Report: Colts in talks for Alex Mack (mega-merge)

[Superman]

I'd argue they would fall into Art 9 (3)(e)(ii.)

 

"Any modifications of and additions to the terms contained in the NFL Player Contract requested by the Restricted Free Agent and acceptable to the New Club, that relate to non-compensation terms (including guarantees, no-cut, and no-trade provi­sions) of the Restricted Free Agent's employment as a football player (which shall be evidenced either by a copy of the NFL Player Contract, marked to show changes, or by a written brief summary contained in or attached to the Offer Sheet)."

 

All Article 5 says is that options aren't a part of the standard NFL contract in the appendix, not that they can't be.

 

I'll let you two figure that out. I know no-tag clauses can be included in contracts, and it was my understanding that it would have to be matched by the original team. 

 

Either way, I still don't like our chances of prying Mack away from the Browns, not without reaching terms on a trade. And I don't really want us to do that.

[AgentOrange]

I'd argue they would fall into Art 9 (3)(e)(ii.)

 

"Any modifications of and additions to the terms contained in the NFL Player Contract requested by the Restricted Free Agent and acceptable to the New Club, that relate to non-compensation terms (including guarantees, no-cut, and no-trade provi­sions) of the Restricted Free Agent's employment as a football player (which shall be evidenced either by a copy of the NFL Player Contract, marked to show changes, or by a written brief summary contained in or attached to the Offer Sheet)."

 

All Article 5 says is that options aren't a part of the standard NFL contract in the appendix, not that they can't be.

This is the part I'm referring to:

Section 1. Prohibition: Other than as provided for in Article 7, Section 7 (rookie contracts), any option clause must be negotiated as a separate addendum to the NFL Player Contract form, and any negotiated option clause must state the dollar amount(s) of Salary to be paid to the player during the option year.

Separate addendums, by definition, would not be a part of the Principle Terms.

 

[bavanlan]

This is the part I'm referring to:

Section 1. Prohibition: Other than as provided for in Article 7, Section 7 (rookie contracts), any option clause must be negotiated as a separate addendum to the NFL Player Contract form, and any negotiated option clause must state the dollar amount(s) of Salary to be paid to the player during the option year.

Separate addendums, by definition, would not be a part of the Principle Terms.

Principle Terms ARE defined, though in the section I quoted above. That would include options as a non compensation term.

All that section says is that if you've got an option, you need to add it into the standard contract.

[AgentOrange]

Principle Terms ARE defined, though in the section I quoted above. That would include options as a non compensation term.

 

That section specifically lists what is included in non-compensation items. The section on Principle Terms is very specific as to what it includes. Option years are not included, nor is there any reference to them under Principle Terms whatsoever.

All that section says is that if you've got an option, you need to add it into the standard contract.

 

No, it clearly states that all options must be in a seperate addendum. I don't know how it could be stated any more clearly than it is.

[csmopar]

i'm now curious to as to when an offer will be made, something is up, otherwise at least one team would have made an offer to him, granted Mack only has to take one back, so the question is, who or whom is he waiting on?

[PrincetonTiger]

i'm now curious to as to when an offer will be made, something is up, otherwise at least one team would have made an offer to him, granted Mack only has to take one back, so the question is, who or whom is he waiting on?

That is a very good question

[bavanlan]

Alex Mack’s agents believe that an offer sheet for the transition-tagged center can be crafted that the Browns won’t match.  Alex Mack’s agents have yet to find any takers, even though getting Mack would entail no compensation to Cleveland.

 

A full week into free agency, Mack has had no visits and by all appearances has generated no interest.  And for good reason.  With the poison pill eliminated under the 2011 labor deal, there’s no way to craft a long-term deal that puts the Browns in a corner without putting the team that signs Mack to an offer sheet into that same corner.

 

As a result, the still cap-rich Browns would likely match the offer, unless it grossly overpays Mack even more than his $10 million transition tender would pay on a one-year deal.

 

That said, there are ways to ensure that Mack would make it to the open market in 2015, if a team would be interested in pursuing him then.  For example, Mack could be signed to an offer sheet that pays him $10 or more for 2014, with an enormous option bonus or roster bonus due on the first day of the 2015 league year.  If the Browns were to match the deal, they’d have to cut Mack before, for example, $50 million is owed in March of next year.

 

The offer sheet also could consist of a one-year deal with a commitment to not use the franchise or transition tag in 2015.  This would ensure that Mack hits the open market next year.

