CHANGE IN PLANS! AL HARRIS WILL BE AT CAMP. NO HOLDOUT!

[woodbuck27]

Sounds like his agent has a decent head on his shoulders - wanted to find out right away what was going on then immediately dismissed the "rumor" that Harris might hold out. His agent is probably telling Harris - "Hey, keep your F'n mouth shut, we'll get a deal done as long as you keep it down."

Yup. This is what I said on a thread yesterday:

" Now . . .what exactly are those options, that you may explore in your future Al, if you violate your contract with the Packers? I'm sure the Packers GM can explain to you the Packer Options, if you arn't back on the job at the end of July. Maybe you might advise your agent to talk to TT soon. Your saying way over the top too much, to stand you in any graces with 'the Packers'."

[Rastak]

Sounds like his agent has a decent head on his shoulders - wanted to find out right away what was going on then immediately dismissed the "rumor" that Harris might hold out. His agent is probably telling Harris - "Hey, keep your F'n mouth shut, we'll get a deal done as long as you keep it down."

Yup. This is what I said on a thread yesterday:

" Now . . .what exactly are those options, that you may explore in your future Al, if you violate your contract with the Packers? I'm sure the Packers GM can explain to you the Packer Options, if you arn't back on the job at the end of July. Maybe you might advise your agent to talk to TT soon. Your saying way over the top too much, to stand you in any graces with 'the Packers'."

Woodbuck, I think it's important for neither side to get nasty on this. The Packers have lots of options but Harris does have one or two himself.
I say the Packers hold most of the cards but Harris could turn himself into a royal PITA as one option...maybe he doesn't have the personallity. Option two is the fantasy hamstring injury that lingers all year. If I were GM, what would I do? Damn, I'm glad I'm not GM...this is a tough one. Maybe converting some bonus into gaurenteed money is the right was to handle it as someone else here suggested.

[woodbuck27]

Not so fast, Mad. This morning's Wilde article suggests that he is. I wish everyone would make up his mind...

Jason Wilde said what?

whaaaaaat , what, whaaaaat , . . . . . . .

Jason Wilde (to me) saying anything - doesn't hold much water. He's on 'the one track mine' boat.

[Scott Campbell]

Woodbuck, I think it's important for neither side to get nasty on this. The Packers have lots of options but Harris does have one or two himself.
I say the Packers hold most of the cards but Harris could turn himself into a royal PITA as one option...maybe he doesn't have the personallity. Option two is the fantasy hamstring injury that lingers all year. If I were GM, what would I do? Damn, I'm glad I'm not GM...this is a tough one. Maybe converting some bonus into gaurenteed money is the right was to handle it as someone else here suggested.

If he employs either of those tactics, he'll find himself at the end of the season still under contract to the Packers for 3 more years, but now he's 33 instead of 32. I'm not sure how that enhances his chances of getting paid. He'll have hurt the Packers, but he hasn't helped himself.

[Rastak]

Woodbuck, I think it's important for neither side to get nasty on this. The Packers have lots of options but Harris does have one or two himself.
I say the Packers hold most of the cards but Harris could turn himself into a royal PITA as one option...maybe he doesn't have the personallity. Option two is the fantasy hamstring injury that lingers all year. If I were GM, what would I do? Damn, I'm glad I'm not GM...this is a tough one. Maybe converting some bonus into gaurenteed money is the right was to handle it as someone else here suggested.

If he employs either of those tactics, he'll find himself at the end of the season still under contract to the Packers for 3 more years, but now he's 33 instead of 32. I'm not sure how that enhances his chances of getting paid. He'll have hurt the Packers, but he hasn't helped himself.

Yea, it for sure wouldn't get him a dime, just vengence if that's what he was after at some point. I don't know if he'd get much more in free agency if the Packers cut him next year because he was pulling one of those two options. Like you said, 32 years old....probably wouldn't be a lot of money in that market.

[woodbuck27]

"Maybe converting some bonus into gaurenteed money is the right was to handle it as someone else here suggested." Rastak

I do not disagree with that suggestion or possibility. What piss's me off Rastak is all the moaning (and the media reaction to it) we have to put up with over players that we count on, wanting to re-work a contract to suit whatever dam need comes to their mind.

It's the distraction of it all that bothers me. It really can't be a tug of war situation that results, as in this case, the Packers hold all the cards and we all generally want and need Al Harris in TC. TT certainly is counting on that as he's under contract.

If anyone believes this issue is going to simply blow over, I believe they are wrong. Al Harris's agent will talk to TT. . .soon and something may or may not get resolved. . . but outright handing over more money to Harris (in his approach up to today) isn't going to be one of them. If you look at Packer History I rest my case there.

Al Harris may get something written in, that gives him more money through incentive's, but his approach to this matter has been wrong to date. He needs to let his agent do ALL the talking.

Al Harris must keep his clam shut, and be the Al Harris we thought we knew.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

am glad to hear he's going to report b/c I was actually getting excited about having and good secdonary again. last time our secondary had this much potential was when we had butler, sharper, and MM.

[Row 67]

The fact he's 32 and the league just increased the salary cap is the only reason he's doing this. He has NO leverage next year, when he's 33. He probably knows that IF he is going to get more money, the time is now. He knows GB has some room, he knows he's getting older, he knows he's got a little leverage because he's still considered a good player.

If GB has a little salary cap room left this year, give him some sort of salary increase in his base pay, but I hope they don't go give him some big roster bonus and push any of this into future years. It'll just be dead money.

[jack's smirking revenge]

What a nice surprise. Maybe he realized that he has ZERO leverage. He'll probably see his money in the offseason.

tyler

[FavreChild]

Al will be fine. Everybody chill.

[RashanGary]

I was one of the 17% that voted yes.

I think Harris is just as serious as Walker. He just doesn't have the leverage becuase he has a long term deal. I hope Thompson just makes him sit and rot because this is a situation where he very easily could.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I think Harris is just as serious as Walker. He just doesn't have the leverage becuase he has a long term deal.

The length of his deal doesn't mean much. If Harris has 2 years or 20 years left on his deal, he has the same ability to force a trade through a holdout.

Harris is 4 years older than Walker, the clock is ticking much faster for him, he can't afford to miss a year. And if he is underpaid, I don't think it is by that much (although too complicated for me to evaluate.) These are the significant factors.

[RashanGary]

The length of his deal doesn't mean much. If Harris has 2 years or 20 years left on his deal, he has the same ability to force a trade through a holdout.

Harris is 4 years older than Walker, the clock is ticking much faster for him, he can't afford to miss a year. And if he is underpaid, I don't think it is by that much (although too complicated for me to evaluate.) These are the significant factors.

The biggest difference appears to be the length of their remaining deals. Walker only had one year left. He was going to sit out, show up the final 6 games and then go into UFA. He would have to give up the first 10 weeks of pay checks but he woudln't be risking injury and 1 mil is nothing compared to the 10 mil he'd get in UFA up front. He had every right and the power to sit. If I were him at that point, I would probably do the same thing because he was very likely to get paid in UFA.

Harris on the other hand has 3 or 4 years left. He would be losing 10/16ths of the seasons salary and when the season was done, he woudln't be in UFA. He'd still be property of the Green Bay Packers. He'd have to do it again the next year, losing another 10/16ths of his money. If he was stubborn he would do it again the following year and lose 10/16ths of that paycheck. At the end of the day, he'd have less money and no shot at UFA. He has no leverage becuase of the length of his deal. I'm interested to see how you view it.