Marcus McNeill signs one-year tender, reports to Chargers

Posted by Mike Florio on September 25, 2010, 1:40 PM EDT

The Chargers have their left tackle back.

Marcus McNeill, the restricted free agent who had until now declined to sign his one-year tender offer, has now signed his tender.

PFT has learned that McNeill signed the one-year tender only, and has not signed a long-term deal.

Prior to this season, McNeill had started every game but two in his NFL career. He’ll be eligible to return to the lineup after the Chargers’ next three games.

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56 responses to “Marcus McNeill signs one-year tender, reports to Chargers”

  2. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
    Dombrowski, you really stepped-up, homie!
    And McNeill… San Diego promises to look the other way on your recent transgressions. Thanks for coming back, good luck!

  3. Awwwww, poor spoiled baby thought about what might happen if he skipped this season’s paychecks… coupled with receiving none next season in the event of a lockout. The spoiled millionaires need to quit being little bitches and be thankful for the ludicrous amounts of money they make. Deep down I hope he gets hurt and will never see his next ridiculous contract.
    I’m not a hater, I’m just sick of seeing these pampered babies crying over millions of dollars while the regular Joes are held hostage having to pay their over-inflated and undeserved contracts.

  5. That is awesome!!!! I hope the Chargers give him the long-term deal he deserves. So tired of their hard-ball tactics that are giving them a bad reputation among players, agents and fans.

  6. I guess this is sorta good news for the Chargers. Seeing how he is not going to be able to be playing until week 5 or 6

  8. If they don’t give him a long-term deal right away, they should at least pay him the original full tender.

  9. I am a huge Chargers fan and I just can’t figure out what MM is thinking. If you are not going to sign your 3.x million dollar tender why sign a greatly reduced (407k?) tender?
    Was it watching the whole VJ fiasco that changed his mind or is there a possible long term deal in the works that required him to sign the tender first?
    Either way I am glad to have him back, now the Chargers just need to figure out whether his replacement Dombrowski can slid into the Right Tackle slot.

  10. Haven’t heard whether he signed the reduced tender or a revised offer, but signing the reduced tender would be very bizarre. It would also completely bail out AJ Smith, who made a hardball (and many said bridge-burning) move by dropping the tender to a ridiculously low amount. McNeill is worth more than that and everyone knows it.
    I know what everyone is going to say, but I would doubt the VJ situation affected this deal much. There’s probably more to this story that will come out.

  12. Hope he just takes up a roster spot with no real effort. AJ will have to cut him inorder to free up a roster spot. There’s going to be heat on Rivers if they put him in the starting line-up… how hard you think he’ll play? 20% of his potential? 30?

  14. If he signed the low tender, this would be a huge – although confusing – win for AJ Smith.
    Interestingly, the Roster Exempt decision now comes back to bite the Chargers.

  15. Why would this turn of events make you think it’s the end of the AJ Smith era, Von Clausewitz?
    Chalk this up as another victory for NFL management. AJ just showed players that holding out gets you nowhere with his franchise. VJ’s agents are probably the most pissed off dudes in town. This is a total win for AJ Smith.
    The only way the AJ Smith era ends is if the Chargers turn into a bad team or AJ decides to retire. And with Rivers, this team is still a powerhouse.

  16. This is great news! McNeill was the one I really wanted. He will get paid once the labor stuff gets worked out.
    VJax can sit out for all I care.
    Go Bolts!

  18. RaiderClay, you are lost. McNeil will be playing harder than anyone to earn the contract he was just holding out for. Playing at 20 percent will only cost him more money. That would not be a good idea. Not surprising such a lame mindset would come from a Raider fan. Way to prove the stereotype true with that comment!

  19. AJ Smith needs to go.
    What is the common link between LaDainian Tomlinson, Marty Schottenheimer, Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill? The assclown antics of AJ Smith.

  20. Floyd step up!!!! It’s your time to become a bonefide WR and win me some fantasy cash!! Chargers don’t need VJ. Nice to see McNeil back!

