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He registered just 23 tackles and two sacks in 2001. Still -- with apologies to a
few other veterans still seeking employment before camps open in 3-4 weeks --
defensive tackle Sam Adams remains the premier player available in the NFL free-agent market.
The 330-pound Adams, a rare performer whose value supercedes his statistics,
is the kind of big-bodied run-stuffer every team covets. Problem
is, no club figures to come close to approximating Adams' salary
demands, not even the franchises serious in their courtship of the
eight-year veteran.
|  | | Sam Adams had two sacks last season for the Ravens. |
Adams, who turns 29 in mid-July, recently declared he'll stay home and coach
a peewee team if no one hits the magic salary number for him. But count on
Adams hanging up the whistle and pulling on his pads in the next few weeks
because, like every veteran, he does not want to miss a paycheck.
"Sam isn't going to play for free ... but he'll be playing," said an Adams
confidant.
So where will Adams play in 2002? Sources close to Adams told ESPN.com this
week the most viable scenarios are Oakland or Denver on a one-year
contract that would permit him to go back into the free-agent market next
spring, or Baltimore on a multi-year deal. The Seahawks, who allowed Adams to escape in the spring of 1999, have made some
quiet overtures but remain a longshot.
Cincinnati was eliminated, and Washington, while not completely removed from Adams' consideration, looks
like an also-ran, too.
Any return to Baltimore is complicated by the Ravens' lack of salary-cap
room, the fact Adams rejected a lucrative proposal (one that included a $5
million-$6 million signing bonus) earlier this spring and the impasse that
continues with linebackers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware. The Ravens can't
afford any veteran player right now, let alone Adams, until either one or
both of the linebackers restructure their existing contracts.
The plus for Adams is that Boulware and Lewis are handled by the same
agents, Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes, who represent him. But there is
so much inertia between the two sides now that completing reworked deals for
the linebackers will be difficult. That could leave longtime
rivals Denver and Oakland to duke it out for Adams' services.
Certainly it will benefit Adams to have the two arch enemies involved.
Neither can afford to break the bank, but both will be
fiscally creative in the pursuit of the mammoth tackle. Oakland could
use Adams to replace Darrell Russell, who is suspended for the
entire '02 season and faces off-field legal woes. The Broncos could pair him
with another former Ravens defender, Lional Dalton, and move tackle Trevor
Pryce to end.
If the Redskins don't land Adams, he will be another ex-Ravens star who opted not to join former Baltimore defensive
coordinator Marvin Lewis in Washington. The Redskins pursued safety
Corey Harris early in the free agency period, talked with safety Rod Woodson, flirted with
defensive tackle Larry Webster and were serious about defensive end Rob
Burnett. But they signed none of those players.
Around the league
Arguably the second-best defensive player still available in free agency,
linebacker Keith Mitchell, is nearing a decision. The finalists for the services
of the former Saint are Jacksonville and Houston, and there
are indications Mitchell is leaning toward the Texans, in part because of
the sack opportunities he would be afforded in a 3-4 front. Agent Michael
Harrison said his client "knows it is getting about that time" to
make a decision. The offers from the two teams are believed to be similar,
and Mitchell could sign a one-year deal that would permit him to go back
into the free-agent market next spring.
Question: So when is an eight-year, $34.905 million contract potentially worth
only about 4 percent of that total? Answer: When it's the contract
signed by offensive tackle Blake Brockermeyer with the Broncos last
week. The deal, agreed to roughly a week before it was signed and filed with
the league, pays Brockermeyer a signing bonus of $700,000 and a base salary
of $650,000 for the 2002 season. After that, everything is a crap shoot. How much of the remaining balance of $33.55 million Brockermeyer ever sees
depends on his rehabilitation from offseason knee and shoulder surgeries,
and if he can beat out fellow free agent Ephraim Salaam for the starting
job. The Broncos must pay Brockermeyer a $4.2 million option bonus next
spring to activate the remainder of the deal. Think the team is going to fork
over that kind of upfront money if Brockermeyer isn't a starter? Not hardly.
In essence, the contract beyond 2002 is just monopoly money, and even if
Brockermeyer wins the starting job, he probably won't ever see much of it.
