mike Tice,
who has primarily worked with the offensive line but is a renowned "climber"
take over control of the offensive game-plan duties in 2002.
After a month-long experiment, the Dallas Cowboys have abandoned the notion
that former Detroit Lions first-round draft choice Aaron Gibson can make the
transition from tackle to guard, and will use him at practice in his normal
position. Last month the Lions released Gibson, their top pick in the 1999
draft, and Dallas was awarded the onetime Wisconsin star on waivers. In the
short term, head coach Dave Campo and offensive line assistant Hudson Houck
hoped that, if Gibson could make the move inside, he might be able to
replace right guard Kelvin Garmon for the rest of the season. The long-term
projection was that Gibson could play left guard in 2002. That would permit
All-Pro guard Larry Allen to move outside to left tackle, where the Cowboys
have no designs on attempting to retain current starter Flozell Adams, who
most personnel men regard more highly than does owner Jerry Jones, and who
should find a pretty good market in the unrestricted free agent pool. Dallas
brass is hardly alone in considering the oft-injured Gibson might be able to
play guard. When the Lions selected him, in fact, then-coach Bobby Ross felt
Gibson might play inside. By no means does the end of the guard experiment
mean that Dallas is giving up on the gargantuan Gibson, a player in whom
they've got very little money invested, and who still possesses starting
skills. With an eye toward next season, when Adams will have departed, the
coaches will use him at right tackle in practice. If he proves capable of
starting at the position he played in Detroit, then the Cowboys will
consider moving current right tackle Solomon Page over to the left side.
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George has said privately at least twice now,
and within earshot of some people who count, that he won't just leave this
program in the shape it's in right now. ” |
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— Panthers source,
on George Seifert |
Don't count out George Seifert in Carolina just yet. The latest rumblings
are that owner Jerry Richardson is not included to dismiss the erudite
Seifert, and that the coach is not prepared yet to walk away from the final
two years of his contract. "George has said privately at least twice now,
and within earshot of some people who count, that he won't just leave this
program in the shape it's in right now," said one Panthers source. "He knows
how close the losses have been and feels it's not as big a turnaround as
some outsiders consider it. My bet now is that he stays for 2002."
That was an interesting step taken by St. Louis coach Mike Martz this week,
breaking out his contract for local media, to reveal the clauses that
provide him authority over all of the Rams' personnel decisions. There have
been rampant rumors in recent weeks of a classic intramural power struggle
between Martz and general manager Charley Armey. Weary of the reports, both
Martz and team president John Shaw revealed details of both men's contract
to confirm that it is the coach who makes the ultimate calls on the draft,
trades and roster composition. So basically Armey, one of the good guys in
the league at his profession, had the title of general manager but
essentially functions as a personnel director. The only dubious part of the
structure is why Shaw and president of football operations Jay Zygmunt
contractually ceded to Martz control over the personnel decisions when they
made him head coach two years ago. Nothing against Martz, who is the game's
premier offensive strategist, we feel. But at the time Martz succeeded Dick
Vermeil as coach, he had never been a head coach even at the major college
level. Clearly, the St. Louis hierarchy had plenty of faith in Martz and,
for the most part, he has validated the decision to give him more clout than
nearly every rookie coach has ever possessed. What they had more faith in,
though, was a solid working structure in the front office. There is no doubt
that Martz and Armey have sniped at each other for two years, but it is no
different than the in-house disagreements that are inherent to every head
coach-personnel chief relationship in the league.
There were six defensive tackles selected in the first round of the 2001
draft, the most ever, and there is a chance that number could be equaled and
possibly even passed this year. The combine services that assess players for
two-thirds of the NFL franchises wrapped up their meetings with scouts this
week and, between them, there are about seven tackles who could go off the
board in the first round, it seems. The group includes John Henderson
(Tennessee), Ryan Sims (North Carolina), Wendell Bryant (Wisconsin), Larry
Tripplett (Washington), Anthony Weaver (Notre Dame), Allen Harper (Fresno
State) and underclassman William Joseph (Miami). Henderson is still the most
intriguing guy but there is much disagreement over how high he should go.
