CONTRA COSTA TIMES: Porter running fly pattern to free agenc
Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 5:09 pm
Raiders' Porter running fly pattern to free agency
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Wide receiver Jerry Porter still hasn't signed a contract offer he received from the Raiders and likely will entertain offers from the league's 31 other teams once free agency starts March 2, a person close to the situation said Thursday.
Porter, 26, said Jan. 2 after the Raiders' final game that the team offered him a contract late in the season. There is a huge gap between what the Raiders offered and what Porter wants, the person close to the situation said.
The San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday reported that Oakland offered Porter a five-year contract for approximately $20 million.
Porter made $557,000 in 2004. He reached a clause in his contract that allowed him to opt out of the final year of the six-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2000. He was scheduled to earn $598,500 in 2005.
Raiders senior personnel executive Mike Lombardi said it is team policy not to discuss contract negotiations. He refused to comment on Porter's situation at all.
Porter led the Raiders in receptions, yards and touchdowns this past season. His 64 catches, 998 yards and nine touchdowns set or equaled career-highs.
Porter would be an unrestricted free agent and free to sign with any team, including the Raiders, if he remains unsigned as of March 2. It's conceivable the Raiders could designate Porter their franchise player by the Feb. 22 deadline to do so. That would guarantee him a one-year contract at the average of the top five salaries at his position from 2004.
Porter could not be reached for comment.
In other news, the Raiders announced the hiring of Keith Millard as an assistant to defensive line coach Sam Clancy. Millard spent the past three seasons coaching with the Denver Broncos.
Millard, 42, is expected to concentrate his efforts on helping the Raiders improve their pass rush.
"Keith has an excellent background in the NFL as a player and coach," Raiders coach Norv Turner said in a team release. "His experience and energy as a position coach will be a good addition to our staff."
Millard, a Pleasanton native who attended Foothill High School, said he is looking forward to coaching a team that he watched play in the first NFL game he attended as a child.
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to work for this great organization and with this coaching staff," Millard said in the release.
Also, Raiders quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian signed with USC on Wednesday, according to published reports. He rejoins coach Pete Carroll's staff one year after bolting for the Raiders. Sarkisian coached under Carroll from 2001-03.
Finally, Oakland signed defensive end Mark Word. He played his college ball at Jacksonville State. Receiver James Adkisson and safety Keyon Nash were assigned to NFL Europe.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 874094.htm
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Wide receiver Jerry Porter still hasn't signed a contract offer he received from the Raiders and likely will entertain offers from the league's 31 other teams once free agency starts March 2, a person close to the situation said Thursday.
Porter, 26, said Jan. 2 after the Raiders' final game that the team offered him a contract late in the season. There is a huge gap between what the Raiders offered and what Porter wants, the person close to the situation said.
The San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday reported that Oakland offered Porter a five-year contract for approximately $20 million.
Porter made $557,000 in 2004. He reached a clause in his contract that allowed him to opt out of the final year of the six-year contract he signed as a rookie in 2000. He was scheduled to earn $598,500 in 2005.
Raiders senior personnel executive Mike Lombardi said it is team policy not to discuss contract negotiations. He refused to comment on Porter's situation at all.
Porter led the Raiders in receptions, yards and touchdowns this past season. His 64 catches, 998 yards and nine touchdowns set or equaled career-highs.
Porter would be an unrestricted free agent and free to sign with any team, including the Raiders, if he remains unsigned as of March 2. It's conceivable the Raiders could designate Porter their franchise player by the Feb. 22 deadline to do so. That would guarantee him a one-year contract at the average of the top five salaries at his position from 2004.
Porter could not be reached for comment.
In other news, the Raiders announced the hiring of Keith Millard as an assistant to defensive line coach Sam Clancy. Millard spent the past three seasons coaching with the Denver Broncos.
Millard, 42, is expected to concentrate his efforts on helping the Raiders improve their pass rush.
"Keith has an excellent background in the NFL as a player and coach," Raiders coach Norv Turner said in a team release. "His experience and energy as a position coach will be a good addition to our staff."
Millard, a Pleasanton native who attended Foothill High School, said he is looking forward to coaching a team that he watched play in the first NFL game he attended as a child.
"I'm very excited for the opportunity to work for this great organization and with this coaching staff," Millard said in the release.
Also, Raiders quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian signed with USC on Wednesday, according to published reports. He rejoins coach Pete Carroll's staff one year after bolting for the Raiders. Sarkisian coached under Carroll from 2001-03.
Finally, Oakland signed defensive end Mark Word. He played his college ball at Jacksonville State. Receiver James Adkisson and safety Keyon Nash were assigned to NFL Europe.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 874094.htm