The base salary for 2003 is $655,000 and then the bases jump to $2.6 million
(2004), $3.4 million (2005), $2.9 million (2006), $3.1 million (2007), $6
million (2008) and another $6 million (2009). There are roster bonuses of
$500,000 (2004), $500,000 (2005), $1.5 million (2006) and $1.8 million
(2007), and annual workout bonuses of $100,000 for 2004-2007. Brockermeyer
was part of a Bears offensive line that in 2001 gave up a league-low
17 sacks and helped tailback Anthony Thomas win offensive rookie of the year
honors. But his various maladies and the inability to strike a deal that
would have lowered his compensation forced the Bears to release him.
One way or another, look for the Bengals' pursuit of wide
receiver Michael Westbrook to be resolved next week. A two-year offer
remains on the table, something that would pay Westbrook in the area of $1.3
million to $1.5 million annually. It should look pretty good with no one else
beating down his door. But the proposal won't remain there forever and the
Bengals will soon move on if Westbrook doesn't act on it. At the same time,
current Bengals senior receiver Darnay Scott is paying close attention
to the Westbrook negotiations. Despite a pronouncement from agent Rocky
Arceneaux that his client would consider restructuring his contract to meet
Cincinnati's needs, Scott really wouldn't mind being released. If the
Bengals eventually land Westbrook, Scott will get his wish.
The tragic death of St. Louis Cardinals star Darryl Kile last Saturday
certainly transcended the boundaries of professional sports leagues, with
all pro athletes affected by the untimely passing of
the 33-year-old pitcher. But of all the non-baseball athletes stung
by news of Kile's death, none was hit harder than Dallas rookie
quarterback Chad Hutchinson. The former Stanford quarterback, who signed a
lucrative contract with the Cowboys as a free agent this spring, played four
years in the Cardinals' minor-league system, and Kile had
befriended the youngster. Kile had taken Hutchinson and
another young Cardinals hurler, Rick Ankiel, under his wing and made them
his special project. On trips to Colorado, during those stretches when
Hutchinson was with the parent club, he was invited to Kile's home in Denver
for dinner. And on the several occasions he was shipped back to the minors,
Hutchinson would always know the first phone call was coming from Kile,
telling him to keep his chin up. "One of the biggest things he did was to
keep encouraging us, tell us to keep fighting," Hutchinson said. "When we
were struggling, he'd tell us about his own struggles, how he was sent down
to the minors after two full years in the big leagues and even after
pitching a no-hitter. His attitude was so amazingly positive about
everything, on and off the field. As far as a role model for the game, he
was it, and I don't think that people really appreciated him enough until
now that he's gone."
In theory, at least, Texans general manager Charley Casserly and
coach Dom Capers had a terrific idea when they elected to pass over all
30-year old veterans in the expansion draft four months ago. In retrospect,
though, maybe they should have stretched their moratorium to include players
who would turn 30 before the start of the season. The Texans still have just
four 30-year-olds on the roster and three more players who will turn 30
before the start of the season. But a few members of the over-30 gang -- backup quarterback Kent Graham, fullback Clif Groce and offensive tackle Max Lane -- might not make it through training camp. And the most famous of
Houston players who have turned 30 since the expansion draft, offensive left
tackle Tony Boselli (whose birthday was April 17), will have a difficult
time being ready to play at the outset of the regular season. Boselli
underwent another surgery on his left shoulder early this week, the third
operation on that shoulder since Nov. 7 and the second in two months, and no
one is sure about a rehabilitation timetable. The plan was to give Boselli
only modest snaps during training camp and to dress him just for the final
preseason game. But even those modest benchmarks might now be out of the
question. No one here is about to criticize Houston officials for rolling
the dice on Boselli. Even with his various physical maladies, his career on
the field and off-field leadership made him worth the gamble, especially for
a fledgling franchise. But the veteran tackle carries a $7.549 million
salary-cap charge for this year and is due a $2 million roster bonus next
March 1. For now, at least, it appears that journeyman Jimmy Herndon, with
just four career starts in six seasons, will be in the opening day lineup at
left tackle, protecting the blindside of quarterback and No. 1 draft pick David Carr.
No one should be surprised if Indianapolis opens the season with a couple of second-year guards, Rick DeMulling and Ryan Diem, as its starters. The Colts
lost both 2001 starters, Larry Moore (to Washington) and Steve McKinney (to
Houston), in free agency and have not made substantial roster moves to
fill those two spots. Diem started eight games as a rookie and DeMulling
appeared in seven. Both players are over 300 pounds and would help
to compensate for undersized center Jeff Saturday. Make no mistake: The
Colts probably will live or die on the arm of Peyton Manning, but with new
coach Tony Dungy aboard, there is going to be more reliance on a power
running game as well. This is a team that hasn't always played smashmouth
football, and tackles Tarik Glenn and Adam Meadows are noted more
for pass-protection skills. But the Colts will try to come hard off
the ball this season, and Diem and DeMulling might help in that regard.
