WATSON FIRES CONDON
Mike Reiss of the MetroWest Daily News reports that Patriots first-round draft pick Ben Watson has poop-canned agent Tom Condon of IMG.
It's a move that might be an indication that Watson is ready to break his impasse with the team and get a deal finished.
Watson, the last selection of the first round, and Chargers first-round quarterback Philip Rivers are to only two remaining round one holdouts.
The dispute apparently centered on the length of the deal; Condon wanted a six-year deal that could be voided to five and the Pats want a firm six-year commitment.
The Patriots other first-round choice, defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, agreed to a six-year contract with no voidable year.
Reiss reports that Pat Dye is thought to be Watson's first choice for a replacement. Under NFLPA rules, he must wait five days to hire a new representative.
Condon essentially inherited Watson from former IMG agent Darrell Wills, who tried to bolt from the mega-firm and set up his own shop before being summarily decertified by the NFLPA. Watson and others wanted to go with Wills, and we wouldn't be surprised to learn that Wills has been giving Watson some informal, off-the-record advice as to his negotiations with the Pats.
For Condon, it's not the only player he's recently lost. A league source recently told us that Vikings running back Onterrio Smith has dumped Condon and IMG in favor of Octagon. Smith, a budding star who is caught in a tailback logjam in Minnesota and who has been the subject of trade rumors, might have wanted Condon to be more aggressive about forcing a trade to another team.
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