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INDIANAPOLIS -- Holders of the first overall choice in the draft, the Cincinnati Bengals are in a bit of a pickle right now, because they would prefer not to exercise the pick.
|  | | Carson Palmer is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. |
But the problem for Cincinnati, and one that became obvious here this week at the annual predraft scouting combine, is that no franchise is keen on moving up into the first slot to select Carson Palmer, the Heisman Trophy winner and former Southern Cal star.
Too many teams in need of help at the quarterback position, like Chicago which owns the fourth overall selection, are wary of paying big money to a guy who has had only one big season in college. And certainly Cincinnati owner Mike Brown, burned in the past by high first-round choices like Ki-Jana Carter and Akili Smith, is hardly sold on the idea of investing an eight-figure signing bonus in an unproven commodity.
He might not have much of a choice, however, unless action on that first overall choice is enhanced in the next two months.
Bengals rookie head coach Marvin Lewis, whose area of expertise is on the defensive side of the ball, almost certainly would like to deal down from the first pick and take a lineman (like Penn State tackle Jimmy Kennedy) or a cornerback (Terence Newman of Kansas State). Under that scenario, the Bengals would then take a young quarterback for the future -- they are more than infatuated by Chris Simms of Texas -- with the first pick in the second round.
But for that to happen, there has to be a market for the first choice, and at this point there isn't.
Around the league
The release of Washington Redskins tailback Stephen Davis is imminent and there should be a healthy market for him in free agency. Despite his age (29 on March 1), and mileage (average of 296.3 carries over the last four seasons, most of them between the tackles), enough teams are in desperate need of a steady two-down back that Davis will prosper. That said, those who are telling him they can land him a $7 million signing bonus might be a tad deluded. Teams interested in Davis include Carolina, New England, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, and, the snake in the grass, Tampa Bay. But before he chooses a new team, Davis has to first select a new agent, and that should occur this week. His former agent, Steve Weinberg, was decertified by the NFL Players Association, and Davis and his financial advisor have been talking with possible replacements. Jimmy Sexton, Pat Dye Jr., Marvin Demoff and David Canter are all in the mix, with Tony Agnone trying to make an 11th-hour pitch as well. Tough to say with whom Davis will align. But an educated guess on where he plays in 2003? Make it Dallas or Tampa Bay for now. Even if Davis agreed to provide the Redskins some salary cap relief on his deal, coach Steve Spurrier doesn't feel he is a good fit for the offense and would prefer to go with a younger player at the position.
It didn't get a lot of attention nationally, but Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis said this weekend that there will not be a competition in camp for the starting quarterback job, and that he has pretty much decided who will be the starter heading into the summer drills. League sources, a few of whom have discussed the situation in passing with Davis, insist that the top guy on the depth chart will be Tim Couch and not Kelly Holcomb.
Interesting sidelight from the combine, which is typically attended by the team doctors for all 32 franchises: Some team doctors, and especially the orthopedists, are having to sever ties to the clubs for whom they have been working. It seems that the malpractice premiums have soared so much that it is no longer feasible for some of the teams doctors to continue. Said one club orthopedist: "If a player brings a (lawsuit) against you and wins, a jury is apt to award him more, because he's made a lot of money and his standard of living is more than for some 'civilian.' It's a real problem right now. A jury recently awarded (a former player) $6 million. For me to buy $6 million of coverage, it would cost me about $500,000, and I can't afford that. Most people don't realize, we don't make a lot of money serving as a team doctor. I'm not suggesting we're the biggest altruists in the world, but many of us do it because we like the players, like being around the team. When I left the player physicals the other day for the last time, I took a good look around the room, because I'm sure some of the doctors with whom I worked this week won't be here next year."
