Progress in Allen negotiations may be problem with Peterson

C-Mac · 02-20-2008, 07:12 AM

Whitlock-Progress in Allen negotiations may be problem with Peterson
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/497062.html

Edwards certain Allen will play for Chiefs this season
Keeping Carl and moving forward could prove to be an impossible task for Clark Hunt, Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs.

When I ran into Allen and his agent, Ken Harris, at the Super Bowl in Phoenix, they were resigned to the fact that The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl would slap the franchise tag on Allen.

They didn’t expect the Chiefs to enter into serious negotiations with the league’s best defensive end and one of its five best defenders in 2007.

Their expectations were met on Monday when the Chiefs franchised Allen, guaranteeing Allen a 2008 salary of $8.9 million but avoiding — for now — giving him a Dwight Freeney-like contract with close to $30 million in guaranteed bonuses and salary.

To be fair, Carl Peterson previously franchised Tony Gonzalez and Will Shields, then rewarded them with long-term deals. But Gonzalez and Shields never disliked and distrusted Peterson the way Allen does.

Allen believes that Peterson broke promises made in private meetings, and that he then made matters worse by labeling Allen as “at-risk” in comments to the media.

Allen weakened his contract leverage in accumulating two drinking-and-driving arrests and a subsequent 2007 two-game suspension. Peterson’s at-risk claim insinuates that he’s a bit reluctant to give Allen a huge contract until he’s comfortable that Allen has matured. Harris counters that standard contract language for NFL players, particularly players in the league’s substance-abuse program, provides the Chiefs more than enough protection if Allen gets in more trouble.

So what is really holding up these negotiations besides The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl’s usual indecision, bully tactics and poor people skills?

It’s a lack of credibility.

When it comes to handing players large sums of guaranteed money and what those players gave the Chiefs after getting it, Peterson’s track record has been a bit shaky in recent years. Right now, the Hunts would be justified in having buyer’s remorse from Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Kendrell Bell, Patrick Surtain and Ty Law. You could make an argument to put Trent Green on the list, too. The Chiefs paid Green a lot of money for zero playoff victories.

Nope. Peterson is a brilliant bargain shopper. Take him to Wal-Mart and he’ll come home with a Willie Roaf and a before-the-big-contract Priest Holmes. But when the Hunts have loaned him a credit card and sent him to shop at Saks, Peterson usually brings back a Ty Law knockoff that looks like the real thing and plays like Carlton Gray.

Does Peterson have the necessary juice to get Allen a market-value contract?

Let’s be clear: Allen’s on-field performance in his first four years warrants a Freeney-level contract.

Even with Allen’s baggage, most NFL franchises would be negotiating passionately to retain him. Yeah, the Patriots, Colts or Giants might momentarily hit Allen with the franchise tag while they figured out how to make the numbers work beneath the cap. But they would do it in cooperation with the player.

Allen and Peterson haven’t been cooperating in more than a year. It’s not healthy. Allen is Kansas City’s best player. The Patriots don’t publicly feud with Tom Brady. Yeah, the Giants survived an offseason contract clash with Michael Strahan, an aging, fading star, and won the Super Bowl.

But Allen is in his prime, and his dispute is a continuation of a troubling pattern.

This is what’s so maddening about the Chiefs under the direction of The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl. They rarely get a major deal done without bloodshed or at least threats of bloodshed.

Good teams identify a handful of key players, peg them as franchise pillars, cultivate them as leaders, put them in the loop on the inner workings of the team and treat them relatively well at contract time. The Chiefs really haven’t had that since Marty Schottenheimer was coach and Derrick Thomas, Marcus Allen, Tim Grunhard and Dave Szott formed the foundation of the team.

I’m not sure the Chiefs can build that kind of foundation or that locker-room chemistry again with Peterson leading the charge. He doesn’t connect with players anymore. He puts too much hostility into the equation.

Good luck moving forward with Peterson hanging around Jared Allen’s neck.

