The latest on Edge and Vanderjagt

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Bill Polian hasn't closed the door on running back Edgerrin James returning to the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, but the team's president has all but ended the club's often acrimonious relationship with place-kicker Mike Vanderjagt.

Like James, Vanderjagt will become an unrestricted free agent Friday. Polian was asked Saturday during a news conference at the NFL Scouting Combine here if the Colts are in the market for a new kicker.

"In our minds, we are looking," he said.

"Mike will be free and he'll probably elect to go somewhere else. We figure it will be an area we have to fill.''

Repeated attempts to contact Vanderjagt have been unsuccessful.

Vanderjagt is the Colts' career leader in points (995) and successful field goals (217), and is the most accurate kicker in NFL history (87.5 percent).

However, it isn't a shock that those numbers likely won't result in the team offering him another contract. He and Polian have verbally sparred in the past over the team's decision to carry a kickoff specialist, and his most recent field goal attempt left an indelible mark.

After converting 23-of-25 field goals during the 2005 regular season, Vanderjagt missed badly on a 46-yarder in the closing seconds of a 21-18 playoff loss to Pittsburgh.

A few days later, Vanderjagt made an appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," during which he booted a 46-yard field goal on a New York street. No one with the Colts commented publicly on the appearance, but it was not well received at the team's complex.

Polian indicated the Colts might replace Vanderjagt from within. A candidate is recently signed free agent Shane Andrus, a kicker from Murray State. Andrus last kicked for the Kentucky school in 2002 -- he converted 26-of-36 career field goal attempts -- and has been working as a mortgage banker in Louisville, Ky.

James' status with the Colts is less certain, although at the least he is expected to test his worth in free agency.

Polian placed the odds of James returning to the Colts as "probably 50-50. But that's an uneducated guess, because I don't know.''

He expects to have a better idea once he discusses James' situation next week with Drew Rosenhaus, James' agent. The first question that must be broached: What type of long-term contract is James seeking?

"I honestly don't know,'' Polian said. "I haven't spoken with Drew.''

Rosenhaus was in town over the weekend to attend an NFL Players Association meeting with agents, but he refused to comment on James.

Coach Tony Dungy is optimistic James will return but conceded "we have a Plan B'' if that doesn't occur. That might involve finding James' replacement in the April 29 draft.

The Colts have been proactive in addressing their players who can become unrestricted free agents. They have agreed to long-term contracts with wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end Raheem Brock. The next priorities are linebacker David Thornton and determining whether it's realistic to pursue James.

The team also must make the appropriate one-year offers to its selected restricted free agents, most notably defensive end Robert Mathis and linebackers Cato June and Gary Brackett.

The uncertainty regarding the league's collective bargaining agreement makes formulating any long-term contract difficult. If owners and players don't agree upon an extension by Wednesday, restrictive negotiating guidelines will rule.

Without an extension, signing bonuses can only be prorated over four years. The so-called "30 percent rule'' will keep base salaries from increasing more than 30 percent each year over the first year of the contract. To satisfy the demands of an elite player, a contract must be "front-loaded,'' compounding a big signing bonus with a big base salary. That translates into a big hit against the '06 salary cap, which is expected to be $95 million.

Many teams won't have room under the cap to handle front-loaded deals.

In terms of retaining James, the Colts might benefit if there is no CBA extension. That probably will result in a less friendly free agent market for high-profile veterans. It's conceivable James wouldn't get what he wants on the open market and could return to the Colts for a more reasonable price.

 

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