rajncajn Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2785966 Falcons reach six-year, $18M deal with Ravens FB The Falcons had a good fullback in Justin Griffith, but they decided to go bigger and more expensive. On Friday, the Falcons reached a six-year, $18 million deal with Ravens fullback Ovie Mughelli that included a $5 million signing bonus. The blockbuster deal is the biggest contract given to a pure fullback. Mughelli is the second Ravens player to leave in the first day of free agency. Right tackle Tony Pashos signed a five-year, $24 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The reason for the Mughelli big deal is competition. The Dolphins were interesed in putting Mughelli with featured running back Ronnie Brown. Cam Cameron, the Dolphins new head coach, wanted to copy the one-two backfield put he had in San Diego with LaDainian Tomlinson and fullback Lorenzo Neal by matching Mughelli with Brown. As the free agency opened early Friday morning, Mughelli had offers of $2.75 million a year, which was roughly $800,000 over Neal, who negotiated the league's highest fullback extension on Thursday. John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 The USA Today salary database wasn't updated for 2006, but the highest paid FB in 2005 was about $2.8 million. Given that the cap in 2007 is some $25 million greater per team than it was two years ago, $3M for a coveted FB isn't out of whack at all. Weird signing for the Falcons however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I like Mughelli a lot but comon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabuffbills Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 maybe if it was Lorenzo Neal or someone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 maybe if it was Lorenzo Neal or someone Bingo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Bingo! I've honestly never heard of the guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Maybe they plan on bringing Jamal Lewis in too and thought having the FB he's familiar with would be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I've honestly never heard of the guy. Of which guy? Neal or the Ravens guy? If youve never heard of Neal, you might wanna learn more about players NOT on the Bucs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Of which guy? Neal or the Ravens guy? If youve never heard of Neal, you might wanna learn more about players NOT on the Bucs. Haha, no the Ravens guy not Neal. Neal was actually on the Bucs for a season back in 98 I believe. We of course kept Alstott who cannot block and the rest is history. But seriously, I consider myself pretty up to date with football and I dont think I've ever heard of this Baltimore FB guy. Maybe I just have selective hearing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Haha, no the Ravens guy not Neal. Neal was actually on the Bucs for a season back in 98 I believe. We of course kept Alstott who cannot block and the rest is history. But seriously, I consider myself pretty up to date with football and I dont think I've ever heard of this Baltimore FB guy. Maybe I just have selective hearing... Dont feel bad... I never heard of him either... heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 The position must be like catcher in baseball, where nobody grows up saying that they want to be one. Many of the good FB's in the league are past their prime. Last year the Vikes brought in many to look at but not many of those were under 30. Alstott, Henderson, Richardson, Strong are all getting old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Look at this list of FBs from nfl.com link Many of these wish they were 30 again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 maybe if it was Lorenzo Neal or someone Most scouting reports on Neal says he's in a pretty obvious decline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 The USA Today salary database wasn't updated for 2006, but the highest paid FB in 2005 was about $2.8 million. Given that the cap in 2007 is some $25 million greater per team than it was two years ago, $3M for a coveted FB isn't out of whack at all. Weird signing for the Falcons however. agree.... 6 years is bizarre though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 agree.... 6 years is bizarre though. Jebus Christ guys, the length of the contract is for one thing only, to spread out that cap hit. Because it is a 6 year deal, only 1 6th of the signing bonus counts each year he is on the roster. They cut him two years down the road, they take the rest up front, but it lowers his number for this year. If they like him at the end of each year, they re-evaluate his value AND cap number. It's not just about talent, it's about supply, demand and how much cap room you have now AND in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Just to add, he came on a lot the 2nd half. Had an increased number of carries and had a few key receptions as well. Scored a good bit for a FB in the 2nd half of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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