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Packers working to get Hawk signed
Top pick's deal a bit trickier
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: July 26, 2006
Green Bay - It has been 14 years since the Green Bay Packers have been in this stratosphere. And their last trip didn't go too well.
Back in 1992, the Packers drafted cornerback Terrell Buckley with the fifth overall pick. Buckley proceeded to hold out 50 days and his Green Bay career was short-lived.
The Packers are hoping for better luck with linebacker A.J. Hawk, who they took at No. 5 in April. But with training camp set to begin Friday, the odds of having Hawk signed don't appear great.
Packers vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt and Hawk's agent, Mike McCartney of Priority Sports & Entertainment, have talked daily for more than a week now. But little progress has been made for a couple of reasons.
First, Green Bay's 12 draft picks are more than any team in the NFL. And as of press time Tuesday, the Packers had just six of the 12 deals completed.
Secondly, as of late Tuesday, just three No. 1 picks had been signed. And Houston's Mario Williams, the top overall pick, was the only player chosen ahead of Hawk to sign. That's made it somewhat difficult for Brandt and McCartney to establish a fair middle ground.
Still, the Packers were holding out hope Hawk would be on the practice field Friday night.
"We're always hopeful. Cautiously optimistic," Brandt said. "And it's always about the greater good of the Packers."
Last year's No. 5 pick, Tampa Bay running back Carnell Williams, signed a five-year, $19.1 million contract. Williams received $11.65 million in his first year, including a $2.9 million signing bonus, a $5 million option bonus, $1.75 million in both a roster bonus and base salary, and $2 million in easily earned incentives.
Oakland safety Michael Huff, the No. 7 pick in the draft, signed Monday. And his contract - a five-year deal worth between $22.5-$26.5 million with $15 million in guarantees - figures to create an enormous amount of movement in the top third of the draft.
"We've always been willing to step out there if we find a willing partner," Brandt said. "Our goal is to put the players and the coaches in the best possible position to be successful. And hopefully doing it in a way that's fair to both sides."
The highest draft pick Brandt has negotiated is Jamal Reynolds, who was the 10th overall selection in 2001.
There are several elements to Hawk's deal that make it trickier than the average contract.
First, the contract will contain far more bells and whistles - things such as voidable years, escalator clauses, how bonuses are structured and how much guaranteed money Hawk receives - than the standard deal. Secondly, determining incentives will also be difficult.
For example, quantifying a running back's value can be done rather simply through things such as rushing yards and touchdowns. It's not as clear-cut with a linebacker, though. Tackles would be the easiest place to start, but the NFL doesn't recognize those as an official statistic. So adding all the incentives figures to be tricky.
"This will be different than the other contracts we've done," Brandt said.
Green Bay's rookie pool is $6,647,633 for its 12 draft picks. As of press time, Brandt had worked deals with second-round wide receiver Greg Jennings, fourth-round cornerback Will Blackmon, fifth-round offensive tackle Tony Moll, sixth-round defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, sixth-round safety Tyrone Culver and seventh-round defensive end Dave Tollefson.
In addition to Hawk, guards Daryn Colledge (second round) and Jason Spitz (third) - both projected starters - had yet to sign. But history shows most players not taken in the first round are signed before camp. Hawk could be a different story, though.
"Obviously, A.J. is the most intensive negotiation," Brandt said. "Unfortunately, there's no way of controlling when things happen and how things shake out in (the first) round.
"In a perfect world, you'd like to clear the deck and have a couple days of pure talk and negotiations. We're trying to move toward that. We'll see what happens."
Hawk (6-1, 246) is expected to start at weak-side linebacker from Day 1 and figures to be on the field virtually every snap. Hawk, an all-American at Ohio State, was a major difference-maker in college and is being counted on to give the Packers' defense an attitude and edge it's lacked in recent seasons.
For that to happen, though, Hawk probably can't miss substantial time. He already missed Green Bay's second minicamp and part of June's voluntary practices because of school. Any more absences would be a major setback in his development.
"I don't get into the contract stuff or worry about that," Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said last month. "But we certainly want (Hawk) here as soon as we can. He's going to be a big part of this defense."
From the July 27, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
There you go Packer fans.
