SunHerald.com : Meachem signing may have some hurdles to clear
excerpt:
General Manager Mickey Loomis and chief negotiator Russ Ball have knocked out more New Orleans Saints rookie contract negotiations during the last two weeks than Adam "Wackman" Jones has racked up felony indictments.
And that's saying something.
The Saints didn't start signing their draft picks last offseason until July 17 when cornerback Josh Lay signed, which was less than two weeks before training camp. Reggie Bush was the last to sign a year ago as the two sides agreed to a deal on Aug. 1.
This year is a drastically different tale as six of the Saints' seven draft picks already are under contract and we're not even in July yet.
Wide receiver Robert Meachem is the lone wolf as the No. 27 overall pick lurks as the only rookie still unsigned. Needless to say Meachem's negotiations won't involve astronomical figures like Bush's deal, but contract talks with the former Tennessee pass catcher may be trickier than a year ago.
The huge domino already fell on draft day last year when the Houston Texans completed a deal for No. 1 overall pick Mario Williams before Paul Tagliabue made the announcement. Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young wrapped up his contract just before training camp began and Bush's deal fit somewhere in the middle.
With a lack of skill players taken near Meachem, the likely barometer for Meachem's contract will be determined by the Kansas City Chiefs' first-round pick Dwayne Bowe. It's likely Meachem will play the wait-and-see game and keep a close eye on Bowe's negotiations.
Meachem signing may have some hurdles to clear
Meachem signing may have some hurdles to clear
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