The Vols star played much of the year with a high ankle sprain but also
looked unmotivated in many games. "He kind of had that attitude like, 'Oh,
man, just let me get through the season and get ready to hit the big money
(in the draft),' " analyzed one AFC East scout.
Look for Atlanta backup tailback Rodney Thomas to get increased action down
the stretch. Second-year veteran Maurice Smith, who is trying to play with a
slightly torn cartilage in his knee, found out the hard way that being a
feature back in the NFL is a lot different from getting 20-25 carries a game
at North Carolina A&T, his alma mater. In the last four games, Smith has
carried 66 times for just 130 yards, less than two yards per attempt. Over
that period, 34 of his 66 carries netted one yard or less and 41 were for
two yards or fewer. He has just two rushes of more than 10 yards. Of course,
it hasn't helped Smith or quarterback Chris Chandler that the team continues
to juggle its offensive line, particularly the guards. Offensive line coach
Pete Mangurian did a tremendous job early in the season with the line,
especially in getting players like Bob Whitfield to drop weight, but the
lack of true quality is catching up the unit. Beyond the fact Atlanta can't
seem to run the ball very well right now, the quarterbacks have been sacked
at the rate of once every 8.2 "dropbacks," the worst ratio in the league.
One guy who won't get involved in the tailback controversy in Seattle is
fullback Mack Strong, arguably the AFC's best player at his position. Strong
has opened holes this year for both Shaun Alexander and Ricky Watters and
linebackers surveyed by ESPN.com now regard him as among the league's
premier lead blockers. Some team is going to pay Strong decent money in the
spring if he hits the free agent market. The former Georgia star is
selfless, a relentless blocker and solid receiver. "The prototype of what
the (fullback) position is about right now," said one NFC coach whose team
might be looking for a fullback in the spring.
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher is a bit more concerned by the performance of
place kicker Kris Brown than he is allowing publicly. Brown has missed eight
of his last 10 field goal attempts from 40-49 yards. He has been quietly
receiving treatments on his right knee, injured in a Nov. 4 home game
against Baltimore, and that is affecting his performance at least a bit.
Cowher is loyal to his players, however, and doesn't want to make a change.
He's holding his breath hoping that Brown snaps out of the funk, in part
because there simply isn't anyone better available now.
Punts: Most of the sports books and casinos in Las Vegas have established
the NFC entry in the Super Bowl, no matter who it is, as a 3½-point
favorite. ... Fantasy tip of the week: In his six previous games against
the San Diego secondary, Jerry Rice has 48 receptions for 786 yards and six
touchdowns. That's eight catches and 131 yards per outing, and the Raiders
face San Diego in a Saturday matchup. ... Seattle defensive end Chad Eaton
has quietly been fined $10,000 for an incident in which he hit Denver tight
end Dwayne Carswell last Sunday night. It marks a second week in a row in
which Eaton has been fined, having been docked $12,500 last week. ... The
Oakland defense surrendered 289.0 yards per game in its first six outings
but 377.2 yards per game in its last six. Little wonder coordinator Chuck
Bresnahan Jr. is making changes, such as replacing poor-tackling strong
safety Marquez Pope with Johnnie Harris. ... Credit Bengals owner Mike
Brown for doing a nice thing this week: He waived tight end Marco Battaglia
from the non-football injury list so that the veteran might be able to catch
on with another team for the rest of the season. Three teams claimed
Battaglia and he was awarded to Washington, where he has to chance to
contribute to a team still in the playoff hunt. Brown's critics will suggest
that he did it to save money but, because Battaglia was a vested veteran,
the Bengals owed him his entire salary for 2001 anyway. ... The New York
Jets have just seven offensive touchdowns in their last six games. ...
Don't be surprised if the ball goes more often toward Terry Glenn over the
final four games of the season. The erratic wideout probably won't be back
in 2002, but Bill Belichick is smart enough to know Glenn is still his best
big-play threat. ... League officials will be keeping a close eye on
Denver weakside linebacker John Mobley, who this week suggested Broncos
defenders may be out to get Kansas City wideout Eddie Kennison. Recall that
Kennison abruptly quit on the Broncos the night before their Nov. 11 game.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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