Let’s Talk Contracts
George Bretherton of The Fifth Down tries to make sense of Thomas Jones’ and Leon Washington’s contracts. Washington’s status is expected to heat up this week according to Mike Lombardi so this piece has come just in time to clear the air … hopefully.
The Jets have already expressed an interest in signing Washington to an extension. And since both sides are in agreement that Washington is underpaid, the problems seem to be 1) defining Washington’s fair market value and 2) the ability of the Jets to responsibly pay that number with regard to the salary cap, even if the two sides agree on Washington’s value.
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Last month, Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum told Craig Thomas of Scout.com that a 30% rule under the terms of the current C.B.A. — which the owners have voted to opt out of after the 2010 season —
put the Jets in a bind. A major provision of the owners opting out is that the 2010 season would be played without a salary cap.
Washington’s salary increase would appear to have limits. Article XXIV, Section 8(b) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states:
No NFL Player Contract entered into in a Capped Year and extending into the Final League Year or beyond may provide for an annual increase in salary, excluding any amount attributable to a signing bonus as defined by Section 7 (b) (iv) above, of more than 30% of the Salary provided for in the Final Capped Year, per year, either in Final League Year or in any subsequent League Year covered by the Player Contract.
It seems that Tannenbaum would be blocked from raising Washington’s base salary in the future years of an extension from being much higher than his current $535,000. But the 30% Rule didn’t stop Green Bay from signing receiver Greg Jennings to a 3-year, $27 million extension in June, and it apparently doesn’t prevent the Jets from adjusting Washington’s 2009 base salary in a similar way.
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Whatever the result, it is hard to imagine Washington playing this season under the terms of his current contract. But if the Jets end up playing hardball, look for the second-year running back Danny Woodhead to be given a chance to fill the void.
It all comes down to the money but I certainly hope that Mike Lombardi is correct about making a point of things heating up. Maybe Mike T. will get too hot and finally cave in to the demands or propose some middle ground that both sides could agree to. Leon does deserve more but he also needs to produce more before I would go off and give him ‘Suggs money’ for that matter [bad example using Suggs, oops] more money.
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Thomas Jones’ contract has been pushed to the storage closet because L.W. and Agent Keels have been the center of attention for most bloggers. Despite T.J.’s age and possibility of being this year’s goat [Thank you, SI] it can’t be denied that Jones had a great year after the offensive line grew rather large and deserves to get his cut of the cake [although it might be a small piece]. Of course his appearance in green and white this season could be questionable with the addition of Shonn Greene along with the return of Danny Woodhead and with the money he is due to make, Jones could become a “cap casualty.”
Jones’s issue seems to be more about future guaranteed money. From the figures listed on nyjetscap.com, Jones is looking at the possibility of being a salary cap casualty, assuming there is a cap, in 2010.
He will be due a $3 million roster bonus next off-season and his base salary in 2010 is set to increase to $2.8 million. If the Jets chose to release Jones after the 2009 season, all of that money would be saved from their 2010 salary cap figure, and the team would be on the hook only for Jones’s prorated bonus of $1.5 million.
Whatever the case, it seems Thomas Jones time with Gang Green will be coming to a close very soon which is why Washington is becoming such a hot topic — the ‘asset of the future’ perhaps … Bretherton brings up the Pete Kendall situation from two years back and notes how it had “far-reaching consequences for the team” and how this could be the same dangerous path the Jets step through again with Jones and Washington. At this point it’s hard to imagine what will happen but if I had to guess it would be this: Jones pulls a Coles and is gone within the year and somehow Tannenbaum and Washington agree to a contract and everyone [Keels, Washington, Jones and all] hits the bar before calling it a night.
29 Responses to Let’s Talk Contracts
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SackDance99 says:
Leon’s a weapon, but not an every down back. That makes assigning him a value very difficult. I think he should make Kevin Faulk-like money of around $3.75 per year with a nice chunk of guaranteed cash ($6 million?). Jones is a different story. He was undoubtedly helped by the vast improvement of the OL. He ‘s a tough interior runner and hits his holes fast (he never dances before hitting an opening with authority), but does not have 2nd level elusiveness. I’m curious to see what Shonn Greene can do in pre-season. Greene can, in theory, replace TJ. But, I just don’t think Woodhead, even in theory, can replace Leon.
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rudy says:
Tannenbaum is a bean counter and Woody loves him because he is his man slave.
The Jets just like all of the greedy NFL owner bastards will be playing hard nose when it comes to contracts and I wouldn’t be surprised that collusion will once again work against the owners in 2011.