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| Price |
Make book on this: Even though the Buffalo Bills tagged wide receiver Peerless Price with the "franchise" marker, the Atlanta Falcons are still strongly considering him. The Falcons are expected to chat with Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe about what it would take to pry Price away from him. Donahoe prefers to keep Price around, but only at the team's contract numbers, which are about $15 million on a five-year deal. If that can't be accomplished, Buffalo will step up its efforts to trade Price, and hope to acquire a first-round choice for him. Remember, the Bills don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft, having shipped it to the Patriots last spring for quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
San Francisco wide receiver Tai Streets enjoyed a breakout season in 2003, but apparently won't be breaking away from the 49ers this spring, which he had considered a strong possibility. Although his name had appeared on lists of pending unrestricted free agents, whetting the interest of several other franchises, Streets is now being viewed by league officials as just a restricted free agent. Big difference, right, since the 49ers can now retain the negotiating rights to Streets by just making him a qualifying offer. The irony is that even most San Francisco officials believed that Streets was really an unrestricted player and would be exiting, stage left. The confusion came because Streets signed a five-year contract in 1999, one in which the final two years would void, if he achieved certain performance levels. But he did not play enough in '99, because of injuries, to accrue a full season toward his pension. He played 2000-2002 and reached the benchmarks to void the 2003 and 2004 seasons on his deal. But the 49ers successfully argued, at least to this point, that Streets has accrued just three seasons toward his pension, not the four required to become an unrestricted free agent. The player and agent Ralph Cindrich have filed an appeal but, with the free-agent period starting at the end of this week, might not have time to gain Streets total freedom. Even some close to Streets acknowledge that the former Michigan star doesn't have a very strong case. Streets probably would have generated a pretty nice market for himself as an unrestricted free agent. He had 72 receptions for 756 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2002, after snaring just 49 passes for 657 yards combined before that.
Offensive tackle Orlando Brown, sidelined for the past three seasons by an eye injury, is drawing considerable interest. Since ESPN.com first reported last weekend that Brown had completed a financial settlement of his $200 million lawsuit against the NFL, agent Tom Condon has been fielding a lot of inquiries, and his client will soon start visiting prospective employers. Among the teams interested: Minnesota, Baltimore, Cleveland, San Diego, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
There were a lot of people, including yours truly, scratching their heads when Minnesota tagged tight end Jim Kleinsasser as a "franchise" free agent on Thursday. In fact, some have suggested the four-year veteran is the most dubious "franchise" player ever and figured, at most, a "transition" marker might be used. Vikings officials, however, contend that Kleinsasser, a tremendous blocker who was key to Minnesota's No. 1-ranked rushing game in 2002, is an essential player for them. This despite the fact he has averaged only 19.3 catches and 172 yards in four seasons, and has just one career touchdown reception. "The whole (offensive) philosophy would have to change without him around," said one assistant coach. Obvious, head coach Mike Tice, a former NFL tight end himself, agreed with that stance. By applying the "franchise" tag, the Vikings have committed $3.05 million to Kleinsasser, but will almost certainly finish a long-term deal with he and agent Jimmy Sexton within the next couple weeks. The two sides actually were closing in on an agreement last week when the Vikings decided to slow the negotiations and use the "franchise" designation. Still, it was a bit curious as to why Minnesota didn't simply use the "transition" marker on Kleinsasser. That would have allowed him to shop himself around to other teams but provided Minnesota right of first refusal. Since the Vikings have more than $20 million in available cap space, it's unlikely any team would have signed Kleinsasser to an offer sheet, knowing full well Minnesota had the wherewithal to match the offer anyway.
Speaking of "transition" players, don't be surprised if some team (maybe one right in their own division) attempts to sign Green Bay defensive tackle Cletidus Hunt to an offer sheet the Packers will find difficult to match. The Packers surprised many observers by using the "transition" tag on Hunt, who has posted just one solid season in his four-year career, and who is a two-time loser in the NFL's substance abuse program. Any team who signs Hunt to a long-term deal, the Packers or some other club, will have to protect itself against the possibility that one more misstep could land Hunt a season-long suspension. Translation: The signing bonus will likely be paid out over two or three years, to allow the team that gets Hunt some recourse to recover its money if he stumbles off the field.
Hard to say if Seattle management will be accommodating, but cornerback Shawn Springs desperately wants to be traded from the Seahawks, and will push hard for a resolution this spring. The team's first-round pick in the '97 draft, Springs has been slowed by severe hamstring injuries, and isn't nearly the player he was earlier in his career. But he is unhappy he is still playing under his original contract, a deal never restructured by the Seahawks, and feels a change of scenery might revive his career.
