James tagged by Colts
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:18 am
James tagged by Colts
Running back designated team's franchise player; future uncertain
By Mike Chappell
mike.chappell@indystar.com
February 23, 2005
Tag, Edgerrin James, you're it.
As expected, the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday designated James their "franchise" player, essentially giving them final say on where their career rushing leader plays in 2005.
So, what does the future hold? Stay tuned.
Asked repeatedly if he expected James to man his usual spot in the Colts' backfield when the regular season opens in September, team president Bill Polian stopped short of issuing a guarantee.
"What's going to happen, I haven't the vaguest idea," he said. "I don't want to say (James will return), because I don't know."
Whatever the future holds for James, the Colts made certain they maintained "maximum flexibility," Polian said. The team opted to affix James with the "non-exclusive" franchise designation. The one-year contract comes at a steep price -- approximately $8 million, which is a 20 percent increase over James' 2004 salary cap figure -- and includes a couple of options for the player and team. James may:
• Sign the franchise deal, play for the Colts in '05, then be eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason.
• Negotiate a long-term contract with another team. If he signs the offer sheet, the Colts would have seven days to match it. If the team opts not to match the offer, it would receive two first-round draft picks from James' new team as compensation.
• Negotiate a long-term contract with the Colts. According to league guidelines, the two sides have 14 days to reach agreement on a multiyear deal. Failing that, no further discussions are allowed until July 15.
Polian declined to speculate on how the situation might unfold.
James could not be reached for comment, but he made it clear in a conversation with owner Jim Irsay this past weekend that his preference is a long-term contract, not the one-year deal.
All attempts at determining the parameters for a long-term package, though, have been foiled by James' recent decision to change agents. Last week, according to Polian, the Colts "received a notification from Edgerrin that he had discharged (agent Scott Parker). He had no agent and has not chosen one as yet.
". . . We had no one to negotiate with and no one to tell us what Edgerrin was thinking. That is not the stuff of which agreements are made."
Uncertain of whether a long-term contract was a possibility, the Colts exercised their most obvious option.
"It will allow us at some appropriate time, whenever Edgerrin chooses an agent, to sit down with him and begin some discussion," Polian said.
If James is faced with playing under the one-year contract, it's likely he will bypass all team functions during the offseason and not report to training camp on time. Since he won't be under contract until he signs the deal, he isn't obligated to participate and can't be fined for missing mandatory activities.
In previous seasons, several franchise players, such as offensive tackles Walter Jones of Seattle and Orlando Pace of St. Louis, have missed virtually all of training camp before signing their one-year contracts.
Polian insisted he has no idea if James will follow that approach.
A possible holdout, he said, "is always an issue with us. We think everybody should be in training camp. But . . . our knowledge of what Edgerrin and his representatives may feel is appropriate is nil at this point
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/224366-5363-036.html
Running back designated team's franchise player; future uncertain
By Mike Chappell
mike.chappell@indystar.com
February 23, 2005
Tag, Edgerrin James, you're it.
As expected, the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday designated James their "franchise" player, essentially giving them final say on where their career rushing leader plays in 2005.
So, what does the future hold? Stay tuned.
Asked repeatedly if he expected James to man his usual spot in the Colts' backfield when the regular season opens in September, team president Bill Polian stopped short of issuing a guarantee.
"What's going to happen, I haven't the vaguest idea," he said. "I don't want to say (James will return), because I don't know."
Whatever the future holds for James, the Colts made certain they maintained "maximum flexibility," Polian said. The team opted to affix James with the "non-exclusive" franchise designation. The one-year contract comes at a steep price -- approximately $8 million, which is a 20 percent increase over James' 2004 salary cap figure -- and includes a couple of options for the player and team. James may:
• Sign the franchise deal, play for the Colts in '05, then be eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason.
• Negotiate a long-term contract with another team. If he signs the offer sheet, the Colts would have seven days to match it. If the team opts not to match the offer, it would receive two first-round draft picks from James' new team as compensation.
• Negotiate a long-term contract with the Colts. According to league guidelines, the two sides have 14 days to reach agreement on a multiyear deal. Failing that, no further discussions are allowed until July 15.
Polian declined to speculate on how the situation might unfold.
James could not be reached for comment, but he made it clear in a conversation with owner Jim Irsay this past weekend that his preference is a long-term contract, not the one-year deal.
All attempts at determining the parameters for a long-term package, though, have been foiled by James' recent decision to change agents. Last week, according to Polian, the Colts "received a notification from Edgerrin that he had discharged (agent Scott Parker). He had no agent and has not chosen one as yet.
". . . We had no one to negotiate with and no one to tell us what Edgerrin was thinking. That is not the stuff of which agreements are made."
Uncertain of whether a long-term contract was a possibility, the Colts exercised their most obvious option.
"It will allow us at some appropriate time, whenever Edgerrin chooses an agent, to sit down with him and begin some discussion," Polian said.
If James is faced with playing under the one-year contract, it's likely he will bypass all team functions during the offseason and not report to training camp on time. Since he won't be under contract until he signs the deal, he isn't obligated to participate and can't be fined for missing mandatory activities.
In previous seasons, several franchise players, such as offensive tackles Walter Jones of Seattle and Orlando Pace of St. Louis, have missed virtually all of training camp before signing their one-year contracts.
Polian insisted he has no idea if James will follow that approach.
A possible holdout, he said, "is always an issue with us. We think everybody should be in training camp. But . . . our knowledge of what Edgerrin and his representatives may feel is appropriate is nil at this point
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/224366-5363-036.html