No guarantees for Green
By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
March 5, 2007
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green was told by team president Carl Peterson that he can come back to the team next season, but will have to compete for the starting job with second-year quarterback Brodie Croyle and will have to take a pay cut to return.
Hes thinking about the situation, agent Jim Steiner said Monday night. Green, 36, is due to make $7.5 million in base salary. A salary reduction is likely regardless of whether Green plays in Kansas City next season or not.
If Green allows the Chiefs to trade him or asks them to release him, a new team would likely also ask him to take a pay cut. The question is whether Green would have a chance to make up the lost salary in incentives.
Moreover, the bigger issue for Green regards his two-year future. The Chiefs are eager to have Croyle, a third-round pick last year, get more practice time and work in the exhibition season. The Chiefs believe Croyle is their quarterback of the future and feel they have a solid backup in veteran Damon Huard, who signed a three-year contract extension before the start of free agency.
Green, who missed eight games last season after suffering a concussion in the season opener, was told that Croyle would get a lot of practice time with the first team in the offseason and during training camp. With that writing on the wall, Green may feel compelled to go elsewhere, figuring that if the change to Croyle isnt made this year, it could come the following year.
Green could have a chance to go to another team this year and establish himself as a starter for the next two years. The Miami Dolphins are reportedly interested in Green. New Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron coached Green for two years with the Washington Redskins when both were getting started in the NFL.
The Dolphins, who released Joey Harrington on Monday, currently have Daunte Culpepper and Cleo Lemon at quarterback. Getting Green would obviously put Culpepper, who missed much of last season recovering from knee surgery, on the outs with the Dolphins.
Coming into the 2006 season, Green had averaged 23 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and more than 4,000 yards passing in the previous four seasons. However, he threw seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games last season. The Chiefs offense also struggled in a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts and Green was part of the problem, botching a snap that cost the Chiefs a score early in the game and throwing the ball away early on several occasions.
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