Under assistant coach John Harbaugh, the Philadelphia Eagles have been among the best special teams units in the league for a few years now. But the Eagles kicking game could undergo a major metamorphosis during this offseason, one that could destroy the stability that has been one of its strong points. Return specialist Brian Mitchell, coming off one of the best seasons of his celebrated career, is a pending unrestricted free agent and, for a guy who will turn 35 in August, the Eagles aren't going to want to ante up much more than the minimum base salary. Another long-time veteran, punter Sean Landeta, will probably be replaced. Philadelphia recently signed youngster Dirk Johnson to a three-year contract and, while his $15,000 signing bonus didn't break the bank, it does reflect the team's interest in him. On the plus side, Philadelphia still has one of the league's premier kickers, in David Akers. And the team last week signed deep snapper Mike Bartrum to a five-year, $4 million contract. The deal included a $280,000 signing bonus and base salaries of $655,000 (for 2003), $760,000 (2004), $765,000 (2005), $770,000 (2006) and $770,000 (2007). Even so, the possibility of having to replace Mitchell and Landeta in the same season is a bit unsettling.
If former Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch wants to return to the NFL in 2003, after "retiring" last season, it most likely will have to be with the team that drafted him. St. Louis coach Mike Martz said Saturday that the Rams would welcome Crouch back to camp, but added that there are no plans to relinquish his rights to another franchise for now. Crouch opted to leave the Rams just before the start of the '02 campaign, and even repaid his signing bonus, but technically remains property of the team. Martz contends that the former Nebraska quarterback could, indeed, have made a transition to wide receiver if he had put his mind to it. "I never thought he attacked it with the passion I felt he would," Martz said. "I wanted him to give it a year and see where he was with it. I mean, it wasn't going to happen overnight. But he was anxious about it and didn't want to stick with it. I still think he could be a good wide receiver in this league."
Just a month or so ago, it appeared the Eagles were very interested in landing a contract extension with weak-side linebacker Shawn Barber, who had been working on just a one-year deal. But the negotiations have fallen apart and agent Brian Mackler said there is virtually no chance now that his client will be returning to the Eagles in '03.
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| O'Donnell |
Veteran quarterback Neil O'Donnell, released by Tennessee last week for salary cap reasons, will visit with Minnesota officials on Tuesday. Vikings coach Mike Tice said this weekend he doesn't plan to let O'Donnell leave the team complex until he signs him as the new backup (and also mentor) for Daunte Culpepper. Such a move would then permit the Vikings to deal, or even release, incumbent backup Todd Bouman. The Titans would like to re-sign O'Donnell to a more palatable salary but the Vikings plan to make that a very difficult chore.
The Dolphins want to sign an offensive left tackle, most likely Wayne Gandy of Pittsburgh, and move Mark Dixon back to his natural position of left guard. That's assuming, of course, that Dixon, a pending unrestricted free agent, decides not to retire and re-signs with the Dolphins. The team is also considering veteran left tackle Richmond Webb, released last week by the Bengals, to add depth to the position. Webb, of course, played the first 11 seasons of his 13-year career with Miami. On the negotiating front, the Dolphins may not be able to strike an extension with middle linebacker Zach Thomas, because of the manner in which they want to structure it. Miami wants to pay out very little in a signing bonus, but make up for the difference with guaranteed base salaries. Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who has been instructed by his client not to publicly discuss the negotiations, isn't likely to agree to such a paradigm for the contract.
Look for the NFLPA to sanction at least a couple of agents, David Dunn and Sean Jones, this week. The union feels Dunn is guilty of tortious interference in allegedly luring clients away from former partner Leigh Steinberg. And in the case of Jones, who was actually on the union payroll as a consultant for investments, the association now seems to realize that he has made some bad investment deals for private clients. The union was put on notice last year that Jones was in some difficulty, with clients lining up against him, but chose not to act then. Now there is a federal investigation of Jones and he has to go. Both agents are expected to be decertified.
