Oh, to be young and quarterbacking in the NFL and represented by Tom Condon.
That has been a lucrative combination in the past six months.
Condon has cemented his status atop the pecking order of agents by negotiating one mega-contract after another for his quarterback clients since last season. Most recently, he and Ken Kremer, an associate at IMG Football, completed a seven-year, $64.197-million extension Wednesday for New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.
It was the culmination of an impressive run that began with the seven-year, $98-million deal he completed for Peyton Manning in March with the Indianapolis Colts. That deal included a league-record signing bonus of $34.5 million -- $14.5 million more than the previous record, and all to be paid in two installments by next March.
In May, Condon, who is based in Kansas City, Mo., negotiated a four-year, $19.074-million extension for Marc Bulger with the St. Louis Rams that included a $9-million signing bonus (the deal actually was a three-year, $17.25-million contract after Bulger signed the one-year, $1.824-million tender that the team made him in restricted free agency).
In July came the richest rookie contract in NFL history for Eli Manning, Peyton's younger brother, with the New York Giants. Condon and Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi hammered out a wildly complex six-year, $45-million deal that includes $20 million in bonus money for the top overall choice in April's draft. That came after the Manning family prompted the draft-day trade that sent Eli Manning from San Diego to New York by having Condon inform the Chargers that Manning wouldn't play for them.
Now comes Pennington's agreement, which includes $23 million in bonus money and keeps the quarterback with the Jets through the 2011 season because it takes effect after he earns the $4.574 million salary for this season that was owed to him under the terms of his previous contract. The $23 million in bonuses is the second-highest total in league history, behind Peyton Manning's signing bonus.
That's $86.5 million in bonus money and $226.271 million in total contracts in four sets of negotiations for quarterbacks since March. (NFL agents generally receive a representation fee of 3 percent from their clients.)
And that doesn't count the deal that Condon negotiated with the Dallas Cowboys that likely will pay Drew Henson, a baseball bust turned rookie quarterback, about $3.5 million over the next four seasons. It hasn't been only quarterbacks, either: Condon client LaDainian Tomlinson became the league's highest-paid running back with the six-year, $60-million extension he signed with the San Diego Chargers last month.
Condon's detractors maintain that he tries to hit a financial home run in every negotiation, and sometimes the result is not what's best for the player. He and quarterback Tim Couch rejected the Cleveland Browns' proposal to cut Couch's salaries from $7.6 million this season and $8 million in 2005 to $3 million this season and $3.5 million in 2005. The Browns' proposal reportedly included an additional $3 million in possible incentives, and would have kept Couch in Cleveland as the likely starter. But when Couch and Condon said no, the Browns signed free agent Jeff Garcia to be their starter and put Couch on the trading block.
The Green Bay Packers were interested and wanted Couch to sign a two-year contract if they were going to trade a draft pick for him. Couch and Condon resisted, wanting a one-year deal that would enable Couch to be on the free agent market next spring. The stalemate kept Couch in limbo, costing him offseason practice time with the Packers. The Browns eventually got tired of waiting and released Couch, and he signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with Green Bay in June and was slated to back up Brett Favre. He's had trouble picking up the offense and has been bothered by a sore arm, however, and appears in danger of being cut before the season, putting the NFL future of the former top overall draft selection in doubt.
Still, even Condon's critics cannot say that he not is a masterful deal-maker. He got Eli Manning to training camp on time despite significant salary-cap obstacles stemming from the timing of the Giants-Chargers trade. Condon and Accorsi had to, in effect, squeeze a contract worthy of the top pick into the salary cap slot of a fourth overall choice, which the Giants had used on quarterback Philip Rivers before sending him to the Chargers in the trade. No problem. Condon arrived at the Giants' training camp in Albany, N.Y., and the two men worked practically around the clock in the days before the players' reporting date. Accorsi emerged praising Condon's professionalism.
In the Pennington negotiations, Condon and Kremer worked frantically with the Jets to beat the Sept. 1 deadline established by the Pennington camp to cut off the negotiations until after the season if no agreement was in place. Pennington didn't want the distraction of contract talks taking place during the season. He relented when it became clear in recent days that a deal was near, and expressed a willingness to postpone the deadline until this weekend. But it wasn't necessary.
Burbank Sends Carter Case to Arbitrator
NFL special master Stephen B. Burbank has ruled that the Quincy Carter case does not fall under his jurisdiction, sending the matter to an arbitrator as a non-injury grievance.
The NFL Players Association is charging the Cowboys with wrongful termination for releasing Carter on Aug. 4. The union filed the case with Burbank, the University of Pennsylvania law professor in charge of resolving disputes stemming from the league's collective bargaining agreement. The league and the Cowboys argued that the case did not belong before Burbank, and prevailed.
The league and the Cowboys also seem to believe that the case is irrelevant now that Carter has signed with the Jets, but the union appears intent upon continuing to pursue the matter. The union was prepared to seek lost pay and possible reinstatement from Burbank, and maintains that lost pay is still an issue and reinstatement still could be an option because Carter signed only a one-year contract with the Jets and his contract with the Cowboys was to run through the 2005 season.