Fact is that Tannenbaum bet the house that Sanchez and Green are the real deals and if they turn out to be duds the Jet 2009 draft will go down in history as the worst draft in the history of the NY Jets. Somehow I think that Sanchez was Woody’s doing and that Greene was Ryans doing and both draft choices IMHO will prove to be very costly to the future of the Jets. Just think that if these players have bust written all over them. Fact is that Tannenbaum in the last 3 years wasted a 2nd round pick and this years 1st round pick on QB’s. The most absurd pick of all has to be the Greene pick which IMHO will prove to be a disaster. Its hard to believe that you would give 3 picks for a RB who isn’t elusive and can’t catch or block. Time will tell for sure and the history of the Jet drafts has proven that they are one of the worst drafting teams in the history of the NFL. Somehow having Brady as your lead talent scout doesn’t bode well with me.
I hope that Tannenbaum and Ryan are both gone by the end of the 2010 season as I don’t see these Jets improving and if anything I see them heading in the reverse direction.
I truly believe that Woody will have to be forced to eating crow to hire a proven GM & HC and the only way this is going to happen is for the Jets to nosedive and have 2 horrific seasons under Tannenbaum and Ryan.
I have never liked Woody and its unfortunate that the Hess family had to sell the team to this spoon fed billionaire. Who says that a sucker isn’t born every minute as the Hess family sold a losing franchise for close to $600 million without a stadium. Sounds to me that Woody the spoiled kid who had never done anything to earn money for J & J got his wish when his brother and sister gave in to his crying tantrum to buy the Jets as he had never been accomplished at doing anything else and used his family name to raise money for charitable foundations.
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Calm down Rudy. Greene, Sanchez, and Ryan haven’t even been involved in a real game yet…………..
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Rudy??
Look at Mr T’s track record of signing players and drafts since 2006 before you take shots at players he drafted befor ethey even take the field.
Let not forget that before the 2006 season the Jet cap was a complete disaster and he cleaned that up and the team went to the playoffs.
I will not talk badly about Leon Hess but what exactly did he do that was so impressive during his ownership ….. exactly?
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Bent says: As I’ve been saying all along, the Jets never wanted to extend the deal so that their cap burden in 2009 was increased. The 2010 cap situation has thrown a real spanner in the works. I’m sure the Jets were counting on using the remaining available cap space they have to advance money to other veterans and reduce the already creaking 2010 outlay in anticipation of a cap being put in place.
Extending Leon, while it would be great for our peace of mind as fans is going to mess with that salary structure. However, if no deal is done and then a cap does go in place, they should be able to give Leon closer to the kind of money he wants without having to guarantee such a high proportion.
So, as I keep saying, I don’t anticipate anything happening yet, because to do so would indicate a big climb-down on one side or the other.
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Pdubbs says:
Rudy you need your blogging writes revoked !
Horrible take on our team and the draft. Also, it no longer matters if a plyer is “the total package.” This league is all about specialty guys that can confuse other teams.
Sanchez pic was a must….. expecially when we traded nothing to get down to him. (No QB, No hype) as a biz move …..it was perfect.
Greene ? doesn’t need to be the best blocker or pass catcher because we will have people for that ….he needs to run dudes over and be a beast which looks pretty promising.
i.e. Jacobs can’t catch a rash ? who cares he crushes people on a reg. basis.
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rudy,
Leon Hess was an unmitigated disaster as an owner. The only positive thing he ever did was, when he knew he screwed Jets fans for 30 years and was close to death, he hired Bill Parcells. Hess was responsible for letting Riggins go, hiring Charley Winner, Kotite, Lou Holtz, etc., moving the Jets from Shea to GIANTS Stadium (fans today just don’t get what a betrayal that was) and fired Walt Michaels right after he led the Jets to the AFC Championship game. To this day, I avoid Hess gas stations. Leon was an awful owner.
Shonn Greene not elusive? Not from the tape I saw. In fact, IMO, he has way more natural rushing skills than TJ. He’s a downhill runner, who has great vision to pick up his downfield blockers and has an extra gear to get to the outside. Also, he hits his holes with as much authority as TJ, but he has a much stronger lower body and never stops his feet from moving. Someone who never got fewer than 100 yards in every game at the Big Ten level knows how to run the ball. Penn State had the no. 8 rush defense giving up less than 3 YPC and only 12 rushing TDs, Greene had 117 yards, a 4.2 YPC and 2 TDs. We’ll see how he does in pre-season, but IMO, he’ll be a good pro. Except for a disappointing 40-time, Greene has all the running skills to be a very good or, perhaps, elite RB in the NFL, right out of the Bettis mold.
