DMD Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Just heard from reliable sources that Earnest Graham has Drew Rosenhaus now and that he wants a new contract enough to threaten holding out this season. The Bucs brought back Warrick Dunn in part in case Graham holds true on his threat because TB does not want to renegotiate his contract. The official word is that they are near a contract extension but it really is not that imminent at all, Graham wants something like the 5-year, $28 million that Gore signed last year. He is signed through this season for $600k currently. What a mess in TB if this holds true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Drew Rosenhaus That's all you need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalboyd Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I would not give that tyoe of money unless I was cutting Caddy. And he is my uncontested starter for the next 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Good thing they have Michael Bennett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Maybe they can convert one of their dozen QBs to the spot.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Graham wants Gore money? Â Â I think TB was proactive in this and was prepared to call Rosenass's bluff by signing Dunn. Let him sit without being paid for a year (reducing his earning life by that year also) and see how he feels about Gore money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 (edited) He won't get that kind of money, it is just a starting point. He really doesn't have a choice but to threaten to hold out. He can't be a running back that plays a major role on a team for 600k. Not in this day and age where RB's may not see tomorrow. The team knows this as well. They will get something done. Nothing near Gore money, but they will get something done. Edited May 8, 2008 by Seahawks21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I would not give that tyoe of money unless I was cutting Caddy. And he is my uncontested starter for the next 3 years. Â Maybe I am tired from traveling and miss the sarcasm here...you were being sarcastic, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Good thing they have Michael Bennett. Â And Cadillac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Maybe I am tired from traveling and miss the sarcasm here...you were being sarcastic, correct? Â I think he was being serious, but I also think he didnt mean Caddy is his starter for 3 years, just that if Graham were to be the starter for the next 3 years then he might be worth that kind of cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 He won't get that kind of money, it is just a starting point. He really doesn't have a choice but to threaten to hold out. He can't be a running back that plays a major role on a team for 600k. Not in this day and age where RB's may not see tomorrow. The team knows this as well. They will get something done. Nothing near Gore money, but they will get something done. Â Yes, you have to start somewhere...but Frank Gore money? Come on...That is a bad starting point. Rosenass and Graham's desire to renegotiate will not be taken seriously with that type of opening offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 That's all you need to know. He's been busier than usual with Barber, Boldin, and Graham all wanting new deals, then Shockey and Johnson demanding trades... Class act fo sho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 He's been busier than usual with Barber, Boldin, and Graham all wanting new deals, then Shockey and Johnson demanding trades...Class act fo sho. That takes a lot of time Monday- Make 5 phone calls- "Ready to pay my man or trade him?", "No?"," umm OK", "well he'll hold out." Tue-Make 5 phone calls- "Ready to pay my man or trade him?", "No?"," umm OK""well he'll hold out." Wed-Make 5 phone calls- "Ready to pay my man or trade him?", "No?"," umm OK""well he'll hold out." Thur-Make 5 phone calls- "Ready to pay my man or trade him?", "No?"," umm OK""well he'll hold out." Â repeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 big talk from Graham and his agent in May. We'll see. TB would be nuts to drop money on this guy after 1/2 a good season. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 (edited) big talk from Graham and his agent in May. We'll see. TB would be nuts to drop money on this guy after 1/2 a good season. . . Exactly... it's not time to move Cory Boyd up your draft list, but be prepared to do so if this continues. It may also, of course, gives more value to Warrick Dunn and last year's RB selection, Kenneth Darby. I guess you could bump Michael Bennett up a bit, too, especially in PPRs. Edited May 8, 2008 by darin3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 If he wants to holdout then he is more than welcome to. Check the Bucs history with holdouts and you will see that they will not budge. I think he should get a new deal at a fair price. He is not Frank Gore and will not get Frank Gore money. Let Dunn, Bennett, and Darby sort it out if Graham wants to be a sissy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 