The union also wants to investigate the initial reports that Carter failed a drug test administered by the Cowboys. Individual teams are prohibited by the collective bargaining agreement from conducting drug tests. Cowboys officials have told representatives of the league that they do not administer drug tests to their players. The union could have conducted depositions of Cowboys officials in the trial-like proceedings of a special-master case.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said the club did nothing wrong by releasing Carter, who reportedly violated the league's substance-abuse policy before he was released. The collective bargaining agreement prohibits a player from being released because of a failed drug test.
Hasselbeck Next?
The next big extension for an NFL quarterback could come between the Seattle Seahawks and Matt Hasselbeck, who's entering the final season of his contract. Agent David Dunn has been talking to the Seahawks for months about a possible extension for Hasselbeck, who reached the Pro Bowl last season after throwing for 3,841 yards and 26 touchdowns and leading Seattle to the playoffs. Hasselbeck, who turns 29 this month, is to have a $5.5 million salary this season. Tailback Shaun Alexander also is eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, but Hasselbeck appears to be the Seahawks' negotiating priority. . . .
The Jets' next negotiating target appears to be defensive end Shaun Ellis, who had 12 1/2 sacks and reached the Pro Bowl last season. Ellis was, like Pennington, one of the Jets' four first-round draft selections in 2000, and he's eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season. The Jets have been negotiating an extension with him that apparently would include about $15 million in bonus money and apparently have made re-signing Ellis a higher priority than re-signing fellow defensive end John Abraham, another 2000 first-rounder entering the final season of his contract.
The market for Ellis perhaps was set with the six-year, $33.4-million deal that Rosenhaus got for defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, last season's AFC sack champion with 15, when he was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears last month. That contract included $15 million in bonuses -- a $10 million signing bonus and a $5 million roster bonus next year.
Rosenhaus got defensive end Jevon Kearse $20 million in bonus money as part of an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in March in free agency. Free agent defensive end Grant Wistrom, represented by Condon, received a $14-million signing bonus as part of a six-year, $33-million deal with Seattle in March.
Cards Get Cason
A day after trading for Troy Hambrick, the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday claimed another tailback, Aveion Cason, off waivers from the Cowboys. The Cardinals are busy collecting former Cowboys runners, with Hambrick and Cason backing up Emmitt Smith. The tailback-needy Dolphins also put in a waiver claim on Cason, but he was awarded to Arizona because the Cardinals' record last season was worse. . . .
The Cardinals' acquisition of defensive end Peppi Zellner (along with Hambrick) from Oakland enables Arizona rookie Darnell Dockett to shift back to defensive tackle after a brief stay at end. . . . Defensive back Lewis Sanders re-signed with his former team, the Browns, after Jacksonville granted his request to be released.
QB Lowdown
Drew Brees is scheduled to start and possibly play into the second quarter in the Chargers' preseason finale tonight at San Francisco, then Rivers is slated to finish the game. Coach Marty Schottenheimer says the starting job remains up for grabs, but Rivers probably would have to take a big jump in his play to overtake Brees after missing the first 29 practices of training camp and two preseason games because of a contract dispute. . . .
Dolphins Coach Dave Wannstedt says he has a pretty good idea which quarterback -- A.J. Feeley or Jay Fiedler -- will be his starter entering the regular season, but he isn't ready to announce his choice yet. Feeley appears to be the front-runner. . . .
Rich Gannon and Kerry Collins are scheduled to take about 10 snaps each for the Raiders in tonight's final preseason game against the Rams, then Marques Tuiasosopo is to finish the game. The Raiders say that Gannon remains their starting quarterback, but Collins's superb preseason has many around the league wondering if there could be a last-minute switch. . . .
Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells said Wednesday that he is leaning toward second-year pro Tony Romo as his No. 2 quarterback behind starter Vinny Testaverde, ahead of Henson. "He manages the game probably a little bit better than Drew right now,'' Parcells told reporters. . . .
Koy Detmer is scheduled to start Friday for the Eagles against the Jets, with Donovan McNabb getting the night off as Coach Andy Reid rests his starters for the regular season. Detmer remains ahead of Jeff Blake for the Eagles' No. 2 quarterback job even though Blake, added as a free agent in the offseason after being released by Arizona, has completed 20 of 29 passes for 154 yards in the exhibition season. One key edge for Detmer is that the Eagles need him to be on the active roster for games (rather than in uniform but on the inactive list as the third quarterback) because he's the holder for kicker David Akers. . . .
Favre is scheduled to play the first half of Friday's game at Tennessee, and Coach Mike Sherman might play some of the Packers' other starters into the third quarter.
Bryant Still Hurting
Kicker Matt Bryant didn't participate in the Cowboys' practice Wednesday because of a strained hamstring and probably won't be available for tonight's game against Kansas City. If not, that would virtually ensure incumbent Billy Cundiff of keeping the Cowboys' kicking job. . . . The Cowboys still don't know whether safety Darren Woodson will be ready to play at the outset of the regular season after missing all of training camp following surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. . . .
Cincinnati center Rich Braham underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday but the Bengals hope to have him back by the regular season. . . . The Bengals claimed two linebackers off waivers, Marcus Wilkins from Arizona and Allen Augustin from Pittsburgh. That probably eliminates any chance that Cincinnati would sign veteran linebacker Kevin Mitchell, just released by the Washington Redskins. . . . Former starter Coy Wire is back in Buffalo's lineup at safety, at least temporarily, with Lawyer Milloy sidelined by a broken forearm. Milloy continues to vow to return for the beginning of the season.
