Randall Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Titans turn sour on McNair posted: Tuesday, April 4, 2006 filed under: Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals Steve McNair had to feel blindsided after learning Monday he can't train at the Titans' facility until he resolves his contract problem. McNair has a $23 million cap number and has a $9 million salary that the Titans want to slash. But it's sad and amazing that things got to the point where the team's franchise quarterback would be treated in such a cold manner. Sure, it's business. But McNair has endured a lot of pain and taken a lot of hits for the Titans through the years. He's been a responsible leader and a great team player. It wasn't his choice that his cap number jumped to $23 million. There was a $50 million option bonus in McNair's contract this year that was never going to be paid but was going to spark negotiations on whether to renew the relationship. No deal was reached by the start of free agency, so the Titans paid him $1 million to buy out the contract and make him a free agent after this year. McNair figures the Titans will draft either Vince Young or Matt Leinart, but he also wants assurances from the Titans he can stay with the team past this year. Now, it's going to be hard for the team to make him feel good enough to return and run the team. It's sad to see a great warrior leave the franchise under these circumstances. There is no guarantee the Titans will take Young over Leinart, but it's possible. Titans general manager Floyd Reese may see more upside in Young compared to Leinart, but that debate will play out over the next three weeks. What is an interesting scenario is if Leinart slips past the Titans and falls to No. 4. Can you imagine the pressure on Jets management to take Leinart even if they believe D'Brickashaw Ferguson should be their first-round pick? Early word is that the Jets won't trade up to get Leinart, and it's not out of the question for them to draft Ferguson over Leinart. Still, it's going to be hard for them to pass up a franchise quarterback who has the personality and talent to handle the New York market. Open market: Even though the pace of signings has slowed, it's still an active market. As of Tuesday night, 114 unrestricted free agents had deals to move to new teams while 93 had re-signed with their current teams. Last year, there were 210 total deals throughout the entire free-agency period. That number will be topped in the next day or two, and the free-agent period hasn't officially reached the one-month stage. What's even more amazing is that there have been 217 deals and there is still $319 million of cap room left, roughly $10 million per team. Stealth Schaub: Don't minimize the Vikings' interest in Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub, and don't discount the price he might get in a trade. Originally, the Falcons wanted a second-round choice, but it's not out of the question for them to get a first-round pick. The Vikings are looking for a young quarterback to develop, and Schaub has the West Coast offense skills that would work for Brad Childress in Minnesota. With the Vikings unlikely to get any of the top three quarterbacks in this draft, they might have to consider giving up a No. 1 to get Schaub. Dolphins bolstering secondary: The Dolphins continue to upgrade their secondary. They should be able to land Jaguars safety Deke Cooper in the next 24 hours. The Jaguars tendered Cooper a first-round choice last year as a restricted free agent. He will become the fourth addition to the secondary. Harrington hits road block: Joey Harrington's move out of Detroit might take a little time. He's decided that Miami is the best place for him economically and professionally. The problem is, the Dolphins don't want to give up a draft choice to get him a trade. The Bengals might be willing to give up a draft choice, but they will have a harder time getting a financial deal from him if he wants to go to Miami. The waiting game begins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTen Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 (edited) The problem is, the Dolphins don't want to give up a draft choice to get him a trade. The Bengals might be willing to give up a draft choice, but they will have a harder time getting a financial deal from him if he wants to go to Miami. The waiting game begins. Well what do they want to give the Lions in a trade? Edited April 5, 2006 by BigTen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
policyvote Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 The problem is, the Dolphins don't want to give up a draft choice to get him a trade. The Bengals might be willing to give up a draft choice, but they will have a harder time getting a financial deal from him if he wants to go to Miami. The waiting game begins. Well what do they want to give the Lions in a trade? 1404259[/snapback] The problem is that the Lions want at least a sixth-rounder, but Miami has already traded its fifth- and sixth-rounders. So, something has to give. It's been speculated that a future pick will be involved. Peace policy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 The problem is that the Lions want at least a sixth-rounder, but Miami has already traded its fifth- and sixth-rounders. So, something has to give. It's been speculated that a future pick will be involved. Peace policy 1404335[/snapback] There is next year(for picks) but if it looks like he'll be cut getting anything may be hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTen Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 The problem is that the Lions want at least a sixth-rounder, but Miami has already traded its fifth- and sixth-rounders. So, something has to give. It's been speculated that a future pick will be involved. Peace policy 1404335[/snapback] I was making a point that the article states that they do not want to give up a pick period (as a Lions fan I do not care when the pick is or what year, get something). You know the old joke about we will give you a six pack and a bag of balls for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 I would be 100% shocked to se the Bengals grab him. 2 1st round QBs on the roster isn't good IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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