The Jets did a lot of recruiting in a small amount of time. A little over 48 hours of wooing, LaDainian Tomlinson agreed to become a member of the Jets. And this was after a visit and a pitch from the Vikings which is said to have “wowed” the former Chargers running back. Now, Tomlinson will take his place as the third or possibly even second man in the Jets backfield.
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Terrell Owens isn’t exactly a hot commodity right now. His visit to Cincinnati was delayed by a day and then the team signed Antonio Bryant to a long-term deal. T.O. is still without a team and now he may be forced to take whatever he can get. That may include a stint with the Raiders.
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The recession has hit every hard including LaDainian Tomlinson. The former Chargers running back is still on the job hunt and visiting the Vikings today. Tomorrow, LaDainian will visit the Jets so long as he doesn’t close a deal with the Vikings after his visit today.
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That didn’t take very long. Less than a week after the free agency period opened, an NFL team may be thinking about extending a contract offer to Leon Washington. ProFootballTalk cites a “league source” saying that Washington has been “spoken with” San Francisco.
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The T.O. Show is coming to Cincinnati this week. Terrell Owens is looking for a new team and the Bengals came calling. He may be the first player to visit the Bengals that offseason that doesn’t have a criminal record. Owens will join Antonio Bryant on a visit today.
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There’s a point in the decision-making spectrum where loyalty, logic, and stupidity all meet. Apparently, that’s where the minds of Raiders’ management were on Wednesday. Oakland locked up a player that they believe is key to their success. Too bad he’s a long snapper and they paid him WAY too much money.
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Ndamokung Suh outbenched Gerald McCoy 32 to 26 at the NFL Combine. Both totals are beastly… but apparently Suh is a freak. [NFP]
Who should the Giants add this offseason? Neal has the answer. [DudeAreYouSerious]
10 Things We Learned About Sex Addiction From Steve Phillips [BroBible]
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It was a good run while it lasted. After three straight 1000 yard season in a Jets uniform, Thomas Jones will be released in the near future. The Jets want to avoid paying him his $3.3 million roster bonus and $2.8 million salary.
The move is bittersweet since Jones probably deserves the cash based on his previous contributions. At the same time, the Jets can get a more-than-adequate replacement for less than the $5.8 million Jones was owed for 2010. Last year, Jones earned a measly $900,000 base salary along with a $100,000 “workout bonus.” Clearly, this deal was structured in a way that was unlikely Jones would have ever been paid for the final year. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jones will not restructure the contract in an attempt to stay with the team.
With Jones on the way out, the Jets still need to find a third running back. A few realistic unrestricted free agent candidates include Mike Bell, Chris Brown, and Larry Johnson. Out of that group, Mike Bell seems like a good fit to me. There are also a handful of restricted free agents that could make sense for the Jets. That group includes: Le’Ron McClain, Jason Snelling, and LenDale White. LenDale would work and the Jets could get him cheaply — but he also was not a fan of backing up Chris Johnson this year. That’s not exactly the best attitude for a potential RB3.
The Jets also have a number of running back options in the draft. It might make sense to take Javarris James (6′0″ 212, 4.56 40 time) in the fourth round or Keith Toston (5′10.5″ 213, 4.65 40 time) in the late rounds. Bruising backs LeGarrette Blount of Oregon and LSU’s Charles Scott could also be decent late-round options. Both weigh close to 240 pounds and clocked 40 times around 4.7 over the weekend. Toby Gerhart may have priced himself out of the Jets’ plans by clocking a 4.53 over the weekend.
Tags: 2010 nfl draft, contracts, cut, football, free agents, new york jets, NFL, release, running backs, thomas jones
It’s not even March yet and the Yankees have been facing some prickly questions from reporters. Earlier this week, Alex Rodriguez got a bit testy when he was asked about Johnny Damon’s departure from New York. Today, Derek Jeter was asked about potentially being a free agent before next season.
The Yankees’ shortstop is in the final year of his massive 10 year, $189 million contract. At this point, there’s no way that he could command that level of compensation. Jeter’s agent had initially contacted the Yankees about negotiation a new contract but was told that wouldn’t take place until after the 2010 season. Fortunately, Derek Jeter seems to have good perspective on his situation:
“I don’t have a problem with it. That’s the new policy that they have. They have every right to do that. I signed a long deal, I’m still under contract with that deal, and they have the right to do whatever they want.
“I’ve never gone into a season focused on the next season. My approach since Day One is to do whatever you can to help the team win in that particular year. I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen next season.”
So at least The Captain can deal with the negotiations with class. But it remains to be seen how this will play out from the Yankees side of things. General manager Brian Cashman has played hardball with other players entering free agency without hesitation. At the same time, he’s also paid to get players he deems critical for success. It’s doubtful that Derek Jeter would be put into a predicament where he seriously considers joining another team.
