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  • #1

    Chargers/Rivers talks break down

    Statement from A.J. Smith

    08.09.04 - On Monday, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith made the following statement to the media regarding contract negotiations with Philip Rivers:

    "We have an update on the Philip Rivers negotiations. Negotiations have broken down. Prior to the training camp report date we made an effort to get Philip signed. Also, during the past week, we exchanged ideas and could not come to an agreement. On Friday, we offered a great deal to Philip. We also notified both Philip and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, that the offer will stand until 5 p.m. Sunday evening and if not accepted, the offer will be pulled off the table. Our offer was rejected. We also informed them that the package we talked about and offered will now only go down in value.

    The offer we made to Philip is not a slot offer at No. 4, but in fact, an offer that exceeds No. 2 Robert Gallery and No. 3 Larry Fitzgerald. We believe it's a great offer. Jimmy Sexton has been informed several times that the Manning-Condon deal with the New York Giants was of no concern to us before, no concern now or will it be in the future. This is very unfortunate and disappointing, but it is what it is.

    It's now time to concentrate on the players we have here and get ready for our preseason games and gear our efforts to get ready for the opener against Houston. From this time forward I will not talk about the Philip Rivers contract situation anymore. I hope I've made our position very clear. If he decides to sign a contract with the San Diego Chargers, then I'll be more than happy to talk about Philip Rivers.

    Dean Spanos supports this decision 100 percent."
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Chargers/Rivers talks break down

    Get yer butt in camp.

    If I were Rivers I'd feel like I had a LOT to prove being at that end of the big trade.

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    • Nick
      CHARGERS - Unsigned players Gates and Merriman sit out camp
      by Nick
      Gates, Merriman remain unsigned
      Thursday, July 28, 2005
      Updated: July 29, 8:14 AM ET
      Associated Press

      SAN DIEGO -- All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates was a no-show when San Diego Chargers veterans reported for training camp Thursday, joining holdout rookie Shawne Merriman as the team's only unsigned players.

      Gates, who went from being an undrafted rookie to All-Pro in just two seasons, has yet to sign a $380,000 contract the Chargers tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent during the offseason. Gates can't report until he signs either the tender or a long-term deal, which the team says it has been working on since last season.

      Asked for a comment Thursday evening, coach Marty Schottenheimer said: "You know, it's all part of this business."

      The Chargers, who reached the playoffs last year for the first time in nine seasons, have their first full-squad practice on Friday morning.

      Chargers general manager A.J. Smith didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

      But during an interview on Monday, he said talks with Gates' agent have been "ongoing since midseason" and that "communication's fantastic."

      "Obviously we're trying to work out a contract with him," Smith said. "My philosophy -- pay our own people. I still believe that. There's a lot of other people I've got targeted right now we'll be talking with. It's something that's very important to me, I think, in building a football team. In saying that, both parties have to come together. We're working on it."

      Gates couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

      During a May minicamp, Gates said his agent has asked for "market value," which could mean something similar to the just more than $4 million a year Tony Gonzalez averages in his deal with Kansas City.

      Gates had 13 touchdown catches last year to set the NFL single-season record for tight ends, breaking a mark shared by Mike Ditka, Wesley Walls, Todd Christensen and Jerry Smith. He was a big reason the Chargers went 12-4 and won the AFC West, as he led the team with 81 catches for 964 yards. He also came up big on third downs, with 358 yards and six touchdowns. He joined teammates Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson as Pro Bowlers.

      Gates didn't play football in college. He was a star power forward at Kent State, helping take the Golden Flashes within one win of the Final Four in 2002.

      Merriman missed the first four training camp practices, which were for rookies and selected veterans. He also skipped all offseason workouts, worried that he might get hurt before he signed a contract. An outside linebacker from Maryland, he was the 12th pick overall in April's draft.
      -07-29-2005, 11:48 AM
    • Nick
      Chargers' offer to Rivers takes incentives to extreme
      by Nick
      Chargers' offer to Rivers takes incentives to extreme
      Andrew Bagnato
      The Arizona Republic
      Aug. 15, 2004 12:00 AM

      NFL contract incentives are like playoff contenders in August. Some are realistic. Some aren't.

      Talks between San Diego and quarterback Philip Rivers, the fourth overall pick in the draft, broke down in part because the Chargers insisted on incentives that could only be described as ludicrous. Under the reported terms of the team's proposal, Rivers would be paid a $5 million bonus if he appeared in four Pro Bowls and won four Super Bowls in his first six seasons.