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charleyjet says:
1. As a longtime (since day one) Jet fan, I agree with Sack Dance that Leon Hess, by becoming a tenant of the Giants in NJ, ruined the franchise. Woody Johnson has cemented that for all time.
2. Danny Woodhead as a fall-back alternative to LW? You have to be pulling my chain.
3. Thomas Jones will NEVER get that $3 million bonus.
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James in TN says:
SackDance99 great post until you mentioned the “Big Ten level”. I agree Greene has promise but the little 10 is not much more than a high school conference or a Div. 2 conference at best.
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patpat says:
rudy where did all that come from?
so youre gunna throw all our draft picks and rex out the door before a single game?
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im sorry i have to ask again, im completely befuddled…
rudy wtf was that?
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majasko says:
Rknyc!!!
????? CURTIS MARTIN!!!
are you kidding?
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James,
Well, Greene did have 121 yards and 3 TDs against South Carolina. My point was that he dominated the Big Ten, was consistent and had a number of sick games, like 217 yards (on only 25 carries) and 4 TDs against Wisconsin. He’s a player.
CharleyJet,
Woody has been the most successful owner in Jets history and it seems to me that he’s trying to build a championship team. I never got that sense from Mr. Hess. From 1970-1980, the Jets didn’t have a winning record, which was nearly matched from 1989-1996. Hess had sole control starting in ’77. Thru 1998, the Jets during this period of sole ownership had 7 winning seasons and 5 playoff appearances in 21 years. Woody has been the owner since 2000 and the Jets have 6 winning seasons and 4 playoff appearances in 9 seasons. From my perspective, Woody has been the best owner since Werblin.
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Lonnie G says:
Rudy, you got to ease up a bit. Everyone loves to knock Favre now, but it was definitely a risk worth taking. I don’t care that we gave up a pick. Personally, I was not sold on taking a QB in this year’s draft, but we really did not give up all that much to get Sanchez. So I could live with it and see if he turns out to be the franchise QB we need. There’s nothing at this point that shows he will be a bust.
Despite the QB and WR positions and the lack of depth at other positions, I really think the team is headed in the right direction.
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david65 says:
rudy how can you not see us improving? honestly i think they made pretty much all the right moves. they got a new saftey, cornerbacks, quarterback, a running back to replace TJ so that we could trade TJ for maybe a WR, draft picks, DE.
and the jets had a great run D last year and if they’ve only improved… so rudy stop crying and whining before the season even starts
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Bent,
Well stated ; I’m always impressed by you.
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majasko,
i think rknyc is referring to the year immediately following curtis martin’s exit due to the bone-on-bone knee problem. it was a backfield by committee made up of barlow, houston (who retired after i think it as 3 seasons), and some other guy that i cant place (i dont think it was leon but forgive me if it was)
anyway we struggled to find our lean-on RB and ended up having some of the worst rushing stats in te league that year
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Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
Rudy,
What crawled up your butt and died? I know you are entitled to you own opinions but in your case…. Its better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you’re stupid, then open your mouth and prove you’re stupid! In your case with your comments you proved you’re stupid. Please go surf the web so you can read up on the team’s history and get a clue before you post another comment!– Tannenbaum has done well drafting and signing players
– Tannenbaum has also done wonders with managing the salary clap (he was Bills boy remember)
– As for Coach Ryan, he is the opposite of what we have had for the last six years, so he will need time to adjust as HC but will be just fine. Also Ryan most likely pushed for his own QB and RB as that’s what coaches do not the owner. Clemens is a proven backup for life so why not roll the dice and get a potential starter? Jones is getting older and this team needed to look at the youth movement so Sanchez and Greene were not bad moves!
– As for your Hess / Woody comments; Hess never did anything that was spectacular during his ownership! So when Johnson took over the last few years he has done almost everything (good and bad) to make this team better (PSL’s excluded here folks) and he recognizes the importance of the fan base and what this team means to us which Hess ignored most of the time. This team as been in a championship rut for 40 years, and Woody has been trying to push his and our Jets to a championship run! -
I think the FO has done a great job of drafting and signing players. Only one blemish on their record and that is Vernon Gholston who played in the big 10. There is still a chance he might contribute(as a security guard). I think the moves that the team has made puts us on a successful track. Leon needs to be extended @3 mil per and TJ needs to have the contract divided equally for the next 2 years putting him at 3.8mil per year I think. Greene needs a teacher and who better than TJ to get him ready. Also in a run first offense you need as many weapons ready as possible at the RB position.