Top pick's deal a bit trickier
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to Packer Plus
Posted: July 26, 2006
Green Bay - It has been 14 years since the Green Bay Packers have been in this stratosphere. And their last trip didn't go too well.
Back in 1992, the Packers drafted cornerback Terrell Buckley with the fifth overall pick. Buckley proceeded to hold out 50 days and his Green Bay career was short-lived.
The Packers are hoping for better luck with linebacker A.J. Hawk, who they took at No. 5 in April. But with training camp set to begin Friday, the odds of having Hawk signed don't appear great.
Packers vice president of player finance Andrew Brandt and Hawk's agent, Mike McCartney of Priority Sports & Entertainment, have talked daily for more than a week now. But little progress has been made for a couple of reasons.
First, Green Bay's 12 draft picks are more than any team in the NFL. And as of press time Tuesday, the Packers had just six of the 12 deals completed.
Secondly, as of late Tuesday, just three No. 1 picks had been signed. And Houston's Mario Williams, the top overall pick, was the only player chosen ahead of Hawk to sign. That's made it somewhat difficult for Brandt and McCartney to establish a fair middle ground.
Still, the Packers were holding out hope Hawk would be on the practice field Friday night.
"We're always hopeful. Cautiously optimistic," Brandt said. "And it's always about the greater good of the Packers."
Last year's No. 5 pick, Tampa Bay running back Carnell Williams, signed a five-year, $19.1 million contract. Williams received $11.65 million in his first year, including a $2.9 million signing bonus, a $5 million option bonus, $1.75 million in both a roster bonus and base salary, and $2 million in easily earned incentives.
Oakland safety Michael Huff, the No. 7 pick in the draft, signed Monday. And his contract - a five-year deal worth between $22.5-$26.5 million with $15 million in guarantees - figures to create an enormous amount of movement in the top third of the draft.
"We've always been willing to step out there if we find a willing partner," Brandt said. "Our goal is to put the players and the coaches in the best possible position to be successful. And hopefully doing it in a way that's fair to both sides."
The highest draft pick Brandt has negotiated is Jamal Reynolds, who was the 10th overall selection in 2001.
There are several elements to Hawk's deal that make it trickier than the average contract.
First, the contract will contain far more bells and whistles - things such as voidable years, escalator clauses, how bonuses are structured and how much guaranteed money Hawk receives - than the standard deal. Secondly, determining incentives will also be difficult.
For example, quantifying a running back's value can be done rather simply through things such as rushing yards and touchdowns. It's not as clear-cut with a linebacker, though. Tackles would be the easiest place to start, but the NFL doesn't recognize those as an official statistic. So adding all the incentives figures to be tricky.
"This will be different than the other contracts we've done," Brandt said.
Green Bay's rookie pool is $6,647,633 for its 12 draft picks. As of press time, Brandt had worked deals with second-round wide receiver Greg Jennings, fourth-round cornerback Will Blackmon, fifth-round offensive tackle Tony Moll, sixth-round defensive tackle Johnny Jolly, sixth-round safety Tyrone Culver and seventh-round defensive end Dave Tollefson.
In addition to Hawk, guards Daryn Colledge (second round) and Jason Spitz (third) - both projected starters - had yet to sign. But history shows most players not taken in the first round are signed before camp. Hawk could be a different story, though.
"Obviously, A.J. is the most intensive negotiation," Brandt said. "Unfortunately, there's no way of controlling when things happen and how things shake out in (the first) round.
"In a perfect world, you'd like to clear the deck and have a couple days of pure talk and negotiations. We're trying to move toward that. We'll see what happens."
Hawk (6-1, 246) is expected to start at weak-side linebacker from Day 1 and figures to be on the field virtually every snap. Hawk, an all-American at Ohio State, was a major difference-maker in college and is being counted on to give the Packers' defense an attitude and edge it's lacked in recent seasons.
For that to happen, though, Hawk probably can't miss substantial time. He already missed Green Bay's second minicamp and part of June's voluntary practices because of school. Any more absences would be a major setback in his development.
"I don't get into the contract stuff or worry about that," Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said last month. "But we certainly want (Hawk) here as soon as we can. He's going to be a big part of this defense."
From the July 27, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
There you go Packer fans.
He is the franchises face for YEARS to come!
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