|
Training camp is a little more than two weeks away, and the first Sunday of the ’08 NFL season is exactly two months from today. There are fights for roster spots, position battles and last-minute cuts and signings to look forward to, but the biggest news for each team in the NFC South during the preseason will likely be made off the field in its ability or failure to secure key franchise players entering a contract year to extensions of their deals.
If negotiations stall and there is no new agreement in place by the time camp breaks, talks will linger into the season and could become a major distraction as free agency ’09 draws closer. A sense of urgency may not have hit yet, but it’s not far off. The outcome of each case will play a major part in establishing a landscape in the division for many years to come. Three of the four players have made the Pro Bowl within the last two seasons.
Below is an inside look at each of the four cases facing general managers for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Bucs as they plot the future of their franchise.
 Saints — WR Marques Colston: Has a salary of $445,000 in ’08. Will become an RFA in ’09.
Reports indicate the Saints and Colston haven’t gone beyond preliminary discussions about an extension, and that may not change soon. Since he will become a restricted free agent after the season, New Orleans will be able to tender him an offer and then match any offer made by other clubs or receive draft picks as compensation if it chooses not to match. Colston, a seventh-round pick in ’06, has outplayed his current deal and is one of the biggest bargains in the league at this point. He has put together back-to-back seasons of more than 1,000 yards receiving and was named to the Pro Bowl after last season. The Saints have shown a commitment to taking care of their own, as in the case of DE Will Smith just weeks ago, and rarely let a key player get away. However, they could wait this one out and assess the market value for Colston next offseason. If New Orleans tenders him at the highest level, which they almost assuredly will if no deal is in place beforehand, it may be worth exploring to see if a team outbids them and is willing to surrender first- and third-round picks (see franchise free agent Jared Allen's trade to the Vikings in April) for Colston’s services.
Panthers — DE Julius Peppers: Entering final year of seven-year, $50 million rookie contract. Will become a UFA in ’09.
Panthers GM Marty Hurney finds himself in a perplexing situation with Peppers, who is coming off an awful season in which he posted a career low in sacks (2½) and had the fewest tackles (38) since his rookie year. A return to form for Peppers could be the difference between returning Carolina to the postseason or dismissals for Hurney and head coach John Fox, who are both facing the hot seat. Hurney could move quickly and risk grossly overpaying for a disappointing player with loads of unrealized potential, or he could wait and make sure last season was a fluke before forking over cash to make the ultra-athletic pass rusher the league’s highest-paid defender, as reports had Peppers seeking, and the Panthers considering, last summer around this time. The Panthers’ worst nightmare would be if Peppers tests the market after feeling slighted by not being offered what he feels he is owed and ends up signing and thriving with a division rival like the Bucs or Saints, who were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 for teams with the most money under the salary cap earlier in the offseason.
Falcons — LB Michael Boley: Signed one-year, $2.017 million tender as an RFA in March. Will become a UFA in ’09.
 |
|
Michael Boley
|
Boley, a fourth-year veteran, is considered a budding Pro Bowler and the Falcons’ best player by close observers of the team. He was second on the team in tackles last season (109) and had four forced fumbles along with two interceptions. Entering this offseason, getting Boley locked up with a long-term extension was considered a top priority for the club, but that changed on May 3, when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after his wife told police he had become physical with her. Boley publicly apologized for the incident, but we’re told talks regarding an extension are on hold until things are settled in court. The Falcons are in the process of trying to undo the damage done to their image following the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, and they were extremely disappointed in Boley, who had become one of the most popular figures on the squad. There is no obvious replacement for Boley on the roster, and losing him after this season would be a major setback for head coach Mike Smith’s defense, but word is the team is as tempted as ever to let go of players with any kind of character concerns.
Buccaneers — QB Jeff Garcia: Has a base salary of $2 million in ‘08. Will become a UFA in ’09.
Garcia has been outspoken, perhaps to a fault, about his desire for a new contract because he played a major role in turning Tampa from worst to first in the NFC South last season. Bucs GM Bruce Allen is known as a stubborn negotiator and may not be willing to grant more than a one-year extension to his 38-year-old quarterback, especially with Luke McCown and rookie Josh Johnson in place as potential signalcallers of the future. Garcia has hinted that he’s willing to hold out, and there clearly is some bitterness on his part because he feels he’s been treated unfairly. The 10th-year veteran lost $1 million in incentives when he failed to play 70 percent of Tampa’s snaps last season while missing time with a back injury. He was also pulled from the last game-and-a-half of the regular season as he rested up for the playoffs. The Bucs made a promise to restructure his deal so he could gain back the lost incentive, but Garcia was unhappy with the salary linked to a one-year extension that came with it, according to reports. At his age, it’s unlikely that Garcia will have any teams clamoring to make him a starter next offseason, so his best bet to make a respectable salary and have a chance to be a starter is probably in Tampa.
|
|
