Carolina Cuts QB Delhomme/Other Moves

Pasquarelli discusses Delhomme's new contract, among other things

by Nick

Delhomme's Pact Could Affect Couch, Warner
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

It is called lagniappe, an old Cajun word that roughly translates into "a little bit extra," and a term with which Carolina Panthers quarterback and dyed-in-the-gumbo Louisiana native Jake Delhomme was familiar, long before he agreed Thursday morning to his pricey new five-year contract extension.

Rewarding their emerging star with a contract that reportedly could be worth as much as $38 million, a deal criticized in some NFL precincts because there remains a core group of skeptics anxious to see if Delhomme was just a one-year wonder, certainly represented a heaping helping of lagniappe ladled out by Panthers management. No matter where one sides in the debate, though, the contract inarguably was aimed at providing security for both parties to the extension.

Good news, Carolina management hopes, for a franchise now suddenly resurrected and seeking to sustain newfound success and to create stability. And absolutely great news for an itinerant quarterback whose league resume included just two regular-season starts before 2003.

But bad news -- very bad news, in fact, it says here -- for signal-callers such as Tim Couch, Kurt Warner and Kordell Stewart. How do we draw a correlation between Delhomme's contract and the fortunes of those veteran quarterbacks?

Because players like Couch have recently been forced into a kind of wait-until-next-year mindset, one in which they sign short-term deals in the hopes of finding a far more appealing employment market next March, when they will be free agents and perhaps have a chance to pursue a starting job. And contracts like the one Delhomme signed, in the big picture, mean there aren't going to be as many vacant starting spots in the NFL as some observers suggest there might be.

It is, to be sure, one of the NFL's most notable dichotomies. Everyone focuses closely on the movement of quarterbacks in the league every spring, and this year was no different, as 19 quarterbacks had switched franchises at last count. But in a league where the best-kept secret appears to be the number of teams that have cemented their starters in place over the last few years, many of them with deals of astonishing length, few quarterbacks who changed addresses actually upgraded their status.

Here's a fact-and-fiction proposition: It's a fact that the 32 quarterbacks projected to be starters in 2004 have an average of 4.4 more seasons remaining on their current contracts, meaning they are locked in through 2007. So it is fiction to assume that a slew of No. 1 spots will become available next spring, or even the offseason after that.

The late-blooming Delhomme is the latest beneficiary of a trend in which teams have sought to reverse the quarterback carousel and put a stop to the calliope tune that annually accompanies...
- Channel: NFL TALK
-06-18-2004, 01:40 PM
St louis Rams Team report

by eldfan

NOTES, QUOTES

�LT Orlando Pace was released by the Rams on Tuesday, just hours after The Sports Xchange reported that Pace and WR Torry Holt, both under contract for 2009, had not receive a letter sent by the Rams to players invited to the offseason conditioning program.

Pace would have counted $8.975 million against the cap: $5.975 million in base salary and $3 million in prorated signing bonus. He had two years remaining on his deal with salaries of $7.175 million in 2010 and $8.375 million in 2011. However, because of the way the contract was structured, this is the final year of prorated bonus due so there will be no additional acceleration with his release. His departure will save the Rams $6.0 million in cap space.

"I can't begin to thank Orlando for all he has meant to the Rams organization, since we selected him with the first overall pick in the 1997 draft," said Rams Owner/Chairman Chip Rosenbloom. "It is never easy to end a relationship that has had as much success as ours, but in the best interest of Orlando and the Rams, we feel now is the right time. As a Super Bowl Champion and seven-time Pro Bowler, he has been a true professional and will always go down as one of the finest Rams of all time. We wish him, Carla and their children the very best as they move onto the next chapter of their football journey."

�C Jason Brown's agents and the Rams are working to adjust the contract signed by the free-agent center after it was disapproved by the league.

The problem with the original contract centers on a $2.3 million buyback in the deal for the final season. The deal voids after four years if certain performance levels and team accomplishments are reached, but the Rams can buy back that final year for $2.3 million.

However, new rules in the NFL that are part of the last year with a salary cap mandates that salaries can't increase by more than 30 percent of the first-year total. Brown will be paid $4 million in salary/roster bonus this season, so no increase in future years can be greater than $1.2 million from the previous year.

