Starting QB, backup pay? Could be costly
Brad Johnson signed on to be the Vikings No. 2 quarterback. He's now the starter, and money might soon become an issue.
Vikings Insider Kevin Seifert
The NFL will go dark for the next week while most coaches, players, administrators and owners take their final holiday respite. Yet as even the casual observer of Winter Park knows, "dark" and "quiet" are but relative terms.
Sooner or later, the Vikings will have to address an issue that has been strangely dormant this offseason. Quarterback Brad Johnson's contract remains untouched following his ascension from backup to starter, a recipe for ill will that could cause -- in the worst-case scenario -- a training camp holdout.
As of Friday, the team had given no indication that it plans to adjust Johnson's $1.2 million salary, a figure that would make him the NFL's lowest-paid veteran starter this season. Owner Zygi Wilf and Rob Brzezinski, vice president of football operations, were on vacation late last week and unavailable for comment.
Coach Brad Childress said that to his knowledge the issue has not been discussed.
"I'd end up hearing about it, I'm sure, if that were the case," Childress said. "But I'm more into Brad Johnson the player."
It is no exaggeration to suggest that Brad Johnson, the player, carries as much burden for the Vikings' 2006 success as anyone on the roster; his value is magnified by the depth left behind following the trade of Daunte Culpepper. Presumptive No. 2 Mike McMahon has a career passer rating of 55.1, while neither J.T. O'Sullivan nor rookie Tarvaris Jackson has thrown an NFL pass.
To be clear, the team is well within its rights to hold Johnson to the 2005 contract he signed to back up Culpepper. Yet that decision could carry legitimate implications: Namely, how would Johnson react to what most pro athletes consider a case of financial disrespect? Would he exercise his ultimate leverage -- holding out of training camp -- to pressure the Vikings into raising his salary?
In May, Johnson said that "over time those things just take care of themselves." This week, however, he declined comment through his agent, Phil Williams. Speaking from his Atlanta-area office, Williams himself said he did not want to discuss the issue publicly "at this time."
Entering his 15th NFL season, Johnson's finances are set for life. He has been named to the Pro Bowl, has won the Super Bowl and in 2005 reaffirmed his skills while winning seven of nine starts for the Vikings. He is considered one of the NFL's classiest players, appears well-liked by Vikings fans and has been central in the team's recent marketing efforts.
At the same time, Johnson is a proud man who has taken umbrage in the past when his talent is questioned or underappreciated, as it was in departures from Washington (2000) and Tampa Bay (2004). The Buccaneers' decision to bench him left Johnson unable to secure a starting job on the 2005 free-agent market; instead, he accepted a four-year contract worth $6 million from the Vikings.
That deal provided market-level compensation for a veteran backup at a time when everyone believed Culpepper would be the team's starter into the next decade. Now, however, it appears Johnson could be their starter for at least the next two years while Jackson, a highly touted prospect selected in the second round of the April draft, develops his Division I-AA skills.
In the meantime, Johnson is locked into backup salaries through the 2008 season. Depending upon interpretations of contracts, at least 36 quarterbacks are scheduled to earn more this season than Johnson -- including veteran backups such as Chicago's Brian Griese ($6 million), Detroit's Josh McCown ($4 million), Miami's Joey Harrington ($3 million), St. Louis' Gus Frerotte ($3 million) and Buffalo's Craig Nall ($2 million).
The benchmark for veteran starters this offseason was the three-year, $15 million contract that Kurt Warner signed with Arizona, a deal that will pay him about $7 million in 2006.
The Vikings will open training camp 25 days from now, giving both sides plenty of time to consider their positions. One issue they can both agree on: Johnson should be on the field from Day 1.
Link