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TAMPA - Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia has never staged a contract holdout in his life. His first, however, may be right around the corner.
Still unhappy with the progress - or lack thereof - of contract negotiations, Garcia suggested Tuesday that a holdout may be in the offing if the Bucs don’t pony up and meet his demands for an extension.
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“There might come a time when I might have to stand up,’’ Garcia said. “I hate to do that to jeopardize my teammates because they’re out here, and I don’t want to let them down in any sort of way. But at some point you just want to see the respect from up top.’’
Garcia first made it clear he was unhappy with the status of contract negotiations last month. He is entering the final year of a two-year deal worth $7 million and is believed to be seeking an extension that will bring his total payout to the league average for starters, which is roughly $7 million.
Age is one factor working against Garcia. He will be 39 when the 2009 season begins, so the Bucs are no doubt hesitant to throw a lot of money at him at this time. Garcia, though, is not believed to be asking for a lot of money.
He wants his 2008 payout to match his status as a starter and he wants to recover the seven-figure incentive he would have earned had the team’s decision to rest him down the stretch last year - after it had clinched the NFC South title - not kept him from taking 70 percent of the snaps. Anything short of that almost certainly will leave Garcia an unhappy camper. Or not a camper at all.
And speaking of unhappy campers, Earnest Graham did not attend Tuesday’s voluntary workout either. Graham, who is also embroiled in contract negotiations, has yet to show for a voluntary workout this offseason. He told The Tribune last month that he missed the first round of workouts because of family commitments and planned on attending the second round of workouts.
His absence on Tuesday, however, could be a sign that he too is unhappy with the state of contract talks.
One players who does seem satisfied, at least for now, is Jovan Haye. Haye said Tuesday that he has signed a deal to remain with the Bucs. It is believed that Haye, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year tender worth a little more than $2 million.
Posted by Greg M, Tampa, FL on 05/13 at 10:07 PM
okay, the reason the Bucs should pay these guys is because 1) they are well under the cap and could pay these guys for this year and not have it hurt them next year and 2) it will help encourage other vets to come to Tampa at reduced rates if the team shows that it will reward their efforts if it is deserved.
Posted by Mark, st pete on 05/13 at 10:01 PM
A lot of people are commenting on Bruce Allen being cheap and not wanting to give our guys the money they deserve, let alone go after big name free agents. But here is some food for thought. Manchester United lost 120mil dollars last year and had to borrow money to make payroll. In the three years since they bought the club the glazers have borrowed a total of 750 million pounds against it (about 1.5 billion us dollars) and in 2007 were unable to pay even the interest on that debt. And now all of a sudden the bucs are getting stingy. Coincidence?
Posted by Timmy Hall, seffner fl on 05/13 at 09:52 PM
I like jeff but listen guys. he need.s to just shut and play. they need to tell him if he holds out then he lost his starting job. then i would call plummer and promise him the starting job, that’s all he’s wanted this whole time. if he can’t cut it , we always have Brian. make jeff sit at home and fine him or make him sit the bench for the whole year. he will be 40 after this year and nobody will want him then.hope he see’s the light and just play football. this could be his last chance to win a superbowl. does he want to go out maybe as a champ or like a vinny testaverde a has been. pay EG. we have nobody else that can do what he did.
Posted by Dan, Titusville,FL on 05/13 at 08:56 PM
James Kinzer, Is it a lot? Or is it
alot???
Posted by Jason Bihn, Minneapolis on 05/13 at 08:23 PM
Look, if Bruce Allen isn’t going to make the “big splash” he promised, he should take care of his own. Jeff deserves to be paid like the rest of the starters in the league because I don’t care if he’s 50 yeas old, if he is putting up numbers, which he is, he needs to be paid as such. Compensate him for the end of last year, don’t be a cheap@$$! It’s weak and just plain tacky.
As for Graham, if he ends up like Thomas Jones I am going to be really upset. The Bucs cannot afford to let it happen again. While you are at it, Bruce, pay Greg White for God sake! Take care of what we got!
Posted by Fernando, Lakeland on 05/13 at 08:20 PM
Jeff you didn’t get the bonus cause you got hurt!!!!
Plus I don’t really feel sorry for somebody who is a millionare. Get us to the playoffs and then you will be rewarded.