  21. Owner is blinded by his friendship to AJ. Smith did have some great drafts, but they have since dropped off.
    Unfortunately the Chargers have a cupcake schedule this year playing the NFC West and if they manage to beat division opponents they’ll make the playoffs again.
    The meltdown against the Jets should have Turner on the hot seat, but apparently it doesn’t.

  22. For those of you who don’t see the Chargers’ games: MM’s replacement has played very well. MM was losing standing week by week. With both, Chargers should have a good line.
    As usual, AJ is the one who played the hand the smartest, and a long term contract would not be a surprise

  23. Marcus McNeill was ALWAYS in the Long Term plans for the Chargers. Vincent Jackson was NOT in the long term plans. They made that loud and clear after he got pulled over on his way to the playoff game last year. He was NEVER going to get a long term deal, only a ONE YEAR TENDER. McNeill was in the Chargers plans all along. McNeill doesn’t need to play RIGHT NOW. He can get in “football” shape over the next 3 weeks. The Chargers are NOT hurting at left tackle so far. Revis of the Jets, held out, then played in game ONE, then got hurt BEFORE game 2. Different types of players brownsfn19.

  24. Brasho what are you talking about? His reduce tender was for like 400 something. Plus you have a problem with the millionaires, what about the billionaire owner? I know some retired nfl players who barely can move around so i dont have any problems with these guys trying to get as much as they can while they still have a job.

  26. musta gotten tired of eating Top Ramen and eggs. Its back to caviar and filet mignon for him.

  28. I think it’s hilarious whenever people criticize players for demanding better contracts. The real spoiled whiners are people like AJ Smith who want to reap the benefits of great players but don’t want to pay them what they deserve.

  29. I can see AJ telling McNeill that he wouldn’t start talking long term deals until he signed his tender. Who knows, but perhaps that’s the situation and in a few weeks, maybe even before his suspension ends, we’ll see him signed longterm.

  30. @brasho
    “I’m not a hater, I’m just sick of seeing these pampered babies crying over millions of dollars while the regular Joes are held hostage having to pay their over-inflated and undeserved contracts.”
    How are you held hostage?
    As for over-inflated and undeserved contracts, MM is not being paid on a par with similar player (not to mention players with lesser production), thus his contract is neither over-inflated nor undeserved.

  31. My God, the AJ haters in here just saw him destroy these two players’ “strategies to extort more money” and they just saw one of them cave, but they STILL think AJ is a loser. Listen, you idiots, it was player GREED and the mistaken impression that they could strongarm their employer that caused this…nothing else. The NY Jets GM, although that situation was more blatant because Revis not only was not an RFA but still had three years left on a contract, has now given his own players the keys to the safe. You think others there won’t be tempted to pull the same crap if they have a good year now and feel that they have outperformed their contracts? AJ did what he should have done, what he had to do, to remind the two players who has the gold. And you know the golden rule…he who has the gold makes the rules. That said, I do hope that if MM performs well this year, AJ will sign him to a long-term deal approximating his market value. And if Antonio Gates is any indicator, he most assuredly will. Jackson, on the other hand, has screwed the pooch and will be lucky to play for the Rams or Lions.

  32. Wonder if they are going to move over dumbo to the right side he played well there last year, I would hate to see his talents waisted, McNiell is good, but dumbo has played so well, im just hoping he doesn’t get screwed because this guy thinks he can just walk in and take his job back.

  33. boltschick, you’d pay him whatever he wants to get him to come back, too, wouldn’t you? You might be a great fan, and I applaud that, but thank God you aren’t the Chargers GM.

  34. Great post, brasho. I don’t agree with wanting anyone to get hurt, but I don’t really think you are serious about that particular point. Otherwise, I couldn’t have made the great points you made any better!

  36. Great post BoltsFan. It’s nice to see someone who can actually think a little on this website. From , to most of the posters, this site has turned into garbage.

