Professor

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

Agent: Titans pay $1 million to keep McNair through 2006


By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer
March 2, 2006

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans decided Thursday to pay a $1 million fee that will keep quarterback Steve McNair with the team this season but allow him to become a free agent after 2006.

The move means the Titans won't have to pay a $50 million option that would have extended McNair's contract through 2009, the quarterback's agent said Thursday. Still, McNair will take up more than a quarter of the team's salary cap space.


The future of the NFL's 2003 co-MVP had been in doubt with the Titans facing pressure to get under the cap by Thursday.

"What this amounts to is they decided to pay $1 million and not add three years to his contract, so this is his last year. At the end of this year, Steve will be a free agent," agent Bus Cook said.

In addition to the deal for McNair, the Titans released left tackle Brad Hopkins, a 13-year veteran, and gave right guard Benji Olsen a new four-year deal to help get under the salary cap.

Even with the deal, Cook said McNair's salary cap number for 2006 will be $23.4 million. The cap is $94.5 million.

McNair, who shared the MVP award with Peyton Manning of Indianapolis three years ago, started 15 games in 2005 and threw for 3,161 yards. He has a won-lost record of 81-59 in his career.

He also is one of only five NFL players to throw for 25,000 yards and run for 3,000 more, along with John Elway, Fran Tarkenton, Steve Young and Randall Cunningham. He currently has 27,141 yards passing in his career.

McNair is one of only two players left on the roster from the team's days as the Houston Oilers. The other was Hopkins, who wasn't surprised when he got the word Wednesday he was being cut.

The Titans came into the week an estimated $18.7 million over the salary cap.

Mark Bartelstein, Hopkins' agent, didn't rule out his client returning to the team that drafted him in the first round in 1993. Hopkins ranks third in team history in games played with 194 and second in starts by an offensive lineman with 188, behind Bruce Matthews.



Updated on Thursday, Mar 2, 2006 4:31 pm EST

bigboy

So much is he going against the Cap this year?

bigboy

Never mind, it doesn't even matter look at his '06 hit"

MickeyG

i'm happy to see them keep him because he has been with them his whole career and if/when they draft a qb they will probably need him to start.

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PoppaPoe33

They might as well keep him because he's lost so much value anyway. As a mentor to Vince Young (if they take him), he's very valuable. Chances are though that he'll be out of there if the Titans need the funds to fix any holes on the team if Young works out well.

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bigboy

At this point I think they have take Young and groom him for a year behind McNair like they did with McNair. It will be weird seeing him in another uni next year though...

Professor

mcnair has been mentoring young from what I hear and this seems like the perfect place. Too bad Tennessee needs many more players with no cap room to spend in FA. They should take young and downsize salaries to go after an oline next year. There is no way that he should play this year and he might have a chance to suceed, if the league does

Master Jones

Mcnair has been a great player, but I don't see him going on much after this season anyway.

Professor

i didn't think he would be there this season, but when it seemed like they would get young, i kind of figured they would keep him around for another year.