      He would receive another $7.5 million if he appeared in five Pro Bowls and won five Super Bowls during that time. And he would get an additional $10 million if he appeared in six Pro Bowls and won six Super Bowls in his first six seasons. That's a total of $22.5 million for six Pro Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins in six seasons.

      Needless to say, no one has ever approached these feats in the long and storied history of the NFL. Still, Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith called it a "great offer" when he announced early in the week that the club had rescinded the offer and broken off talks.

      Rivers' agent, Jimmy Sexton, replied in a statement, "We are confused by the Chargers calling it 'a great offer' when such a large amount is impossible to ever achieve."

      So the talks broke down, although reports out of San Diego indicate the two sides are really only about $4.25 million apart in base salary over a six-year deal and that club insiders expect an agreement to be worked out within days.
      -08-15-2004, 12:49 PM
    • Nick
      Rivers and Chargers reportedly agree to terms
      by Nick
      The contract should be signed soon.
      -08-23-2004, 09:06 PM
    • r8rh8rmike
      Tomlinson: Philip Rivers Has Lost Faith In Chargers
      by r8rh8rmike
      Tomlinson: Philip Rivers has lost faith in Chargers

      By Gregg Rosenthal
      Around The NFL Editor
      Published: April 20, 2015 at 08:02 p.m.

      Philip Rivers is at the center of the most fascinating storyline of the offseason. But the Chargers quarterback isn't leaving San Diego yet, and its business as usual around the Chargers for now.

      Rivers was at the start of the offseason training program Monday, NFL Media's Alex Flanagan reported. New Chargers receiver Steve Johnson, for one, said he was looking forward to catching Rivers' passes on Tuesday. But will Johnson still be catching his passes in Week 1?

      One of Rivers' most notable former teammates, NFL Media's LaDainian Tomlinson, doesn't think so.

      "You never want to trade your franchise quarterback. You know that's never the case. However, in this situation, they might have no choice but to do so," Tomlinson said Monday on NFL Network's NFL Total Access. "Because I don't know if Philip (Rivers) wants to be there anymore. I think he has lost confidence in the organization. He's seen a lot of changes going on and the L.A. thing is valid. Him not wanting to go to L.A. is very valid."

      Tomlinson points towards a larger divide between the quarterback and the organization than just a potential move up Interstate 5.

      "The parts around him keep on moving. The receiver corps keeps on changing. Eddie Royal is now gone," Tomlinson noted. "We talked about this before with Vincent Jackson leaving years ago. There are so many parts that are leaving. When Philip is looking around in that locker room and he doesn't see anyone that he's familiar with other than Antonio Gates.

      "Now to that point, Antonio Gates next year is a free agent, Eric Weddle is gonna be up. Next year the Chargers have a lot of decisions to make with a lot of key guys. So Philip could be looking at the situation and thinking 'we're not close to winning a championship anytime soon.' "

      That can't be easy for Chargers fans to read. Kevin Acee of the U-T San Diego also wrote last week that it's time to trade Rivers, indicating that Rivers could retire before he played in Los Angeles. Tomlinson's words echo the notion that Rivers wants out.

      Rivers declined to speak to the media on Monday, but the message coming from San Diego is unmistakable.
      -04-20-2015, 08:17 PM
    • Nick
      Chargers give Gates ultimatum
      by Nick
      Chargers give Gates ultimatum
      Jay Glazer / FOXSports.com
      Posted: 17 hours ago

      The San Diego Chargers have made their move in the contract stalemate with All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates.

      FOXSports.com has learned that the Chargers sent Gates a letter informing him that if he does not sign his tender (reported to be $380,000) by Saturday, he will be held out of both the season opener against Dallas in addition to the last two preseason games.

      The letter also states that for every preseason and regular season game he misses after Saturday's game, he will be sat for an extra game. In other words, if Gates does not sign his tender until after the preseason, he will miss the first three games of the season, as the contract impasse between the two sides now hits another level. He will also not receive a game check for those games he is forced to sit.

      For the games Gates is forced to miss, he will be held off the team's 53-man roster.

      Gates last year was named an All Pro and wants to be paid along the lines of Chiefs' perennial Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez. The Chargers have negotiated with Gates for a while, but when they could not get a deal done prior to camp, Gates boycotted training camp.

      Gates, who did not play college football, had a breakout year in 2004, making 81 catches for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns.
      -08-18-2005, 12:00 PM
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