  37. Couldn’t this article have provided more details? It’s not like they aren’t available. I can see how people would read this and jump to a conclusion that he signed for a “buttload of cash”. Unless they negotiate a long-term deal before he’s eligible to play in 3 weeks he’ll get about $400K for this season. Not chump change for the average working man but given the limited number of years that these guys have to earn money, it’s practically nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he get’s his long-term deal before he’s eligible to play in 3 weeks though. AJ Smith is an egomaniac and since MM succumbed to him (which is exactly what he wanted) he will “honor” him with the contract he deserves. He pulled the same crap with Gates and Rivers and they ended up getting their deals.

  38. I’m not a hater, I’m just sick of seeing these pampered babies crying over millions of dollars while the regular Joes are held hostage having to pay their over-inflated and undeserved contracts.
    _________________________________
    Interesting post. Start off by saying you’re not a hater, but then follow it up with the prototypical anti-player rant. Guess what, if McNeil agreed to play for $1 this season, it wouldn’t affect the price you pay to see the game. As long as owners know they can get what they get, the prices won’t come down. It has nothing to do with the player’s salary. On the contrary, the players’ salaries are based on the revenue the owners bring in. So, in this case, it’s the greed of the owners that came before the greed of the players. Besides, complaining about players’ “over-inflated” and “undeserved” contracts is like complaining about how much an actor makes for doing a movie and then rushing out to see that actor’s next movie. There’s a reason these contracts are so big. It’s because they make even more money for the owners. Hey, I think some of these things are ridiculous too, but the owners are not dumb. They wouldn’t be offering these contracts if they weren’t making a lot of money off of them too.

  41. @clintcooper, what they deserve? Players “deserve” whatever the contract they signed SAYS they deserve. NO ONE was holding a gun to their head when they signed their contracts, and in fact, AGENTS were figuratively holding their hands. The real issue here is that NFL players have over time adopted the philosophy that the League is or should be egalitarian, i.e. no one who does what I do at the same level should get more than me.” By that dimwitted philosophy, no plumber should get more or less than any other comparably skilled plumber, all real estate agents should be paid at roughly the same contract, etc. WE ARE NOT AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY, although the Obama freaks would love to turn us into one. Sometimes, based solely on circumstances, there are going to be players who make more money based on the particular set of circumstances that existed at the time they signed (you don’t think Oakland has to pay to lure free agents than say, New England???)and that is NOT an open invitation for the rest of them to start whining and making demands. AJ Smith was the hero here, whether some of the socialists in here like to admit it or not. Now if we could just get the auto companies to grow a pair and teach their unions the very same lesson.

  42. This pretty much guarantees that McNeil will never play for San Diego after this year. He refused to sign the original tender of $ 3.168 million, so now they stick it to the guy and force him to sign a tender for $ 630,000. Of course since he has already missed two games and must sit out another three, he will actually be paid $ 407,000 this year. Great job A.J. Smith, this is the way to treat your left tackle who has played in the Pro Bowl. Way to motivate him to want to give his hall for the team. One suggestion though, you might warn Rivers to keep an eye on his back, because McNeil might just decide to step aside a few times this year, in order to play at the quality level that corresponds to what you are paying him.

  45. @RaiderClay
    hey Clay, the charger players don’t give 20% effort like you’re shitty raiders
    stop projecting, haha

  46. Glad he signed! Like others said – Dombrowski has played great in MM’s absence. Which is likely what prompted this, he realized he wasn’t going to be missed.
    For those who seem to think he’s a HoF talent, keep in mind he has a history of neck and spinal problems (which caused him to drop to the 2nd round of his draft) and wasn’t exactly spectacular last year. Nonetheless, glad he’s back and can have a chance to prove on the field that he’s worth the money he wanted.

  47. Boltsfan: I was with you until you started bringing real-world politics in. This here librul thinks that you’re pretty much right about the football aspect, an as much as he’d love to tear your teabagger mind apart with the cold, hard light of reason (for one thing, Obama is no socialist: anywhere else in the world he’s a conservative), this discussion should stay on football, thanx. Especially since this isn’t left vs. right; it’s smart vs. dumb.
    AJ Smith won this one hands down; he won before it started, because he was just accepting the rules as they were written. VJ and MM were stupid not to sign their tenders; they had very little chance of gaining anything.

