OL Orlando Pace (official thread)

[AKAKBUCK]

They can tag him and trade him to a team that he will actually sign with. I thought I heard that he would be willing to lower his asking price to go to the Browns. The only way the Rams will let him go for nothing is if he is far too expensive to keep.

I think they can only threatent the tag if he's going to lower his price. (Once the Tag is on then you get the average of the top 5.. or some number... salaries of players at that position...) So they'd have to do that deal where the Browns Propose a trade, and its acceptance is contingent on them reaching an agreement with Pace is some time window. But the Rams still wouldn't be able to get a lot for him.. because his 'cost' to them is quite clear... (Anyone could do the math) so the more they are up against the cap, the less they would get back. Its especially true if Pace were to come out and say, I only want to go to Cleveland... thus, making it a buyers (singular) market. Having said that, I'd give 'em Verba... to get rid of his cap number and his looney attitude... wouldn't give them a pick though... Allright, how about one or the other.

[tsteele316]

the franchise tag gets costly when it is used on the same player yearly. the player gets something like an 8-10% increase in salary from his previous year when he is franchised consecutively. I think Pace would get something like a 10% bump from whatever he made last year, which was the high to begin with.

for the Rams, Faulk, Bruce, Turley, and kicker Jeff Wilkens take up about $17 million in salary alone. Add to that starting safety Aeneas Williams and Starting guard Tom Nutten are UFA's, with Pace's salary, the rams are going tohave a mess on their hands.

[Xevious]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...again+for+2005Rams give Pace franchise tag again for 2005
By Bill Coats Of the Post-Dispatch 02/11/2005

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St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Orlando Pace battles with Seattle Seahawk Grant Wistrom.
(Gabriel B. Tait/P-D)
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left background=http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/pixels/336699.gif height=1></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


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Stop me if you've heard this one ...

For the third year in a row, the Rams have designated left tackle Orlando Pace as their franchise player. The two sides can work on a long-term contract until March 15 but then would enter a "blackout" period when negotiations must cease until mid-July.

If no deal is reached, Pace would have to sign a one-year tender to play for the Rams next season. The franchise number for offensive linemen this year is $7,424,000, but Pace would receive about a million more than that. Under league guidelines, he is entitled to the franchise number, which is the average of the five highest-paid players at his position, or 120 percent of his 2004 salary, whichever total is higher.

He was paid $7.02 million last year, so his 2005 salary would increase to $8,424,000.

Pace, 29, is in Hawaii this week for his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl and could not be reached to comment. The seven-year veteran out of Ohio State was the No. 1 overall selection in the 1997 draft.

After getting the franchise tag in 2003, he skipped training camp, finally signing the tender and reporting. Last summer, after turning down a seven-year contract for more than $42 million, he held out even longer, again missing the entire camp and also all four preseason games. He rejoined the team less than a week before the season opener but started that week vs. Arizona.

Pace split with his longtime agent, Carl Poston, last September. A players association representative confirmed Friday that Pace has not yet hired a new agent, which probably explains why the franchise designation was made almost two weeks before the NFL deadline.

[IronBuckI]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

[luckobucko]

I love his success in the NFL - and you can take to the bank he won't start playing this year until Labor Day or so. He's got a guaranteed salary of 8+ million next year - who needs an agent when the rules give you the highest salary (and the Rams keep tabbing you as their franchise player because, well, you are.)

[sandgk]

Originally Posted by luckobucko

I love his success in the NFL - and you can take to the bank he won't start playing this year until Labor Day or so. He's got a guaranteed salary of 8+ million next year - who needs an agent when the rules give you the highest salary (and the Rams keep tabbing you as their franchise player because, well, you are.)

And if they tag him (again) next year that takes him to 10.08 Million. At this rate, unless he wants out of St Louis, why do you need an agent -- let alone a high profile agent like a Poston?

I forget though if there is a limit on the number of consecutive years a team can tag a player.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

SCOUT$

3/15/05

The Rams have not been able to reach a long term deal with Pace and it looks like Pace is trying to reach a contract with the Texans, he is in Texas today to try to work out a deal.

[Swigs]

I would love to hear he is in Cleveland working on a deal