Posted by Erik, Chester,Pa on 05/13 at 08:20 PM
Hey, Bruce. Take care of Garcia! He took us to the playoffs and he can win the super bowl,NOW!!! Come on mMr. Allen. You owe the fans something substantial! Mr. Gruden, find Chuckie damn it!! This is OUR year! GO BUCS!!
Posted by Erik, Chester,Pa on 05/13 at 08:15 PM
HHHEEELLLPPP!!!!!!!! Someone help us. Hey Garcia. Shut up and just workout. Usually, teams try to make a couple more moves in free agency part deux, then sign the key people. Usually but, Bruce Allen is the G.M. This is a year that the players can do something rare in NFL history that may over shadow our teams’ ridiculed beginning. Host AND win a Super Bowl. Come on Jeff go lead this team to that goal! GO BUCS!!!
Posted by James R. Kinzer, 351 Winfield Ave. Winfield WV 25213 on 05/13 at 07:38 PM
It appears to me that a lot of you guys need to take a course in elementry school english!!!!!!
Posted by chris devine, MARINELLI CITY on 05/13 at 07:33 PM
Yes none of us appreciate the Garcia tirade except maybe big dog...Allen is 40 mil under the cap...show the man who turned crap into playoff gold some love...he is definitely worth more than Keenan McCardell...who else do you have ...do you really believe Griese is the man now? geez! and Jeff calm down will ya...Allen, Garcia saved both your butts...remember that!
Posted by BigBucFan, Sarasota on 05/13 at 06:51 PM
I’m sure the Bucs will deal with these disgruntled players in their own time frame. Carmella Garcia is the keeper. Mr Wilkerson, you obviously could not see from your portable Black & White TV with Rabbit Ears, that a couple thousand Giant Fans were louder and stronger supporters than the fifty thousand Buc Fans at the Playoff Game. I was embarassed at how lethargic our YA...So called fans were when it comes to Cheering on our team. All of our Home Games are plagued by weak quiet fans. The other 25% of us will keep on Yelling & Maybe Santa will bring Wilkie a new TV or Trailer.
Posted by mike j, Jax on 05/13 at 06:45 PM
I like Jeff, but he needs to take a look at his birth certificate.
If he holds out, make do w/out him.
Posted by HFXBUCS, Halifax on 05/13 at 06:14 PM
And I quote, “There might come a time when I might have to stand up,’’
Yes Jeff Garcia, you are right its just that the time for you to stand up has passed. Last year in the Playoffs, it didn’t occur to you to stand up? a loaded Philly team in 06, Detroit, Cleveland, San Fran...never occurred to you to stand up, eh? Even though you weren’t a 38 year old who started with limited skills? now your going to stand up, now? What’s your rush? Why not wait until you have no leverage and no long term value, oh wait, you have? Sit down, shut up give Roger Clemons his advisor’s back and play for the contract you signed and unfortunately earned.
Posted by Steven Christopher, Riverview on 05/13 at 05:30 PM
Never negotiate through the media...cardinal sin. For the longest time we criticized guys for doing this tatic. O.K., he hasn’t been offered a contract extension...yet. Right now, its not even June 1st. The Bucs still have a lot of power to go after any player that is released from another team.
Its May for Christs sake! Garcia needs to get ahold of who exactly he is. He is the villian here, not Gruden, Allen, or anyone else’s fault that Jeff agreed to a contract to come here.
Am I a Garcia fan, hell yes. But, to blame anyone but Garcia for Garcia’s contract problem.....is ridiculous....how do we know about his contract status???
Peace
Posted by Dex fields, neptune,n.j. on 05/13 at 05:20 PM
Why should the bucs pay Graham and White.White was not a consistent starter and his play was not consistent.Graham,like steve said was the third string back and due to injuries had to start.NOW,GRAHAM DID NOT WIN THE JOB-IF NOT FOR INJURIES HE WOULD STILL BE A THIRD STRING RB.GRAHAM HAS TO PROVE HIMSELF THIS SEASON-SHOW THAT HE IS NOT A ONE YEAR WONDER.You don’t see Colston(WR for the saints)asking for more money.He’s getting paid 7th round pick money but started 2 years.
I’m sorry but i think the bucs should not give Garcia more money-he played one season for us and is 39yrs old.Why after one season we should pay everybody-honestly,are anyone of these guys top tier player?