Brown's salary in 2012 is $5 and $6.2 million in 2013, the final year of the contract. If the buyback is exercised, his final-year compensation would be $8.5 million, an increase of $3.5 million from the year before.

�Cornerback Ron Bartell, who re-signed with the Rams four days after becoming an unrestricted free agent, took the time to fly to St. Louis from his Arizona winter home after Steve Spagnuolo was hired as head coach so he could get a feel for the new coach and his staff.

Said Bartell, "I had just wanted to come in and meet the coaches that I was considering playing for. You don't want to make a decision without meeting someone. That's just the way I saw it. I came in and they were very busy but I was impressed with the way he just dropped everything...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-03-11-2009, 12:47 PM
Contract season puts Postons into play

by RamWraith

Contract season puts Postons into play
Howard Balzer writes for Sports Weekly, email him at [email protected]

Around several NFL precincts this summer, it could very well be considered the summer of the Postons.
Rather than talking about possible Super Bowls, who's looking good in training camp and just simple football talk, contract negotiations promise to take center stage.

With July 15 here and the opening of camps within the next two weeks, fans will be reading way too much about contract issues but most notably those involving agents Carl and Kevin Poston in ...

� Cleveland, Jacksonville and Carolina, where they represent tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., the seventh overall selection in April's draft, as well as wide receiver Reggie Williams (ninth overall) and cornerback Chris Gamble (28th overall);

� Oakland, St. Louis and San Francisco, where three of the league's five unsigned franchise players play: cornerback Charles Woodson, tackle Orlando Pace and linebacker Julian Peterson. All have the Postons as their agent;

� Washington, where a grievance is expected to be heard in August regarding a $6.5 million roster bonus allegedly not included by the Redskins last December in a renegotiated contract for linebacker LaVar Arrington. Yes, Arrington is also represented by Carl Poston.

The Winslow contract should be the least difficult, along with Williams and Gamble, considering that first-round picks are slotted according to where they are selected in the round. The Postons might try to claim that Winslow was rated No. 1 on some team's draft boards, but that argument is essentially one-sided. First, he wasn't picked No. 1, and second, when was the last time we heard an agent say he would accept less for a player because he was selected higher than expected? Next question.

Where many of the contract stalemates occur is on a player's second contract and when that player has excelled at a high level. That's where the Postons' demands enter the stratosphere and make it near impossible for a team to negotiate.

After the Rams received a $71 million proposal for Pace in March that included a $27 million signing bonus and another $7 million in guaranteed money (almost as much guaranteed money as the Colts gave quarterback Peyton Manning), president of football operations Jay Zygmunt said: "It's just a waste of time dealing with him (Carl). It makes no sense. Anyone can ask for anything; that's easy to do. Why not ask for a billion dollars? It wouldn't matter."

Zygmunt noted how often the situations put the player at odds with the team.

Look no further than the relationship between cornerback Ty Law, another Poston client, and the Patriots during the offseason.

When either of the Postons talk to the media, which is rare (and they did not return a phone call...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-07-15-2004, 01:46 PM
Brown's contract and other notes

by RamWraith

Brown could void 5th year
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/06/2009

Center Jason Brown's five-year, $37.5 million deal with the Rams could void out to a four-year, $29 million contract if certain incentives are met.

According to figures filed with the NFL Players Association, Brown receives an $11 million signing bonus, plus base salaries of $4 million in 2009, $5 million in 2010, $4 million in 2011, $5 million in 2012, and $6.2 million in 2013.

But the fifth year is voided if Brown, the former Baltimore Raven, reaches certain playing time incentives and the Rams reach certain team goals. However, even if those incentives are reached, the Rams can restore � or buy back � that fifth year by paying Brown an additional $2.3 million.

Brown counts $6.2 million against the Rams' salary cap this season.
A total of $20 million of the contract is guaranteed: the $11 million signing bonus and the bases salaries in 2009 ($4 million) and 2010 ($5 million.).

