On Monday, reports first emerged that Chargers left tackle Marcus McNeill has signed a new contract.
On Wednesday, the Chargers announced the transaction that puts him under contract through 2015.
“Marcus is a extremely talented player,” G.M. A.J. Smith said in a team-issued release. “We look forward to him being an integral part of our offensive line for years to come.”
Jason LaCanfora reported earlier today that he’s “hearing” the deal is worth $48.5 million over five years, with $30 million paid over the first three. It’s unclear whether and to what extent any of the money is guaranteed; thus, we’ll defer comment on the details of the deal until we get a chance to look at the contract. Once thing we’ve learned this year is that long-term contracts touted as being worth big money often contain plenty of fluff.
Meanwhile, our rarely-accurate speculation from September 26 regarding McNeill’s decision to sign his restricted free agency tender ended up being accurate. By all appearances, the Chargers lured McNeill to seemingly cave in the days after the failed Vincent Jackson trade, creating the impression that the Chargers had “won” their game of chicken with the left tackle.
The fact that the deal came before McNeill accepted the injury risk arising from playing for a prorated base salary of $630,000 suggests that some winking and nodding occurred on or before September 25, and that the Chargers lived up to their end of the bargain.
The true value of that bargain remains to be seen.
That’s a fair contract for an excellent left tackle. So, it took the play of the San Diego offense to make A.J. Smith realize he’s making another mistake. All this could have been avoided. A.J. Smith is a Flaming Idiot.
GO STEELERS!
Who’s calling AJ cheap, now?
The lord of no rings just caved.
If J. A. Smith wasn’t such a dumb ass, he would have had him starting all season, and they might have a better record.
Good job J.A.
Good for him. That’s how it works for the rest of us. You show up and work hard to earn your pay.
San Diego….I believe that’s German for a whale’s vagina.
McNeill deal! Is that on the value menu?
AJ Smith is a moron… He needed to do this a long time ago. Pro-Bowl left tackles need to make money. It’s like what they say in the movie The Blind Side. I know people say its a corny movie, but personally, I love that movie. In the introduction, Sandra Bullock talks about how the QB is usually the highest paid player on the team, and more often than not, the left tackle is the second highest paid. She made the comparison that typically people’s largest expense is the mortgage, the next is the insurance. You feel you have an elite QB, get that insurance policy, protect what he can’t see coming. If Rivers gets hurt, that team is infinitely more screwed than they appear to be right now. Can’t believe it took so long. AJ Smith is in his last year or two with that team, as is Norv Turner. The worst GM in the NFL, the worst coach in the NFL.
AJ didn’t cave, McNeill and his agents did. The new contract, by the way, does NOT include the money that McNeill lost by sitting out the first several games of this season; that money for him is gone. Had he shown up in the first place, he would have been able to get this contract PLUS full pay for this season. He played his hand, and lost money. All he won was the contract he could have had in the first place.
Other teams’ fans who are on here gloating should look in the mirror. YOUR idiot GMs pay every time a player whines. At some point, your inmates are running your asylum, which means it will eventually be run into the ground. Union butt-kissers.
I’d say Mike Singletary is the worst coach with his pants up. Norv is merely average…but still better than Wade Phillips.
AJ Smith just needs to get laid