 

Any team that signs Mack to an offer sheet like that risks creating the perception that it’s not happy with the current starting center or that it anticipates pursuing a new center in 2015.  There’s also a risk that the freedom the team helps finagle will blow up on that team next year, if Mack signs with another team in the same division.

 

Regardless, Mack’s best play would be to sign the transition tender before the Browns realize that they’re offering to pay $10 million for one year to a center and rescind the offer.  If no offer is going to come from another team, Mack needs to realize that, if the tender is yanked in April, May, or June, the money on the open market won’t be anywhere close to $10 million per year.

 

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/18/alex-mack-still-getting-no-interest/

[AgentOrange]

What you have provided is talking about bonuses - roster bonuses, work-out bonuses, etc.. It says nothing of optional years (what you suggested). No one is arguing that different bonuses would not be part of the principle terms the Browns have to match.

[BpG]

23 pages, and not one offer has been made. 

[SilentHill]

23 pages, and not one offer has been made. 

 

Thank god.

[CRASH]

Profootballtalk reports free agent C Alex Mack hasn't taken any visits and is generating no interest.

As Mike Florio points out, it might be best for Mack to sign the one-year, $10.039 million transition tender the Browns slapped him with before GM Ray Farmer rescinds the offer. The money around the league is starting to dry up one week into free agency, so the chances of Mack landing a deal he likes appear slim. He can earn the hefty salary in 2014 and hit the open market again next March.

 

 

Source: Profootballtalk on NBC Sports

 

Maybe this puts it to bed.

[Tark The Shark]

So I am assuming that because no offer has been made yet, we aren't actively pursuing him?

[AgentOrange]

23 pages, and not one offer has been made. 

 

Not even a visit has been made.

[husker61]

 

Profootballtalk reports free agent C Alex Mack hasn't taken any visits and is generating no interest.

As Mike Florio points out, it might be best for Mack to sign the one-year, $10.039 million transition tender the Browns slapped him with before GM Ray Farmer rescinds the offer. The money around the league is starting to dry up one week into free agency, so the chances of Mack landing a deal he likes appear slim. He can earn the hefty salary in 2014 and hit the open market again next March.

 

 

Source: Profootballtalk on NBC Sports

 

Maybe this puts it to bed.

 

 

pretty much what i said weeks ago. 10 million for a center is a great contract!

 

i can't believe there are close to 1,000 posts on this.

[Superman]

Meanwhile:

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith deal: $14.25 million, $7.25M guaranteed, salaries $2.5M, $3.75M, $2.5M, $3.5M. $2.5 first-year salary fully guaranteed

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL)

March 18, 2014

 

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Meanwhile:

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith deal: $14.25 million, $7.25M guaranteed, salaries $2.5M, $3.75M, $2.5M, $3.5M. $2.5 first-year salary fully guaranteed

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL)

March 18, 2014

 

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

Jep, that is surprisingly inexpensive.

[jvan1973]

Meanwhile:

https://twitter.com/RavensInsider/status/446018867585105921

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

why would the packers let him walk? How could that have been the best offer he got. Something doesn't seem right

[Gavin]

Meanwhile:

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith deal: $14.25 million, $7.25M guaranteed, salaries $2.5M, $3.75M, $2.5M, $3.5M. $2.5 first-year salary fully guaranteed

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL)

March 18, 2014

 

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

Maybe Grigson didn't see him as a locker room fit? Just throwing an idea out there. Of course there is the idea Smith didn't want to come here...Though I find that unlikely, Also there is the idea that Grigson and staff just didn't think he was that good......Which would be a huge cause for concern if he thought that

[Superman]

Jep, that is surprisingly inexpensive.

 

 

 

I don't usually play the "WE COULD HAVE SIGNED HIM INSTEAD!!!" game, because we don't know the behind the scenes. I think EDS is a really good center, and easily worth what he got. But maybe there are red flags that we don't know about. Maybe he wanted to go to Tampa; I don't think he visited anyone else, and he was down there for two or three days before the deal got done, per reports. 

 

But if we had offered four years, $20m, I think we could have had him. And that would have been very sensible, much better value than whatever Mack winds up getting. Hard not to be disappointed after seeing the numbers on his deal. 

[Gavin]

why would the packers let him walk? How could that have been the best offer he got. Something doesn't seem right

Yeah O Line talent evaluation

[jvan1973]

Yeah O Line talent evaluation

by every team in the league? highly doubtful

[SilentHill]

Alex Mack needs to sign that tender and do it quick. The Center market is crashing.

[IndyScribe]

What seems weird to me is why Packers let EDS walk, and how he got signed for cheap if he was really good. I looked at what Packers fan thought about it, and they said he ok, and not as good as anyone thought he was.