MIZZOU'S PRO DAY

Defensive tackle Ziggy Hood helped solidify his status as a second-round draft pick � some scouts feel he could even be a late first-rounder � with a good showing at the University of Missouri pro day Thursday in Columbia. Hood improved his bench press over his results at the NFL scouting combine and also ran well.

Safety William Moore could be back on the radar as a second-round pick after hitting 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at 221 pounds. Although his movement was good in drills, he didn't catch the ball well.

Also among those working out was Mizzou backup quarterback Chase Patton � he displayed good arm strength but his timing was off.

Quarterback Chase Daniel, tight end Chase Coffman, and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin were in attendance cheering on their teammates but did not work out. All three plan to participate at Mizzou's second pro day on March 19.

About 30 NFL scouts and coaches attended Thursday's workout, including representatives from the Rams. Former Rams defensive line coach Brian Baker, now with Carolina, ran the defensive line drills.

RAMS SAY NO ON T.O.

Torry Holt may be on the way out in St. Louis. But Terrell Owens is not on the way in. Add the Rams to the rapidly growing list of teams not interested in the just-released Dallas wide receiver. League sources told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday that the Rams had no interest in pursuing Owens.

FULLBACK UPDATE

The Rams have talked with the agent for New England fullback Heath Evans. But Evans, an eight-year NFL veteran, agreed to terms Thursday with the New Orleans Saints.

Meanwhile, it looks like Seattle fullback Leonard Weaver will be out of the Rams' price range. Several clubs are interested in Weaver, and it looks like he will end up signing for somewhere between $2.5 million...
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-03-06-2009, 04:16 AM
FA Update from Pro Football Weekly

by txramsfan

Free-agent news & rumors

Cowboys, Giants bolster defenses; Jordan set to join Raiders

By PFW staff
March 3, 2005

The Cowboys not only snatched up DT Jason Ferguson, a sign that the team intends to run the 3-4 defense at least part time this season, but they also agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal for CB Anthony Henry, a rising star in some scouts� eyes. The deal included an $11 million signing bonus. Right cornerback was a perpetual problem spot last season, and the team now has a legitimate starting pair with former No. 1 pick Terence Newman and Henry. The Cowboys now can turn their attention to Packers OG Marco Rivera, who would upgrade an offensive line in Dallas that Bill Parcells was disappointed in last season.

The Giants made a bold move Wednesday, signing Redskins MLB Antonio Pierce to a six-year, $26 million deal once they realized that Steelers LB Kendrell Bell was out of their price range. Pierce was a full-time starter for only this past season, but Redskins observers believe Pierce has a bright future. He collected 110 tackles, one sack and two interceptions in 16 games last season and was part of a Redskins defense that ranked in the top five in several categories. Bell, who became the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2001 under current Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis when the two were in Pittsburgh together, is seen as a better pass rusher than Pierce, but injury concerns also scared off the Giants. The team now has a strong LB unit with Pierce, Carlos Emmons, Barrett Green, Nick Greisen and Kevin Lewis, last year�s starting middle linebacker who did a respectable job but is better-suited for part-time and special-teams duty.

The Eagles are on the verge of losing MLB Jeremiah Trotter, who was in Kansas City last night and poised to sign what is believed to be a long-term deal with the Chiefs. The Eagles did not want to spend too much money in retaining their Pro Bowl linebacker and especially didn�t want to be on the books for too many years with a player who turned 28 during the playoffs this year. Team sources have indicated in the past that it views its linebackers as interchangeable, and as much as the club would have liked to retain Trotter, it will not view this as a big blow. Good news, meanwhile, came in the limited form of two of its own free agents returning: RB Correll Buckhalter and DE Hugh Douglas. The coaching staff respects the hard work of Buckhalter, who has missed most of the past two seasons with injuries but was signed to a two-year deal. He likely will replace Dorsey Levens as the short-yardage and chain-moving runner to complement Brian Westbrook. Douglas, who signed a one-year pact, could play a limited role or a significant one, depending on whether free agent Derrick Burgess returns and what happens with rehabbing DE N.D. Kalu. Douglas is a popular figure in the Eagles� locker room.

...
- Channel: DRAFT & FA
-03-03-2005, 01:11 PM

Announcement

Carolina Cuts QB Delhomme/Other Moves

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