Some thoughts on Greg White

There's been a lot of buzz today about Greg White and the news that he might demand a trade if he doesn't receive a new contract offer.

I'll say a couple of things to start: this is really, really premature. Secondly, I'm not sure going public with this was a wise move.

Now, I heard from White's agent, Jack Bechta, today and I was pleased to learn he at least has a pretty realistic understanding of the circumstances here. He admits that his client has little leverage here and is caught up in the system, which is no fault of the Bucs.

"Greg is in a tough situation," he said. "We are at the mercy of the court. The system is not beneficial nor fair to his situation."

Here's the problem with White. He entered the league at an advanced age, 28. Most players who enter the league as a late draft pick or a rookie free agent are several years younger. As a result, there isn't as much of a rush to cash in because they know free agency will come along while they're still young. For White, if the Bucs proceed as they are entitled to -- offering him minimum one-year deals as an exclusive-rights player until 2010 -- he won't reach free agency until he is 30. Who knows what value he'll have by then?

So, you can understand why he feels such urgency. Problem is, the Bucs can easily say that's not their problem. They gave him a chance in the NFL when no one seemed willing to, and they're paying him substantially more than he ever would have earned in the Arena Football League -- even if it is the league minimum. That said, they have about $25-million in cap space and could easily address this and several other contract disputes.

It's hard to say how this will all end. But I have a hard time seeing the Bucs responding kindly to a trade demand from a first-year player who hasn't ever been a full-time player. For everyone's sake, let's hope they can work this out.

Bechta thinks there's a chance.

"For now, we're being patient," he said. "I believe the front office is giving Greg some serious thought."

Comments

[Jay]

I tend to agree with you Stephen in the sense that, for the Bucs front office, it's about making money and the playoffs, not making friends. Greg White has been a wonderful surprise and has truly stepped up in a way that no one expected. Both he, and the scouting staff deserve to be commended. But the ugly truth is that neither is going to get a payday out of it.

The only leverage I can see is that the Bucs show a little bit of loyalty to their people, like restructuring a contract to include a nice signing bonus instead of a wait and see approach. In that way, they can lure some of those free agents who never seem to make it away from their first visit - to come play for the Bucs instead. But they're not known for their benevolence.

White is a playmaker, and he's a valuable addition to the defensive line. History, unfortunately, is not on his side, because the only type of charity Tampa Bay ever seems to dole out for it's players are the ones the fans have endeared themselves to - Brooks, Alstott, Barber, to name a select few. And that's not even guaranteed - just ask Nickerson, Lynch, Rice, or Sapp. If White has another couple of years like the last one, he'll be on the fast track to getting some love, but not in the meantime.

[Vince]

Stephen:

Isn't the likely solution a minimum contract with heavy incentives? Everyone would win in that situation.

[Valrico Rick]

All of these contract issues will be resolved after the draft when the Bucs are no longer hiding their intentions. Everybody that is feeling this "new contract snub" right now is going to get their due. Letting players grouse in the media about new contracts gives other teams the impression that the Bucs may be looking to draft for that position, and the last thing the Bucs want is for another team to know what they plan to do. Raise your hands if you knew the Bucs were going to draft Gaines Adams last year, no really be honest. Subterfuge is Gruden's middle name.

[Dan]

Valrico Rick and Vince are both right on. The Bucs are playing a poker hand with the league..which they must..and they need to exercise whatever ploys are necessary to gain the best hand. I can't see the team ignoring White for his efforts, so maybe his due will come after the draft and pre-season trades. I have always been a fan of incentive-laden contracts; all athletes should have them. There's a lot of time between now and the season to focus on Greg White. Don't go, Greg, but GO BUCS!!

[Tray]

I think the front office is making a very smart decision. You can not give a player a lucrative deal based upon his play for only one year. Plenty of players have come out and made a lot of noise within a teams system and then fell off completely, i.e. michael clayton, tim couch...the NFL has had too many one season wonders. Sure, if he can produce once again this season, then reward him at the end of the season (you can even give him incentives in his current contract). I just don't want to see anymore contracts on players that fail to live up to there billing (Charlie Garner).

[Jonathan]

Tray, it's not good to give a guy a good contract after he has one good year, but it's ok to give a kid a multi-million dollar deal before he ever plays a snap? Why? Because he was drafted #4. That is ridiculous. White should get a 3 year, $3 million deal with additional roster and performance bonuses. 8 freaking sacks and 7 forced fumbles! 8 and 7!!! If he had been a big time pick on a high profile team, he would have been in the Pro-Bowl. If he doesn't get a contract at least on par with Douglas (who needed 6 years to collect 8 sacks) then Allen is a complete....[jerk].

[Stephen Holder]

Jonathan, you make a good point, the rookie salaries are a whole other story. Those are definitely out of control and there has been a lot of conversation about making adjustments that will keep those contracts at a reasonable level. And this is coming from someone who believes players should squeeze every penny they can out of greedy billionaire owners. The bigger problem with the White situation is that the system allows players to get caught in such a situation. The Bucs have no motivation to do anything here, and it's unfortunate that there isn't a mechanism that would force teams to address high performing guys with low salaries. And it shouldn't take four years to get to free agency, either.

[Mike/ Tampa]

Hey Stephen.. How about some thoughts on Jason Taylor?

[Kennedy]

Stephen,
If I am a player like Greg White, I would be pushing my player rep for the union to have salary arbitration in their next contract. White's dilemma isn't much different than Ryan Howard; an older player that gets the chance and does well, who isn't eligible for free agency until about age 30. The difference is Ryan Howard is making 10mil, thanks to an arbitrator.