Dolphins Still Waiting on Saban

Nick Saban is keeping the Miami Dolphins -- and even some of his close associates -- guessing.

On Wednesday, when the Dolphins offered Saban their head-coaching job, several associates of the LSU coach said they were convinced he was headed to Miami. He had rejected previous overtures from NFL teams, but the Dolphins are a prestigious franchise and offered Saban what he wanted: total authority over football operations. They also gave him a contract proposal worth more than $4 million per season.

On Thursday, however, those same Saban associates were saying they no longer had any idea what he was going to do. He was wrestling with the notion of leaving a place where he likes to coach, where he is comfortable and successful and won a share of the 2003 national championship.

There were some indications Thursday that LSU appeared willing to negotiate a new contract with Saban, raising his annual salary closer to what the Dolphins are offering. His current salary is about $2.3 million, and he reportedly earned another $400,000 this season because of an incentive in his contract for taking the school to a bowl game. But school officials maintained they did not intend to renegotiate Saban's contract, and Saban told friends that the decision wasn't about money.

The answer could come today, or Saturday at the latest. Those in Saban's camp pushed the process along so that the matter could be resolved by the time the LSU team is scheduled to depart for Orlando, Fla., Saturday afternoon for the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl against Iowa.

Vick's Deal

Quarterback Michael Vick's contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons was reported at various times and in various places Thursday as being for seven, nine or 10 years.

Which is it?

In a way, all three.

Vick's deal, hammered out principally between agent Joel Segal and Falcons president and general manager Rick McKay, is worth as much as approximately $130 million over 10 seasons, running through the 2014 season. But the final season of the deal almost certainly will be voided based on Vick's playing time, making it worth as much as approximately $120 million over nine seasons, through the 2013 season. Vick had two seasons remaining on his previous contract, meaning that he now is under contract for an additional seven seasons.

There were some reports Thursday that Vick, 24, had reached statistical benchmarks in his previous contract that would have voided the remaining two seasons and made him eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. That's technically true, but misleading. The old contract also contained provisions for the Falcons to "buy back'' those two seasons, an option they almost certainly would have exercised and kept Vick under contract through the 2006 season.

But they would have had to pay Vick about $5 million to exercise that buy-back provision, and it would have led to Vick receiving an additional $17 million or so in salaries and bonuses over the next two seasons. So the Falcons, facing a Dec. 31 deadline to decide whether to exercise their buy-back option, instead negotiated a new contract with Segal that lowers Vick's impact against the salary cap the next few seasons, and rewards him with about $37 million in bonus money.

Vick's original contract with the Falcons, signed after he was selected with the top overall choice in the 2001 draft out of Virginia Tech, was wildly complicated. It originally was to be for eight years, but voided to four. The Falcons bought back two seasons, making it a six-year deal. Vick again was able to make the contract void back to four seasons by reaching statistical milestones, but the Falcons again were prepared to buy back two seasons before these negotiations made that a moot point.

Vick's new contract is being hailed by some as the richest in NFL history, but that also is debatable. It has the highest total value, surpassing the 12-year, $115 million deal that Donovan McNabb signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, Drew Bledsoe's 10-year, $103 million contract with the New England Patriots (inherited by the Buffalo Bills when they traded for him), Daunte Culpepper's 10-year, $102 million pact with the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre's 10-year, $100 million agreement with the Green Bay Packers.

But Vick's deal is worth about $13.3 million per season, if it voids to nine years and $120 million, and that's less than the $14 million per season that Peyton Manning got in his seven-year, $98 million contract signed last offseason with the Indianapolis Colts, including a record $34.5 million signing bonus.

Mega-contracts in football are highly subjective, given that most annual salaries are not guaranteed and players often will be released or have their deals reworked long before they ever get to earn the salaries stipulated in the latter portions of such agreements. Some of the contracts are so complex that making comparisons is not easy, and all the details of how Vick's contract is structured are not yet clear.

What is clear, however, is that he will be very wealthy, and the Falcons will be able to keep their centerpiece player in the fold for a long time. Owner Arthur Blank said during Thursday's news conference announcing the agreement that he expects Vick to be "a Falcon for life.'' He called Vick "the cornerstone of the franchise, certainly.''

Said Blank: "From a personal standpoint, I'm happy I didn't have to sell my first-born to do this deal, which I deeply appreciate. Michael, I thank you very much, although it should be officially understood and known now that I work for Michael Vick. And Michael, though my wife is already on vacation in North Carolina, she's asked that we have an opportunity to send our youngest children to college and that she can keep her credit cards and things of that nature. This is the last suit I own. And I've given the keys to my house to Michael, so I'll be looking for a place to live . . . I'm thrilled that Michael now has enough money to complete his shopping for the holidays.''

Vick replied to Blank: "You tell Stephanie [Blank's wife] and the kids that they can get anything they want from me.''

QB Rushing Record?

Vick might be withheld from the Falcons' game Sunday at New Orleans because of a sore throwing shoulder. If he is, that might prevent him from having the first 1,000-yard rushing season by a quarterback in NFL history. Vick has run for 889 yards this season. The single-season league record is 968, by Bobby Douglass for the Chicago Bears in 1972 . . .

St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger participated in the Rams' practice Thursday and appears set to return to the lineup Monday night against the Eagles after missing two games because of an ailing shoulder . . .

Rams players received letters in their lockers Thursday from team owner Georgia Frontiere, saying she has no intention of firing Coach Mike Martz . . .

San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay, already sidelined by a foot injury, is scheduled to undergo surgery on his forearm next week . . .

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck practiced Thursday and likely will play Sunday against Arizona. He was knocked out of last Sunday's defeat to the New York Jets because of an elbow injury . . .

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer remained unable to practice Thursday and could miss a second straight game because of damage to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee . . .

Buffalo tailback Willis McGahee missed practice for a second straight day because of a bruised and hyperextended knee. His status for the Bills' game Sunday at San Francisco remained unclear . . .

Denver defensive end Trevor Pryce might play Saturday at Tennessee. He hasn't played since the opening game of the season and underwent back surgery in September . . .

Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye is done for the season and might need surgery for the injury to his right lower leg that plagued him for much of the season. Chicago fullback Bryan Johnson also will be sidelined for the remainder of the season and probably will have to undergo surgery for a foot injury . . .

Dallas placed linebacker Al Singleton on the injured reserve list because of an abdominal and groin injury . . .

Representatives of Jacksonville Jaguars safety Donovin Darius are preparing an appeal of the $75,000 fine imposed on him Tuesday by the league for last Sunday's forearm hit on Packers wide receiver Robert Ferguson.