One thing is certain, Graham will not play for 600k for the Bucs this season. Nor should he. The life of a RB can be over in the blink of an eye, especially if you're a workhorse. If you're expected to get a few hundred carries, you have to be compensated for it, enough to set your family up for the long run. Tampa Bay knows exactly where Cadillac will take them....to the shop. They know they need Graham if they want to get back to the playoffs. Bennett?? Please. This will get done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 One thing is certain, Graham will not play for 600k for the Bucs this season. Nor should he. The life of a RB can be over in the blink of an eye, especially if you're a workhorse. If you're expected to get a few hundred carries, you have to be compensated for it, enough to set your family up for the long run. Tampa Bay knows exactly where Cadillac will take them....to the shop. They know they need Graham if they want to get back to the playoffs. Bennett?? Please. This will get done. Â Â No but but the gap between 600K to Gore money is huge. Ryan Grant is in a similar situation but is showing up and working on an extension at the same time. Â Huge difference in approach to a new contract, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 (edited) One thing is certain, Graham will not play for 600k for the Bucs this season. Nor should he. The life of a RB can be over in the blink of an eye, especially if you're a workhorse. If you're expected to get a few hundred carries, you have to be compensated for it, enough to set your family up for the long run. Â Â I always see you take this position, but you never advocate the converse position. Â So suppose TB were to rewrite Graham's contract, give him more money and extend his years, and give him a nice signing bonus. Then suppose he shows us all that he's nothing more than a very average RB (after all, his 4.0 ypc ranked 30th in the NFL for RBs who carried the ball 100 times or more last year), or even worse, shows us what I suspect he is, which is a flash in the pan who ran for 100 yds in a game exactly 3 times in his 4 year NFL career and who will get beat out by any RB who can show that he's mediocre or better. You know - he does an Olandis Gary. Â Do you think he'll return the lion's portion of the signing bonus in that event? By your logic, if he does end up showing us that he is a turd who got his 15 minutes of fame, isn't he responsible to not only return a large portion of that signing bonus, but also renegotiate his contract down so that he is paid commeasurately? Â As far as setting his family up for the long run, didn't he get a free college education in exchange for his ability to play football? Are you suggesting that he just pissed away that time and can't earn a living the way the other 99.9% of the people do to take care of his family once he no longer is playing football? Edited May 9, 2008 by Bronco Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 (edited) Â I always see you take this position, but you never advocate the converse position. Â So suppose TB were to rewrite Graham's contract, give him more money and extend his years, and give him a nice signing bonus. Then suppose he shows us all that he's nothing more than a very average RB (after all, his 4.0 ypc ranked 30th in the NFL for RBs who carried the ball 100 times or more last year), or even worse, shows us what I suspect he is, which is a flash in the pan who ran for 100 yds in a game exactly 3 times in his 4 year NFL career and who will get beat out by any RB who can show that he's mediocre or better. You know - he does an Olandis Gary. Â Do you think he'll return the lion's portion of the signing bonus in that event? By your logic, if he does end up showing us that he is a turd who got his 15 minutes of fame, isn't he responsible to not only return a large portion of that signing bonus, but also renegotiate his contract down so that he is paid commeasurately? Â As far as setting his family up for the long run, didn't he get a free college education in exchange for his ability to play football? Are you suggesting that he just pissed away that time and can't earn a living the way the other 99.9% of the people do to take care of his family once he no longer is playing football? While I do agree it's a silly prospect giving a player who's had half a good season a big new contract I still say that is the nature of the business. Graham has done much more on the field & is in a better position to repeat that performance than any rookie that has been drafted this year, yet several of them will be making a whole lot more money than him. Teams are taking a much bigger risk paying draft picks than TB would be paying someone who has already shown they can produce at a high level and at the very least is already familiar with the system. IMO he should get a new contract at least comparable to a high draft pick. But that still doesn't sway my opinion that holding out is just a cheap & idiotic scare tactic. Edited May 9, 2008 by rajncajn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Teams are taking a much bigger risk paying draft picks than TB would be paying someone who has already shown they can produce at a high level  Excuse me, Mr. Rosenhaus, but 4.0 ypc isn't exactly "producing at a high level".  