BU54

Chiefs, Johnson in standoff over new deal


By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com

(July 19, 2007) -- We interrupt the wall-to-wall Michael Vick coverage that is going to last all summer to present another football story.

The biggest training camp battle isn't going to be between Kansas City quarterbacks Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. It's going to be between Kansas City running back Larry Johnson and the Chiefs.

Over the past month, the two sides have been on vacation, not having had any contract talks since around mid-June. But each side returned this week, the first contract proposal was sent to the Chiefs, and now the game within the game begins.

Johnson is said to be dug in, entrenched, refusing to report to training camp until he has a new contract.

The Chiefs believe Johnson already has a contract, which has one year remaining on it, scheduled to pay the running back over $1.9 million this season.


Larry Johnson wants a deal similar to LaDainian Tomlinson's, but the Chiefs aren't budging.

Johnson is seeking somewhere in the vicinity of $28 million in guaranteed money, which is an easy enough number to trace. Three years ago, San Diego gave running back LaDainian Tomlinson a deal that included $21 million in bonuses. Since then, the salary cap has increased about 35 percent, which would make the guaranteed money in Tomlinson's deal worth about $28 million. At this time, Johnson is unwilling to take much less.

The Chiefs have countered with an offer of guaranteed money somewhere between $11 and $14 million, which is the bonus money paid to some of the game's other highest paid running backs, including San Francisco's Frank Gore, who received $14 million worth of guaranteed money last spring; Seattle's Shaun Alexander, who received $13.5 million worth of guaranteed money last year; Arizona's Edgerrin James, who got $11.5 million worth of guaranteed money last year; and New Orleans' Deuce McAllister, who landed $11 million worth of guaranteed money in his extension in 2005. At this time, the Chiefs are unwilling to pay much more.

FULL STORY
NFL.com - NFL News

__________________
Bears always have and always will need a quarterback!! But not a MLB.


10-7-07 Bears 27,Packers 20
12-23-07 Bears 35, Packers 7
Then Brett Favre Retired...

Professor

yeah, cause he knows that if he plays on that garbage team that did nothing in the off-season but get worse, then he won't have a great year and then he won't get that money next year

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RoyWilliams

Add that to his age, wear and tear, and you can see the money just going down.

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BeastJacobs

Poor guy.

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gruntbygod

Trade him.

The best thing they can do

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Professor

I hear they are 14 million apart on a deal

NFL.com - NFL News

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BU54

Posted on Thu, Jul. 26, 2007
LJ holds out as talks stall
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star


RIVER FALLS, Wis. | Larry Johnson followed through on his threat to hold out from training camp when he and the Chiefs couldn’t agree on terms of a contract extension.

No surprise there. The revelation was that the Chiefs haven’t made a new contract offer to Johnson in almost two months.

“We’re very far apart, but I can’t tell you exactly how far apart we are because we haven’t received an offer from them since June 1,” said Alvin Keels, Johnson’s agent.

The Chiefs confirmed the date of their most recent offer to Johnson, saying they were waiting for Keels to make what they believe is a more reasonable proposal before they submit a new one.

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, their first-round pick, was unsigned and also did not accompany the Chiefs to training camp. The Chiefs also didn’t expect Priest Holmes to arrive until sometime today.

The Chiefs agreed to terms of a three-year contract with rookie kicker Justin Medlock, and he was with the Chiefs as they arrived in River Falls.

Keels wouldn’t specify what he’s looking for or what the Chiefs most recently offered.

“The money I’m seeking for Larry is not out of line with other deals that have been signed in the last few months,” Keels said. “People around the league would look at what we’re asking as being very fair.

“We haven’t been presented with anything we believe is fair. We’re prepared to sit out until the right deal is presented to us.”

Keels said Johnson would be prepared in case the sides bridge their negotiating gap.

“He’ll be working out, staying in shape,” Keels said. “He has a planned regimen he’ll be going through twice each day.”

FULL STORY
www.kansascity.com | 07/26/2007 | LJ holds out as talks stall

__________________
Bears always have and always will need a quarterback!! But not a MLB.


10-7-07 Bears 27,Packers 20
12-23-07 Bears 35, Packers 7
Then Brett Favre Retired...

RoyWilliams

Everyone wants a piece of that "new" money.

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