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04-06-2006, 01:01 AM
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Steve McNair is due to make $9 million in 2006 in the last year of his contract.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans' 11-year relationship with quarterback Steve McNair was crumbling Tuesday, perhaps beyond repair.
The Titans said they can't afford his $23.46 million hit under the salary cap a day after barring their winningest quarterback from working out at the team's training center.
Agent Bus Cook said that means they have three options: "It's either rework the deal to something that makes sense for us, trade him or cut him."
A deal may not be easy, either.
"You tell the guy who's the mainstay of the organization, the leader, to get out, that he's not wanted, that's pretty rough. I don't know what Steve will do or won't do. I imagine he would have a hard time going back over there," Cook said.
The NFL's 2003 co-MVP, McNair took the Titans to two AFC championship games and one Super Bowl. He is 81-59 in his career, but turned 33 in February and has played through a variety of injuries.
Now McNair is due $9 million in salary in the final year left on his contract. The Titans declined last month to pick up a $50 million option to stretch the deal through 2009, leaving McNair with a salary cap figure that takes up nearly a quarter of their cap space.
"We have no choice but to protect the club and its future from the possibility of having a significant amount of our salary cap at risk in a single player should he sustain a major injury," the team said in a statement. "This is entirely a risk management problem."
This latest move couldn't have been handled more clumsily.
General manager Floyd Reese, coach Jeff Fisher and a handful of other top officials were in Los Angeles for a private workout and dinner with Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart on Monday. The Titans hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, and owner Bud Adams wants a quarterback.
McNair reported for the team's offseason conditioning program when a trainer told him he couldn't work out for fear of injury. The team's general counsel called Cook and told him McNair can't return without a new deal.
"It was unfortunate the way this played out yesterday, but we think both Steve and Bus understand the team's position," according to the Titans' statement. "Other clubs facing the same dilemma have arrived at the same conclusion we did."
The Titans said they look forward to McNair returning once his contract is resolved. Cook isn't sure what McNair, whom he described as confused and shocked by the team's latest move, wants now.
The Titans said they had been negotiating in good faith with a quarterback who threw for 3,161 yards and played in 15 games last season. Cook said he's talked a couple of times about the deal but that general manager Floyd Reese called him Tuesday morning wanting to talk later this week.
"I don't see a way to restructure the deal and add years to a contract unless those future years have some guarantees with them," Cook said. "Why restructure the deal and in essence be paid the same amount of money this year that you're going to get anyway and add years that have no guarantees with them. It doesn't make any sense."
This certainly is the boldest personnel move by the Titans, who have spent the past few seasons working themselves out of a salary cap mess.
They let all-time leading rusher Eddie George attend offseason minicamps as he rehabilitated from two surgeries before releasing him in July 2004. Safety Lance Schulters kept working in their building as he recovered from a foot injury before being cut in June 2005 when they couldn't reach a new salary cap-friendly deal.
Associated Press
Steve McNair is due to make $9 million in 2006 in the last year of his contract.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans' 11-year relationship with quarterback Steve McNair was crumbling Tuesday, perhaps beyond repair.
The Titans said they can't afford his $23.46 million hit under the salary cap a day after barring their winningest quarterback from working out at the team's training center.
Agent Bus Cook said that means they have three options: "It's either rework the deal to something that makes sense for us, trade him or cut him."
A deal may not be easy, either.
"You tell the guy who's the mainstay of the organization, the leader, to get out, that he's not wanted, that's pretty rough. I don't know what Steve will do or won't do. I imagine he would have a hard time going back over there," Cook said.
The NFL's 2003 co-MVP, McNair took the Titans to two AFC championship games and one Super Bowl. He is 81-59 in his career, but turned 33 in February and has played through a variety of injuries.
Now McNair is due $9 million in salary in the final year left on his contract. The Titans declined last month to pick up a $50 million option to stretch the deal through 2009, leaving McNair with a salary cap figure that takes up nearly a quarter of their cap space.
"We have no choice but to protect the club and its future from the possibility of having a significant amount of our salary cap at risk in a single player should he sustain a major injury," the team said in a statement. "This is entirely a risk management problem."
This latest move couldn't have been handled more clumsily.
General manager Floyd Reese, coach Jeff Fisher and a handful of other top officials were in Los Angeles for a private workout and dinner with Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart on Monday. The Titans hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, and owner Bud Adams wants a quarterback.
McNair reported for the team's offseason conditioning program when a trainer told him he couldn't work out for fear of injury. The team's general counsel called Cook and told him McNair can't return without a new deal.
"It was unfortunate the way this played out yesterday, but we think both Steve and Bus understand the team's position," according to the Titans' statement. "Other clubs facing the same dilemma have arrived at the same conclusion we did."
The Titans said they look forward to McNair returning once his contract is resolved. Cook isn't sure what McNair, whom he described as confused and shocked by the team's latest move, wants now.
The Titans said they had been negotiating in good faith with a quarterback who threw for 3,161 yards and played in 15 games last season. Cook said he's talked a couple of times about the deal but that general manager Floyd Reese called him Tuesday morning wanting to talk later this week.
"I don't see a way to restructure the deal and add years to a contract unless those future years have some guarantees with them," Cook said. "Why restructure the deal and in essence be paid the same amount of money this year that you're going to get anyway and add years that have no guarantees with them. It doesn't make any sense."
This certainly is the boldest personnel move by the Titans, who have spent the past few seasons working themselves out of a salary cap mess.
They let all-time leading rusher Eddie George attend offseason minicamps as he rehabilitated from two surgeries before releasing him in July 2004. Safety Lance Schulters kept working in their building as he recovered from a foot injury before being cut in June 2005 when they couldn't reach a new salary cap-friendly deal.
Associated Press