Graham is a former UDFA that TB took a chance on and carried on their roster for 3 years prior to last year, and up to last year his rushing total production in the NFL was 52 carries for 215 yds over 3 seasons.  He's going to get paid $605,000 in 2008 given his history in the NFL so far? I'd say given his numbers & production that he's being paid fairly. Let's see him get his ypc up around 4.4 and tote the rock 350+ times, and then maybe he can start talking about Gore money. There's a fair chance he'll slip back into nothingness - he sure hasn't shown anyone that he's anything special, despite how much some FF owners love him. I look at him and I think immediately of Errict Rhett or Lamar Smith - and I'm sure TB hasn't forgotten Rhett... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duchess Jack Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Why not a one year deal at a more reasonable rate and a second deal after that if it is needed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawks21 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Â I always see you take this position, but you never advocate the converse position. Â So suppose TB were to rewrite Graham's contract, give him more money and extend his years, and give him a nice signing bonus. Then suppose he shows us all that he's nothing more than a very average RB (after all, his 4.0 ypc ranked 30th in the NFL for RBs who carried the ball 100 times or more last year), or even worse, shows us what I suspect he is, which is a flash in the pan who ran for 100 yds in a game exactly 3 times in his 4 year NFL career and who will get beat out by any RB who can show that he's mediocre or better. You know - he does an Olandis Gary. Â Do you think he'll return the lion's portion of the signing bonus in that event? By your logic, if he does end up showing us that he is a turd who got his 15 minutes of fame, isn't he responsible to not only return a large portion of that signing bonus, but also renegotiate his contract down so that he is paid commeasurately? Â As far as setting his family up for the long run, didn't he get a free college education in exchange for his ability to play football? Are you suggesting that he just pissed away that time and can't earn a living the way the other 99.9% of the people do to take care of his family once he no longer is playing football? Is this really the line you are going down?? Come on dude. Do you seriously believe that crap?? Â Ernest Graham was one of the principle reasons that Tampa Bay made the playoffs after several years of mediocrity. The dude was an absolute workhorse down the stretch. He will most likely be a workhorse again. Should he be willing to do be one of the lowest paid backs in the league and still be asked to carry the mail for this franchise? If your employer pays you for one job and then gives you way more responsibilities than the job they originally hired you for, they would have to compensate you for the added responsibilities or lose you as an employee. The same is true here. All parties involved know this and will act accordingly. Â As far as the reverse...you see players that have to re-structure contracts all the time. If a player is not performing up to his contract, he is asked to restructure, or given his outright release. It does work both ways. Â This is getting old Bronc. You follow me around and try to poke stupid little holes in my main arguments, and completely miss the main points. I can see not thinking he should deserve a raise...but the way you presented your argument is just ridiculous. Come on, be realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 This is getting old Bronc. You follow me around and try to poke stupid little holes in my main arguments, and completely miss the main points. I can see not thinking he should deserve a raise...but the way you presented your argument is just ridiculous. Come on, be realistic. Â @ thinking what you post is enlightening enough to "follow you around". You're usually on the wrong side of the facts as defined by the league, the union, and the CBA, and you manage to take every opportunity to spew your "working man's" drivel in every thread remotely connected to what you think is a player getting screwed over by his team in regard to compensation. Â Read my next post. I'm being completely realistic. Graham has proven very little other than he can do what 40 other RBs in the NFL can do, give or take a few. That doesn't merit Gore money - which is where the realistic part comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 ya know, if I were an NFL GM I think I would just not draft or sign any players represented by d00sh rosenhaus. it ain't worth the headache. ernest graham is holding out for a $25+ million deal? d00sh has jumped the shark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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