Posted by jason jesse, cocoa beach, fl on 05/13 at 04:57 PM
I swear some of you only read these columns and post to spread your hate for Roy. We are paying Garcia half the league average for starting QBs....is he not our starter? Can’t get everything we want for free people. Pay him, pay greg White, pay earnest Graham. For petes sake when people rise above expectataions and give us 110%.....REWARD them!
Posted by Richard Burke, Seminole on 05/13 at 04:33 PM
When you make “promises” to players that they will be “taken care of” and those promises are seldom if ever fulfilled you have to wonder what a persons “word” means. Apparently with Gruden it means ZIPPO. Garcia more than earned what he’s asking for now. It won’t break the bank so what’s the problem? Unless your ready to turn over the reigns to Luke PAY THE MAN and while your at it pay Ernest his due as well. The problem is all of these rookies getting big bucks who have yet to play professional football. Pay your core players or be ready and shut up already!
Posted by Dan, Titusville,FL on 05/13 at 04:20 PM
Eric Anderson, Thats because we didn’t give anybody else a chance to beat down his door.We snatched him up real quick like."EVERYBODY" The man proved he can still play.He may be 39 but he is alot tougher than more the 3/4 of the QBs in the league. He might not be able to deliver passes 60+ yards down field. Why do we really need somebody like that? As long as we get a QB that can throw 15-20 yrds at a time accuritly the recievers can do the rest.Thats what we pay them “the WRs” for.
Posted by steve, tampa on 05/13 at 03:52 PM
he got us to the playoffs-pay him its not a lot more. Griese and mccown are backups not starters. maybe mccown may be alble to work his way up. EG was third string for years and due to injuries he became a starter. i dont think he should be paid like a starter yet. let see if its more than a 1 year wonder. pay him more but dont shower him with money because hes still unproven. Turner over faine? Faine=starter Turner=backup turner has proven nothing other than he can come in a few carries a game and keep the chains moving. id rather spend 37 on a proven starter instead of 40 on someone who has been a backup. It was behind LT, but that does not make him an instant starter. lets be realistic. ps. haye will be a beast this year.
Posted by Ray, Houston on 05/13 at 03:51 PM
Damn it! I can’t even spell right. I meant to say “squandering”.
Posted by Eric Anderson, tallahassee,fl on 05/13 at 03:50 PM
heres a thing to think about. i know that griese wasn’t to good in chicago but he was good for us. so if i was jeff i would sort of be watching my back you got a 4 other happy qbs that may not be to the skill level as you but are going to give. plus roy don’t know what he’s talking about most of the time anyway like going from 7 mill over two years to seven mill a year is a small diference. they should say look we’ll give you 5 mill this year you show you can be a everydown qb and we’ll let you hit the market next year and see what you do.......... if i rember right his door wasn’t being beat down for his services before we signed him.
Posted by Ray, Houston on 05/13 at 03:20 PM
This sounds just like Keenan McCardell situation a few years back. Hey Jeff you need to have Keenan’s number on quick dial. I have a feeling this has to do more with the Glazers, than Allen/Gruden. After all, Glazer’s Manchester United lost quite a bit last year. Way to go Joel/Bryan for squibbling daddy’s money.
Posted by Tommy Wilkerson, Seffner on 05/13 at 03:19 PM
...This defense is poised to make a Superbowl run but only if we have the offense to supplement their production. It amazes me how stupid some of our so-called “fans” can be.
Posted by Tommy Wilkerson, Seffner on 05/13 at 03:18 PM
...Earnest Graham undoubtedly deserves to be paid like a starter. He stepped in and proved his worth...alomst 1,000 yards in just 10 games (not to mention his 10 TDs). Our O-line was okay last year so let’s not get ahead of ourselves and say that Earnest’s production was the result of the line. I recall several TDs being the end result of him breaking tackles, stiff-arming and juking defenders. We are $30 million under the cap and are being cheap with our own players. We need to pay our playmakers. Garcia, Graham, and Galloway were our only consistent weapons on offense last year and without them we will not make the playoffs…
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Posted by Dave, New York on 05/13 at 10:17 PM
I wouldn’t be opposed to giving Garcia Bruce Allen’s paycheck...at least Garcia has earned his paycheck unlike Allen and all of the non-moves he has made to make this team better this off-season.