02-20-2008, 07:12 AM	Topic Starter
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2053699	Progress in Allen negotiations may be problem with Peterson Whitlock-Progress in Allen negotiations may be problem with Peterson http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/497062.html Edwards certain Allen will play for Chiefs this season Keeping Carl and moving forward could prove to be an impossible task for Clark Hunt, Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs. When I ran into Allen and his agent, Ken Harris, at the Super Bowl in Phoenix, they were resigned to the fact that The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl would slap the franchise tag on Allen. They didn’t expect the Chiefs to enter into serious negotiations with the league’s best defensive end and one of its five best defenders in 2007. Their expectations were met on Monday when the Chiefs franchised Allen, guaranteeing Allen a 2008 salary of $8.9 million but avoiding — for now — giving him a Dwight Freeney-like contract with close to $30 million in guaranteed bonuses and salary. To be fair, Carl Peterson previously franchised Tony Gonzalez and Will Shields, then rewarded them with long-term deals. But Gonzalez and Shields never disliked and distrusted Peterson the way Allen does. Allen believes that Peterson broke promises made in private meetings, and that he then made matters worse by labeling Allen as “at-risk” in comments to the media. Allen weakened his contract leverage in accumulating two drinking-and-driving arrests and a subsequent 2007 two-game suspension. Peterson’s at-risk claim insinuates that he’s a bit reluctant to give Allen a huge contract until he’s comfortable that Allen has matured. Harris counters that standard contract language for NFL players, particularly players in the league’s substance-abuse program, provides the Chiefs more than enough protection if Allen gets in more trouble. So what is really holding up these negotiations besides The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl’s usual indecision, bully tactics and poor people skills? It’s a lack of credibility. When it comes to handing players large sums of guaranteed money and what those players gave the Chiefs after getting it, Peterson’s track record has been a bit shaky in recent years. Right now, the Hunts would be justified in having buyer’s remorse from Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Kendrell Bell, Patrick Surtain and Ty Law. You could make an argument to put Trent Green on the list, too. The Chiefs paid Green a lot of money for zero playoff victories. Nope. Peterson is a brilliant bargain shopper. Take him to Wal-Mart and he’ll come home with a Willie Roaf and a before-the-big-contract Priest Holmes. But when the Hunts have loaned him a credit card and sent him to shop at Saks, Peterson usually brings back a Ty Law knockoff that looks like the real thing and plays like Carlton Gray. Does Peterson have the necessary juice to get Allen a market-value contract? Let’s be clear: Allen’s on-field performance in his first four years warrants a Freeney-level contract. Even with Allen’s baggage, most NFL franchises would be negotiating passionately to retain him. Yeah, the Patriots, Colts or Giants might momentarily hit Allen with the franchise tag while they figured out how to make the numbers work beneath the cap. But they would do it in cooperation with the player. Allen and Peterson haven’t been cooperating in more than a year. It’s not healthy. Allen is Kansas City’s best player. The Patriots don’t publicly feud with Tom Brady. Yeah, the Giants survived an offseason contract clash with Michael Strahan, an aging, fading star, and won the Super Bowl. But Allen is in his prime, and his dispute is a continuation of a troubling pattern. This is what’s so maddening about the Chiefs under the direction of The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl. They rarely get a major deal done without bloodshed or at least threats of bloodshed. Good teams identify a handful of key players, peg them as franchise pillars, cultivate them as leaders, put them in the loop on the inner workings of the team and treat them relatively well at contract time. The Chiefs really haven’t had that since Marty Schottenheimer was coach and Derrick Thomas, Marcus Allen, Tim Grunhard and Dave Szott formed the foundation of the team. I’m not sure the Chiefs can build that kind of foundation or that locker-room chemistry again with Peterson leading the charge. He doesn’t connect with players anymore. He puts too much hostility into the equation. Good luck moving forward with Peterson hanging around Jared Allen’s neck.
Posts: 5,637