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NYCal says:
I don’t think losing Thomas Jones is the equivalent of losing Pete Kendall. RB is one of the easier positions to replace. OL men need time to gel and learn to work together.
Pay Leon and keep Jones for one more year.
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Unlike Janes from TN ( you big SEC lover … lol ) Shonne Greene dominated all stout Big Ten run defenses this year and will be a stud for us down the line.
TJ is a must for this year. We are not ready for Leon to be a featured back…..just yet
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Harvlis says:
There is no sense in arguing with Rudy. Either he is here to get Jet fans upset or he is the most ignorant Jet fan to post this blog.
Tannenbaum is the man. He will end up doing the best he can, to keep TJ and Leon here, while staying within the cap. If he can’t please them, he will make sure we have depth at the position. Trust in Tanny.
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mikenyjets says:
No one seemed to comment that TJ insisted on a front-end loaded contract. He made a ton of money early and is now complaining that he isn’t making enough this year. I don’t know the exact amounts, but wasn’t it $14ish a year for the first two, so his 3yr avg is about $9-10M. Pretty damn good if you ask me! I like him, but he should shut up and play! Jets gave him cash up front, but I wouldn’t expect a pro athlete to actually save it…..
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Bent says:
It was basically for 20m and he’s already had 13m of it. At the end of 3 years he will have earned 14m.
Some journalists actually report the money from the first 3 years of a long term deal because it’s such a given that anything beyond that might not be paid.
So, the money he received is nothing like 9-10m a year, but still decent market value considering his performance in year one did not come close to matching what he achieved last year.
It’s actually rare for the Jets to structure a deal for a veteran this way. I can’t believe that Rosenhaus and Jones were unaware of the implications at the outset, so I figure that Rosenhaus probably told him at the time “If you have a great year in year two, we’ll be able to guilt trip them into advancing you more money and perhaps get the fans to pressure the team (unsaid: and then I can get another huge check for getting you more money)”
I think he underestimated just how cap savvy the Jets front office (and its fans and bloggers) are.
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2revis4 says:
july 31st the first day of camp at SUNY cortland..that is open to the public correct?
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Wayne says:
Run Leon Run……..away from the Jets, and to a team that understands how valuable you are. The Jets know your value is between $6.5 – $7.0 per year, with about $15 million guaranteed. If they do not realize it now, they will over the next few years, as you tear up the league as a starter somewhere else. Don’t give in to their posturing…..Without you, they’ll have to score passing it, and Sanchez is not ready to handle that type load. Good luck! I sure hope we do the right thing and lock you up!
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Harlan Lachman says:
Wayne, read up on your NFL rules.
Leon cannot go anywhere. He will either be paid a pittance to play here for three years (if there is no CBA, inasmuch as he will be an RFA for two seasons after this one), or
He will be paid a pittance this year and get tagged next year meaning he will have averaged less than $3.5 mil for the two years,
Or he will sign a multi-year deal, if he is lucky, in the 3.5 – 4 million range with the first year and a half to two guaranteed.
He just has no leverage. He ain’t going anywhere. If he goes, he gets nada, nothing, just retired.
With the August 11th rule, he cannot even sit out all of training camp without making his situation worse (he gets no credit for the year and you can add a year to the situations above).
harlan
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Bent I think there was another thing that Rosenhaus didn’t realize and that was how the committee backfield would come back into play. When the Jets traded for Jones most teams were still featuring the “stud back” and in fact that was going to be Jones role on the team. By the end of 2007 the NFL had pretty much realized it was a bad idea. Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James all pretty much fell apart and people realized they couldn’t come back. Even younger guys like Steven Jackson and Frank Gore saw their stats drop dramatically after getting huge workloads.
Jones had worked himself into being the workhorse of the Bears and was going to be that in NY. I’m sure Rosenhaus’ plan was for TJ to be the guy in NY and in year three negotiate an extension for fear of losing Jones in year 4 or perhaps even planning a holdout when the contract was first signed, explaining why he agreed to the salary structure in the first place. Little did he know the Jets would heavily invest in a QB and how unimportant a player like Jones would become in just two years.
I like Jones. Remember what was here before they brought him in.
I think they should try to keep them both, at least 2 more years, but it seems unlikely to happen.
They both have no leverage.