Team works to sign Freeney for long term | IndyStar.com
excerpt:
Coach Tony Dungy decided to cancel Thursday's 14th and final voluntary organized team activity (OTA), well aware the players might have a difficult time concentrating under a searing sun. They received their Super Bowl rings in an emotional private ceremony the previous evening.
"It was the right thing to do,'' Dungy said Thursday. "Practice would have been anticlimactic.''
The conclusion of summer school signals the commencement of an extended vacation for Dungy and his staff -- they report back to the team complex July 23 -- and more casual conditioning for the players in preparation for the start of training camp July 29. The team's offseason conditioning program runs through the third week of July.
Here are a few issues to follow until training camp opens:
Dwight Freeney
Look for the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end to become the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Preliminary talks have begun between the team and Gary Wichard, Freeney's agent. The key date is July 15, the deadline for a long-term contract to be reached.
Failing that, Freeney must play under the one-year, $9.43 million "franchise'' tag for '07. If that happens, he figures to be a no-show throughout the preseason. The absolute earliest Freeney would sign the one-year tender is the week before the start of the regular season.
A long-term deal is in the best interest of both sides. It will afford the Colts room under the salary cap and allow them to lock up one of the NFL's most disruptive players (on the field) for the foreseeable future. It would also give Freeney long-term security.
Also - Corey Simon is getting cut, lol