  48. @ bobinpuertorico: AJ didn’t do this to McNeill. McNeill did this to himself. If he’d signed his tender, he’d have collected $3.2M.
    By not signing him to a long-term deal, AJ did indeed put a lot of onus on Brandyn Dombrowski. But Dombrowski has risen to the challenge, and having seen him play extended time in multiple roles, there was no reason to think he wouldn’t rise to the challenge. So it’s hard to fault him on that count. He also saved his team $2.8M, and may still pick up a low first-round draft pick on a trade.

  49. Bank on it:
    Come the next CBA, any RFA that holds out during an RFA season will remain an RFA the following season.
    The rule is (1) currently the status quo; (2) important to the owers – there would have been 100+ holdouts if the owners didn’t have it in place in the current CBA; and (3) when the rubber hits the road, the NFLPA won’t give up anything that negatively impacts 2,000 members to “assist” the 3 RFA holdouts, especially after 200+ of them signed their RFA tenders.
    As it stands, VJ and Mankins will be playing Bill Murray’s role in “Groundhog Day” come 2011.

  50. Memo to V. Jackson Can your Agent, look at Miles Austion and how he worked his deal. You get way more bee’s with Honey than you will with Vinager. AJ Smith did the right thing bottom line and he won, to say otherwise is foolish. He set the tone for how agents will work with his team. The hypocrasy here drives me nuts on one hand you have people who villafy smtih because he won’t cave in to a serail DUI victem and the other hand you have this B. Edwards saga the same writers and bloggers. PFT i like the news but if you could keep your minor league writers from opining on topics it would make me come here more

  51. Never will they win with AJ Smith.
    He keeps the knife to put in players backs constantly sharp and they don’t trust him.

  52. I’m super excited to hear this. Since this nonsense started with Jackson and McNeil, it’s always seemed like V-Jack was overvaluing himself, but that McNeil truly did feel unappreciated. He’s a great player and from what I’ve seen, a great person.
    And honestly, if I’m AJ Smith, I’d give McNeil a giant effing contract, just as one, giant, final “F-you” to Jackson.

  53. A.J. Smith may have “won” the battles with Jackson and McNeil, but why would anyone want to stay with SD?

  55. @alleng,
    “Interestingly, the Roster Exempt decision now comes back to bite the Chargers.”
    No, you’ve got that backwards. The Roster Exempt decision actually protects the Chargers.
    If they had not put MM on the list, his signing today would have forced SD to cut a player TODAY. It’s hard to say at any given moment who that might be.
    For example, this time last year, due to injury, SD was putting on the field any DT they could find on the street. They didn’t need to keep these guys long-term, but just for a few weeks.
    So, in that example, MM signing his tender would force SD to cut one of these temp guys that they really needed, or cut on of their long-term depth guys. But, because he’s on the Exempt List, he doesn’t count as one of the 53, so SD doesn’t have to cut anyone.
    In additon, the three-week rule nows allows MM plenty of time to get in shape before SD feels compelled to activate him.
    I only need to point to Revis to see how that might be beneficial. Revis signs and comes back right away, but then gets hurt. Even Revis admits that the injury is related to not enough game-speed practice. And now it seems that Revis is going to miss at least one game anyway.
    The rule has its benefits and drawbacks. But considering Drombrowski is doing fine right now, I’m quite content with MM waiting three weeks before playing.

  56. @ Neoplatonist
    Obama is no socialist: anywhere else in the world he’s a conservative, this discussion should stay on football, thanx. Especially since this isn’t left vs. right; it’s smart vs. dumb.
    No, The Zero is a naked Marxist. Plain and simple.
    Let’s fix the order – this isn’t Left vs. Right, it’s ignorant vs. smart. There…much more accurate in it’s order and juxtaposition.
    War AJ! Up Chargers! Skol Bolts!

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