Ryan Sims produced a lot less publicity than the other three defensive
tackles selected in the first round of this year's draft, but the former
North Carolina star could make the biggest impact as a rookie. The sixth overall choice in the draft, Sims was
quietly elevated to first unit during Kansas City's last minicamp. Given his polish and technical
precision, Sims figures to hold that job, while some of his peers will have
to bounce back from slow starts. John Henderson of Jacksonville is fighting a chronic back problem and now has a strained hamstring, too. Albert Haynesworth has flashed plenty of potential in Titans
workouts, but he also demonstrated some of the immaturity he showed at the
University of Tennessee. And the first-round selection of the Arizona
Cardinals, Wendell Bryant, hasn't been on the field yet because of a dispute
over injury protection during the spring. He won't participate in any
on-field work until his contract is signed. Chiefs officials won't find an
easy mark in Sims, but agent Hadley Engelhard is ready to make a deal now
instead of waiting to watch the first round fill in around him. So
barring any setbacks, Sims will be in camp on time and working with
the No. 1 defense while some of his peers are either still negotiating
contracts or trying to earn a spot in the starting lineup.
All pundits who have predicted doom for Pittsburgh quarterback Tee
Martin in the wake of the acquisition of free agent Charlie Batch figure
to be eventually correct in their assessments that the former Tennessee star
will be the odd-man out on the depth chart. But the Steelers aren't in any
hurry to release Martin because, as a player allocated to the NFL Europe
League this spring, he provides the Steelers a roster exemption for much of
training camp. As long as Martin is around, the Steelers can carry an extra
player in camp, and that's the temporary insurance policy that several NFL
Europe players have with NFL teams this summer.
While on the subject of Pittsburgh quarterbacks, here is the breakdown on
the contract extension that Tommy Maddox, who will have to fend off the
challenge of Charlie Batch now to keep the No. 2 spot behind Kordell Stewart,
recently signed: Maddox got a $500,000 signing bonus and his scheduled base
salary of $525,000 for 2002 remained unchanged. The future base salaries are
$625,000 (2003), $750,000 (2004), $750,000 (2005) and $900,000 (2006). There
are roster bonuses of $25,000 for 2003 and of $100,000 for 2006, and a
$50,000 workout bonus for 2003 as well.
The Patriots got a bit of a scare this week when offensive coordinator
Charlie Weis suffered some serious affects from a gastric bypass. The
procedure was done to help Weis lose weight. But after the operation,
known as a "stomach stapling," there were complications. One of the
game's top coordinators, and a man likely to be a head coach someday, Weis
probably will be ready for the start of training camp.
Congratulations to the draft class of 2002, which scored perfect attendance
at the league's annual rookie symposium in Carlsbad, Calif., this
week. The top overall pick in the draft, Houston quarterback David Carr, had
apprised NFL officials he might be late because of his wife's pregnancy. But
Carr, whose obvious maturity probably meant that he needed the symposium far
less than some of his fellow rookies, did arrive in plenty of time. As noted in an ESPN.com column last Sunday on the symposium,
quarterback Ryan Leaf is among the players who begged off his rookie year.
According to several rookies who attended this week's session, Leaf was
cited as an example of a player who has done things the wrong way during his
NFL career.
Punts: Jets coaches feel that fifth-round draft choice Jonathan
Goodwin of Michigan could vie for the starting job at left guard. A vacancy
was created when Dave Szott suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate
ligament injury. The competition for the starting job will come from
little-used three-year veteran J.P. Machado. ... The Bills still
want to add another veteran defensive end and continue to consider Chidi
Ahanotu. ... Pittsburgh coaches have been impressed with the work of free
agent tight end John Allred, who didn't play in the league in 2001 because
of injuries but who might provide coordinator Mike Mularkey another dimension. Allred has very good upfield speed and excellent hands. ...
Expect free agent cornerback Terrell Buckley to decide from offers by the
Dolphins, Bucs and Lions in the next week. ... Best wishes for a speedy
recovery to Carolina personnel director Jack Bushofsky, who underwent hip
replacement surgery this week.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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