What it cost to sign Lee to a 4 year deal..

[VanDolPhan]

over a 3 year deal. Seems like we pulled off quite the steal if he's here for the full 4 years. A mere 20k difference and we get a lower annual cap charge to boot.

5a. TE Donald Lee, Mississippi State (No. 156 overall): Signing bonus: $133,000. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005); $460,000 (2006). Total: four years, $1,503,000. Cap charge: $258,250.


5. OG Ben Sobieski, Iowa (No. 151 overall): Signing bonus: $115,482. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $1,025,482. Cap charge: $263,494

5. DE Kenny King, Alabama (No. 141 overall). Signing bonus: $123,000. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $1,033,000. Cap charge: $266,000.

5. WR Jon Olinger, Cincinnati (No. 159 overall): Signing bonus: $110,000. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $1,020,000. Cap charge: $261,667.

5a. DT James Lee, Oregon State (No. 147 overall). Signing bonus: $117,750. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $1,027,750. Cap charge: $264,250.

5. DE Melvin Williams, Kansas State (No. 155 overall). Signing bonus: $112,500. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $1,022,500. Cap charge: $262,500.

 

[Merman]

Seems to me his agent made a mistake taking a four year deal. As Len Pasquarelli said in his previous tip sheet the NFLPA is warning agents that they can potentially lose $300K by signing a four year deal.

Len Pasquarelli
Miami signed fifth-round tight end Donald Lee to a below-market four-year deal. But agent Ron Del Duca was able to back away from the negotiating table with just a standard, three-year contract for sixth-round defensive back Corey Jenkins.

Those players who agree to contracts beyond three years, with no protection at the back end of the deal, are probably costing themselves money, as much as $302,000 in some cases, a recent NFLPA memo to agents emphasized.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1573188.html
Corey Jenkins got a three year deal.
6a. FS Corey Jenkins, South Carolina (No. 181 overall): Signing bonus: $74,891. Base salaries: $225,000 (2003); $305,000 (2004); $380,000 (2005). Total: three years, $984,891. Cap charge: $249,963.

 

[ZOD]

I can't remember the author but someone wrote an article about the four year deal thing...The basic premise was that the Spielman's of the NFL were forcing these second day draft picks to sign four year deals...The agents cannot do a thing about it...

What are you going to do ? Hold Donald Lee out ? A virtual no-name sixth rounder ? That's sort of like career suicide for LEE and THE AGENT...

They are trapped in a no win situation...

Want to see a worse contract ?

Travis Henry
2001 209000.00
2002 300000.00
2003 389000.00
2004 750000.00
2005 1250000.00

The first four years was his original contract...He didn't have enough money to make it through the off-season so they gave him a signing bonus of like 300,000 and tacked 2005 onto his contract...

Now here is the Kicker on this whole four year deal thing...1400 yards gained by Travis Henry last year and he works beside these guys....

Name Compensation
Burns 300000.00
Crosby 375000.00
Gary, Olandis 530000.00
Gash, Sam 755000.00
Henry, Travis 389000.00

 

[ZOD]

The difference between Jenkins and Lee...

Jenkins has already made money playing in MLB playing for the Padres and a four year contract for him will be pretty close to a career contract if he were to sign it because of his age (27 in August)...

When Spielman negotiates with the agent he is probably reminded of that fact and it would be an equal loss for Jenkins (monetary) and Dolphins (draft pick) if he were to hold out...

Donald Lee (23 in August) can play the four year contract out and if he has the talent, he can "cash in" at age 27..

I think Len P. was just using the two to emphasize what was going on now (4 year deals) and he didn't take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the players...

Too sum all this up...

What we are watching is the standard 3 year contract for rookies is becoming a standard 4 year contract...Fortunately for the us we have Spielman who is "ahead of the curve" in these negotiations...

It's unfortunate for the players but I think eventually the Players Union will stand up to this "bullying" by the teams...I hate to call 300,000 a year for four years unfair but in terms of the NFL it is...

 

[Merman]

Originally posted by 1972dolphins
I can't remember the author but someone wrote an article about the four year deal thing...The basic premise was that the Spielman's of the NFL were forcing these second day draft picks to sign four year deals...The agents cannot do a thing about it...

The link is in my previous post. What Len said was that there is almost no increase in salaries and bonuses. Take it or leave it.

Of the 38 deals completed so far beyond the second round, three are for four years, and there is one five-year contract. Those players who agree to contracts beyond three years, with no protection at the back end of the deal, are probably costing themselves money, as much as $302,000 in some cases, a recent NFLPA memo to agents emphasized.

 

[iceblizzard69]

I like the idea of signing Lee to a four year deal. Besides locking him up for more time, he was thought of here as a steal who was misused in college. Also, like all other players taken in that area, the cap hit for cutting him will be very small if we ever have to do it.

 

[VanDolPhan]

Originally posted by 1972dolphins
Jenkins has already made money playing in MLB playing for the Padres and a four year contract for him will be pretty close to a career contract if he were to sign it because of his age (27 in August)...

That wasn't it. Jenkins isn't being looked at as nothing more then a possible special teams player. Nobody figures him to make the transition to LB it will just be his "position" ala Charlie Rogers. He was purely a special teams pickup.

Lee on the otherhand they think they may have stole ala McMicheal last year and they so want to build a 2 TE offense while mixing in Konrad and mostly going 2 WR sets and only going 3 wide in 3 & 5 or longer. If they can get 80 catches out of the TE spots this offense could get dangerous. The only question is whether our WR's will be good enough to take advantage of the defenses (look back to Norv's days in Washington where WR's got less catches but long averages) playing up.

I think it's a smart move as all defenses are following the pattern trying to defend the deep ball. Well what happens when your LB's etc are geared for the pass but your coming out with TE's, Konrad and Ricky?

 

[inFINSible]

I think it's a smart move as all defenses are following the pattern trying to defend the deep ball. Well what happens when your LB's etc are geared for the pass but your coming out with TE's, Konrad and Ricky?

Especially when your top two QBs' biggest strength is the 10-15 yard pass...

 

[ZOD]

Originally posted by VanDolPhan


That wasn't it. Jenkins isn't being looked at as nothing more then a possible special teams player. Nobody figures him to make the transition to LB it will just be his "position" ala Charlie Rogers. He was purely a special teams pickup.

That wasn't it. Why would you not force him to sign four years if you could? Under your scenario and not taking the agent's demand into account as I have, they could have given the team the choice of a cheap 4th year.

I still think the players circumstances dictated contract lengths..

 

[Muck]

They're forcing them to sign 4-year deals with the lure of a larger up-front signing bonus. This way, the team doesn't have to worry about the player becoming a RFA and negotiating some other team's contract for them.

 

[VanDolPhan]

Originally posted by Muck
They're forcing them to sign 4-year deals with the lure of a larger up-front signing bonus. This way, the team doesn't have to worry about the player becoming a RFA and negotiating some other team's contract for them.

Exactly and if you doubt a guys ability to even make the final roster then why pay the extra up front money.