[Gavin]

by every team in the league? highly doubtful

Not every team in the league needed a Center

[jvan1973]

Not every team in the league needed a Center

Ok, every team that needed a center wouldn't have given him a better deal? There is something that we don't know about

[coltnorth]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

[Smurphy1]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

Stop making posts of reason and sense. Can't you see we are doomed here?

[PeterBowman]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

where did you see they can't negotiate until 3/22? if that's true, then that means there's still a chance (how big, who knows)

[jvan1973]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

i don't think this is accurate

[Gavin]

Ok, every team that needed a center wouldn't have given him a better deal? There is something that we don't know about

Oh I agree there is something we dont know about, Perhaps it is teams just being uncertain of his true ability given the Guards he had on either side of him(Though in my opinion from what I see, without knowing the blocking assignments and only knowing who he is blocking(and based on reading a ton of informative articles on blocking schemes and assignments in those schemes) he is pretty good. He does have the 12th most guaranteed money according to Spotrac however at $7.25 mill...He is also the 12th highest paid Center in the league. Maybe Smith wasn't looking to cash in a butt load of money. All kinds of possibilities.

[jvan1973]

Oh I agree there is something we dont know about, Perhaps it is teams just being uncertain of his true ability given the Guards he had on either side of him. He does have the 12th most guaranteed money according to Spotrac however at $7.25 mill...He is also the 12th highest paid Center in the league. Maybe Smith wasn't looking to cash in a butt load of money. All kinds of possibilities.

Well its not like he was chasing a ring with the buccs

[bavanlan]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

 

I don't see it in the CBA, but it's all over the internet.  Apparently it went out in a press release or a memo?

 

Bravo.  

[bavanlan]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/six-nfl-players-tagged-2014-003709667--nfl.html

[Buck Showalter]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

What so this thread won't get any more posts or grow for four days???

 

and then if the Colts make Mack an offer, fans will have to wait seven more days while Cleveland decides if it wants to match???

 

insanity...

[BlueCollarColts]

Meanwhile:

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith deal: $14.25 million, $7.25M guaranteed, salaries $2.5M, $3.75M, $2.5M, $3.5M. $2.5 first-year salary fully guaranteed

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL)

March 18, 2014

 

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

Does no one ever wonder why he only got 4 years 20 million?

[Coffeedrinker]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

I don't think that's true.  Everything I've read indicates that teams could start negotiating with the transition player when free agency started.  Nothing has happened with Worilds because he signed the transition offer and took himself off the market.

[Coffeedrinker]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/six-nfl-players-tagged-2014-003709667--nfl.html

 

 

I don't think that's true.  Everything I've read indicates that teams could start negotiating with the transition player when free agency started.  Nothing has happened with Worilds because he signed the transition offer and took himself off the market.

I stand corrected.

[ColtsBlueFL]

One really important thing people don't seem to know. You can't negotiate with a player who was transition tagged until march 22. Cant visit either. That's why there is nothing doing with Mack right now. Teams are making enquiries but that's all that's allowed. Same deal with the OLB from the steelers.

Maybe I got info my info from wrong year... checking. ( I thought frame was from 3/3 to July 22, but we'll see)

 

No matter, Browns confident no one will pry Mack away-

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/tag/_/name/2014-nfl-franchise-tag

[Mameluc]

Not every team in the league needed a Center

Ravens and Colts have well respected Scouting departments. both had a glaring Hole at C.

 

The packers are highly respected and they didnt even tried to get him. More importantly they haev a giantic hole at C and they know everything about him.

 

Andy Reid just lost like 2-3 inside guys and He LOVES getting OL and he wasnt pursued either (i know they dont need a C but myabe as a G?)

 

Patriots are supposed to be moving on from Wendell, another well respected soucting department who didnt want him with a needat C. 

 

There MUST be something else. Maybe he aint that good. maybe injuries?

[NewColtsFan]

Meanwhile:

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith deal: $14.25 million, $7.25M guaranteed, salaries $2.5M, $3.75M, $2.5M, $3.5M. $2.5 first-year salary fully guaranteed

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL)

March 18, 2014

 

We could have had him for four years, $20m, which is less than I thought he'd get. My heart hurts...

 

Another reason why I think we're laying low -- in the weeds, if you will -- for Mack.

 

Letting all the other guys get signed doesn't make sense to me unless there's a plan in place to try for Mack......   at the right time.    And I assume that time hasn't come just yet....

 

Just guessing......    (as if you couldn't tell!)