Coles’ Two Final Years Guaranteed, Extension or Trade Promised
Hutch gets the story straight on Coles’ deal. Coles wanted a long-term deal, and last month the team offered him the final two years on his contract guaranteed, with some provisions to make Coles happy:
The club broke the stalemate and guaranteed the final two years of Coles’ contract at $11 million ($5 million in 2008, $6 million in 2009), the first such agreement in team history … the details of the tweaking of Coles’ contract remain unclear but the club has assured Coles he will receive a long-term deal at the end of next season if he remains healthy and has a big year, or he will be allowed to seek a trade on his own, according to a person with knowledge of the talks.
So everyone gave something … ah the art of the compromise.
4 Responses to Coles’ Two Final Years Guaranteed, Extension or Trade Promised
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K-Man says:
Credit to Tangini. I think this deal is decent for Coles and perfect for the Jets. I love Coles’ toughness, but with the money he gets paid and the way he goes about his business, I’m expecting big things from him or he’s driving in the fast lane to my Chatteau bow wow.
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Bent says: I assume the final $6m is only guaranteed if he actually plays for the Jets in 2009 (ie he forfeits it if he does seek a trade after 2008).
If not, the Jets would still have to pay him it and would also get a $6m cap hit, which wouldn’t have been the case under his old deal. Risking only having Coles for one year at the cost of $11m (if he gets hurt, doesn’t put in any effort or decides he wants to leave) would be pretty crazy.
And, once again, the front office makes a deal which was far better financially that initially reported. This tells me that they think PR is very important, which suggests there would not be any smokescreens. If they are talking up a particular draft prospect, it’s because they do actually like them and by giving them a lot of focus in the run-up to the draft, this may ensure that the pick is well received.
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RK says:
I think one of the reasons the Jets caved, besides needing their best WR and a team leader, is to shoe that they take care of their own and practice what they preach.
I think if Coles had not gone to the media he would have gotten the same deal but he is who he is.
When I first read that we gave him an extension, I was sunk, because the precedent setting is awful and this would make his 3rd successful payday via pouting in what has never been an elite career. Tannebaum wins huge by solving his problem for a year at no incremental cost this year. I think there is no way that Coles will get an extension from the Jets. He isn’t an OG that can be productive thru 34-35 years old, and his toughness is why he’s on the downside of his career. And he could have a great year, since he is auditioning for the league. Either via the draft (moving up a few slots to land a James Hardy or through the free agent route next season, the Jets will attempt to find a #1 receiver, as opposed to the two good #2s that we have now.