*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Mar 20, 1998: -- Sean Gilbert Update --
The variety of news reports on the Sean Gilbert deal have
left the situation somewhat confused on details, but generally clear
on the current state of affairs with the Redskins' player. Depending
on which source you read, the Dolphins either have or have not made a
formal offer to Gilbert's agent, Gus Sunseri, this week.
However, it is clear that they have been in contact with
Sunseri and are talking concrete numbers with him concerning the
acquisition of Gilbert as early as next week. In fact, JJ himself
spoke with the agent, which is unusual and seems to indicate that he
is very serious about trying to acquire Gilbert.
The Dolphins have made it clear to Sunseri that they want to
make a competitive bid on Gilbert. One report says that they have
tentatively offered a contract worth about $5.9 million per year for 5
years, including an $8 million signing bonus.
Gilbert's case was heard on Monday before special master Jack
Friedenthal, who is dean of the George Washington School of Law.
Gilbert's argument is that the Redskins did not act in "good faith"
when they placed the franchise designation on him. According to
the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL
Players Association and the NFL, the franchise designation is only to
be used on players that the team intends to keep. Gilbert argues that
since the Redskins did not intend to keep him, they should not have
put the franchise designation on him.
If the case is decided in the Redskins' favor, the Redskins
will get a first round pick if he signs with another team. If the
case is decided in Gilbert's favor, the Redskins would not get any
compensation. However, the case could turn out to be a compromise,
with Gilbert getting the transition player designation, much like
Robert Smith of the Vikings, in which case the Redskins would get some
lesser form of compensation, such as a 2nd or 3rd round pick.
The case is expected to be decided next week sometime. In the
meantime, Gilbert's agent is fielding offers from as many as 6 teams.
According the Sun-Sentinel, he has concrete bids from 4 teams and has
said that he will take the highest bid, regardless of who makes that
bid.
In other unrelated news, the Dolphins have spoken with the
agent for running back Chris Warren, who was released by the Seattle
Seahawks earlier in the year. Warren has been an outstanding player
for many years, and gained 1000 yards for 4 years in a row from 1992
to 95. His lifetime career average is 4.3 yards per carry and he has
been to the Pro Bowl 3 times.
My Comments:
The only reason I can think of that the Dolphins have not made
a concrete offer to Gilbert yet is that they want to wait and see how
high the bidding goes before they put an offer down on paper. That
way they can be sure that they have the highest offer, if they chose
to make one or get out quickly if the price goes too high.
However, it's abundantly clear that JJ thinks that Gilbert
would make a huge difference in the defense, otherwise he wouldn't be
spending so much time and effort on this deal.
Personally, I don't know enough about Gilbert to know whether
or not he's that great, but I don't think that they should spend $6
million a year on this guy. He has not played football for an entire
year and has never had the kind of overwhelming numbers that indicate
that he is a true impact player, in the John Randle mold.
Now, having said that, JJ must have studied him pretty
extensively and spoken to Norv Turner about him. And after all that,
he still wants him, so maybe he will work out. I think that he would
almost certainly be an improvement at left defensive end (where he
would probably start) over Trace Armstrong. But would he be worth 6
times the cost of Armstrong?
And the other problem is that if the Dolphins do pay Gilbert
what it will take to get him, they won't have the money left under the
salary cap to sign Tim Bowens to a long term deal. With the kind of
money that defensive linemen have been getting recently, Bowens can
reasonably expect at least $4 million per year. However, with the
franchise designation on him, the Dolphins don't have to pay him more
than $3 million this year and if they sign Gilbert, they won't have
the cap money to pay Bowens any more than that.
If they don't pay Bowens any more than the franchise
designation requirement, they won't be able to work a long term deal
with him and I'd rather see them work a long term deal with Bowens
than bring in Gilbert.
But JJ apparently thinks that Gilbert is worth the money, so
the Dolphins may be able to land him. Right now, I would guess that
the odds on the Dolphins signing Gilbert are about 3-1 against.
On the Chris Warren situation, it's true that Warren has had a
great career, but he's 30 years old and his production has dropped off
recently. I would have no objection to signing him for a bargain
price with incentives, but he's not going to be the running back of
the future for the Dolphins, regardless of what he does over the next
few years, so I am against paying big bucks for him.
But if JJ were to sign him for a low salary, I think he might
be able to start for the next year or two for Miami.
Related Info:
[Return to Dolphins News]
Curt Fennell,
[email protected], DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
|