Even if that did happen, my gut still says Jeter works out a deal with the Yankees. The value of his New York endorsements is probably worth a lot more than the marginal dollars he’d gain by signing a “better” contract elsewhere. If push comes to shove, I could see Cashman working out a one-year “rolling” contract much like Tim Wakefield has with the Red Sox. With performance and playoff incentives, the Yankees could present a competitive offer without investing a lot of money up front.
Tags: 2011, baseball, brian cashman, contracts, derek jeter, free agents, MLB, new york yankees
If you didn’t already know, the Knicks made some major moves at the trade deadline. The three deals give them a lot more flexibility for a run at free agents during the offseason. Here are the three trades that went down:
You have to give Donnie Walsh credit here. While it may not be the absolutely ideal scenario, he managed to unload a ton of salary obligations. Here’s analysis of the moves via KnickerBlogger:
But these are the facts, and they are undisputed: The Knicks, even by the most pessimistic cap projections, will have $32 million in cap space next year. The Knicks have retained David Lee, who can be used in a sign-and-trade this summer. The Knicks have retained Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the two players who most fans feared would have to be sacrificed to unload Jared Jeffries contract. And the Knicks will enter next season, no matter the free agent machinations, with Eddy Curry’s $11 million dollar expiring contract, allowing them to either make a mid-season trade or add another very good player in the summer of 2011. Make no mistake, the Knicks paid dearly to get here, and if they strike out in free agency, the lost draft picks could haunt them for a decade.
The $32 million of cap space for 2010 is gigantic. That will allow the Knicks to sign up to two max free agents. At the same time, having David Lee and acquiring Tracy McGrady provides flexibility. Even if the Knicks do strike out in free agency, they can probably retain those two players and hope to deal Eddy Curry for value in 2011. McGrady has already expressed interest in staying in New York. We’ll just have to wait and see what Donnie does next.
Tags: 2010, basketball, Donnie Walsh, free agents, NBA, new york knicks, tracy mcgrady, trades
The Bengals haven’t had the best luck when it comes to adding players with quality character. From 2006-2007, Cincinnati players were arrested at least 13 times. At least they’re picking up guys that are used to wearing striped or orange uniforms. In fact, they may be adding up to three more individuals that have been on the wrong side of the law.
Word out of Cincy is that the Bengals have offered Matt Jones a contract. Jones is best known for his incredible physical tools and love of cocaine. The Titans have already extended an offer to the quarterback turned wide receiver. The National Football Post reports that the contract from Cincinnati is worth around $630,000 even though Jones didn’t suit up at all during the 2009 season. The Bengals are also looking at a second criminal named Jones. Adam “Pacman” Jones tried out for the Bengals on Thursday. Pacman provides some versatility since he’s also a return man, but his skills didn’t keep him from losing his job with the Cowboys and Titans. Last but not least, it’s also reported that the Bengals have interest in Donte’ Stallworth. He’s been out of the league since killing a man in a car accident.
The Bengals must really be hurting for talent if they’re looking at all of these guys. There aren’t many guys that can come back from not playing for a year and then succeed in the NFL. If the Bengals are still looking for guys, I hear that Charles Rogers is looking for work. And hey, Plaxico might be out of jail before the 2011 season!
Tags: adam pacman jones, cincinnati bengals, contracts, donte stallworth, football, free agents, marvin lewis, matt jones, NFL
Will Johnny Damon be golfing in March?
Johnny Damon has at least one offer on the table. MLB.com reports that the Braves offered Damon a one-year deal. The addition of Damon would give them two out of the four main Yankee outfielders from 2009.
This is an interesting development because it seems to put a lot of pressure on Damon. His agent, Scott Boras, has been pushing for a two-year deal up to this point. But it’s unlikely that Damon can get the yearly money he wants along with a multi-year deal. The Braves’ offer reportedly includes deferred money which may indicate that it’s the biggest one-year deal that Damon sees at any point this offseason.
The other teams in the running for Damon’s services include Detroit and possibly Tampa Bay. Atlanta may be willing to give their 20-year-old prospect a chance in right field. So the Braves may not extend him any additional offers. It seems unlikely that Detroit or Tampa Bay can give him the money or years he wants. The Tigers have to deal with the massive contracts of Magglio Ordonez (owed $33 million over the next two years) and Miguel Cabrera while they just signed Justin Verlander to a long-term deal. At the same time, there have been rumblings that the Rays are uncomfortable with their current payroll situation and have called it “not sustainable” compared to attendance.
Tags: atlanta braves, baseball, contract, detroit tigers, free agents, johnny damon, MLB, outfielders, scott boras, tampa bay rays
