T.J. wants to stay
By GEOFF HOBSON
February 24, 2007
4:30 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS _ T.J. Houshmandzadeh disputed an internet report Saturday that speculated he wants his new agent to orchestrate a trade and that he wants a raise with two years left on his contract.
According to ProFootballTalk.com, Houshmandzadeh’s objective for hiring Kennard McGuire “as we hear it, is to get him out of Cincinnati,” because “maybe he doesn't want to play second fiddle to Chad Johnson. Maybe he fears that Chris Henry will eventually develop to the point where T.J. becomes expendable.” The site also speculated he wants out because he’s sick off all the Bengals’ off-field problems.
But Houshmandzadeh denied all those theories while confirming that he did hire McGuire because David Dunn is serving a NFL Players Association suspension that ends in the spring of 2008.
“No one talked to me about it. I don’t know where it came from,” Houshmandzadeh said. “They just want to say because I fired David Dunn there must be a reason. But I felt like I needed someone who is out there and working for me because you don’t know what is going to happen in two years.”
Dunn represented Houshmandzadeh when the Bengals signed him to a four-year, $13 million deal two years ago on the first day of free agency. It was a deal done after his first break-out season, but he says it satisfies him enough that he won’t hold out or go to the team looking for a raise.
The day he signed, Houshmandzadeh admitted he thought he could get more than the five-year, $17.5 million deal signed by Brandon Stokley late in the 2004 season. But on Saturday he recalled a conversation he had with former Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna before taking the first year money of $5 million in salary and bonuses.
“I hadn’t signed the deal yet,” Houshmandzadeh said. “And Kit told me, ‘If they came to you with this offer before the season you would have jumped at it. That’s how you have to look at it. When you remember where I was coming from on this team and the chances I got (62 catches, one touchdown in three seasons).”
Houshmandzadeh, 29, is coming off a career year of 90 catches, 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns for seventh, 16th, and fourth respectively in the NFL and besting Pro Bowl teammate Chad Johnson in all but yards.
“I don’t mind playing with Chad,” said Houshmandzadeh of his Oregon State teammate. “I don’t have an issue with any of these things. I’m cool.”
Houshmandzadeh’s $1.925 million salary in 2006 and pro-rated $3.5 million signing bonus computes to about $3 million.
That was compared to Johnson’s $6.7 million, Lavaranues Coles’ $7 million for 91 catches and 1,098 yards, and Terrell Owens’ $6.6 million for 85 catches and 1,180 yards. The top ten paid player’s average for ’06 was $7 .04 million.
“Hey, I’m just playing. That’s all,” he said Saturday. “They’ve got bigger things to worry about. When it’s my turn, it’s my turn. I’m going to be in this league for six, seven more years.”
-----
PFT.com webmaster/admins at a press conference 02/07
Bengals.com ridicules PFT.com
Linear Mode