Having decided that there are only about 5-7 player agents who represent most of the top performers in the league, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has used the scouting combine this weekend to attempt to strike relationships with most of them. Snyder dined Thursday night with Jimmy Sexton, met with Tom Condon and others, and generally let it be known that he wants to open dialogue with them. It's a good move on Snyder's part for many reasons, not the least of which is he's right about a relatively small cadre of agents controlling a disproportionate number of players, and also because he's the one who ultimately has to deal with them. By the way, the Redskins have some major cap concerns, both in 2003 and beyond.
It costs a lot more in dues now to belong to one of the world's most exclusive fraternities. Tax forms filed by the league indicate that the dues paid by all teams (yeah, that's right, they pay dues) jumped to a record-high $3.5 million last season. That assessment represents an increase of nearly 30 percent from the previous amount of $2.7 million. Some of the reasons: the so-called G-3 program, which loans money to franchises constructing new stadiums; an increase in salaries for game officials; a dramatic hike in the costs for security in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The tax returns also indicate the league paid commissioner Paul Tagliabue $5.9 million in benefits and salary, some of which was deferred compensation that had actually been earned in previous years.
While it seems Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and kicker Mike Vanderjagt have buried the hatchet, their spitting match of last month isn't completely behind them. The marketing representatives from IMG, the sports representation conglomerate that handles Manning's affairs, is very strongly pressing Vanderjagt to sign a waiver that would keep him from ever suing the quarterback. Remember, in a weak moment, Manning noted that Vanderjagt was "liquored up" when he made derogatory comments about the quarterback and coach Tony Dungy. IMG wants to ensure there is never a slander action taken against Manning, one that might make him less attractive to potential corporate suitors.
Punts: The Baltimore Ravens, according to general manager Ozzie Newsome, are "very close" to a contract extension for offensive left guard Edwin Mulitalo, a deal that would keep him off the free-agent market. The veteran in-line masher is a key to the Ravens' blocking unit. … Atlanta fullback Bob Christian is leaning toward retirement after suffering two concussions in 2002. But the veteran will likely take a couple more weeks to reach a final decision on his future. … Miami will can backup quarterback Ray Lucas and attempt to upgrade at the position. The Dolphins like young Sage Rosenfels but probably aren't ready yet to promote him to the No. 2 spot. … Although there has been some progress toward landing tailback Fred Taylor a lucrative contract extension in Jacksonville, it has been pretty incremental, and there is still much work to be done at the negotiating table. Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell, by the way, is quietly lobbying for a new deal as well. … Oakland is working hard to retain offensive guard Mo Collins. … As predicted in this space two weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Bucs have made center Jeff Christy a contract ultimatum. Take a one-year deal worth $1 million or be released. Head coach Jon Gruden and offensive line coach Bill Muir, as noted here in the past, feel Christy is too soft for their style. … Look for the Lions to demonstrate big-time interest in Packers cornerback Tyrone Williams if he goes into free agency. Williams is due a $4 million roster bonus and has the option of voiding his deal. It's pretty much a slam-dunk he will be in the market. … The 49ers might make some adjustments to the contract of tailback Garrison Hearst to make his deal more cap friendly and allow them to keep him around another year. … The Cowboys want to keep offensive left tackle Flozell Adams, just the kind of big-bodied blocker Bill Parcells likes, but are suffering some sticker shock in talks with him. Agent Eugene Parker is seeking a $10 million signing bonus and a yearly average of $6 million. At that price, the Cowboys aren't sure what to do but fear Parker might be able to land such a deal elsewhere. It's a real conundrum for Dallas officials. … If he is healthy, several teams will be interested in return specialist Jermaine Lewis, released last week by the Houston Texans. The Miami Dolphins have already phoned, and clubs like Baltimore and Minnesota probably will as well. … The action on "transition" linebacker Takeo Spikes of Cincinnati could be scant, but only because some teams fear the Bengals will match any offer sheet they make. Spikes is a gem, a guy buried in Cincinnati, but any team interested in him will have to be very creative in structuring an offer sheet.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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