According to The Times, Brian Kelly is planning to buy out of the last year of his contract and become a free agent.
Kelly, 32, is scheduled to earn $3.2-million in 2008. But he said he plans to "buy back" the final year of his contract by exercising a $480,000 option in the second week of March.
The free agency period starts on March 3, (not February 29 as the article states.) Does "second week of March" mean March 3 or March 10? That's a pretty big difference. The free agency feeding frenzy begins the moment the clock strikes midnight on the first day (and many would argue it starts well before that) and the teams who are in desperate need of a cornerback are probably already going to have their man by the 10th. So he's left with being a 32 year old corner who is frequently injured and has recently been replaced as the starter by Phillip Buchanon. Does he really think he can make more than $3.2 million under those circumstances? Or is it more than money and he just wants out of Tampa Bay? That probably would have been a good follow-up question.
I like Kelly, but he has had a salary issue with the Bucs for quite a while and probably wasn't too happy when Ronde Barber was given an extension and a raise and he wasn't. When someone gets an attitude like that, it's probably best to just let them go. Bruce Allen figured that out with Simeon Rice last year and it seemed to work out. This will seriously hurt the depth of the cornerbacks, though. I was debating on what the biggest need for the Bucs was this season and cornerback was up there. Now it may be #1. The team needs to seriously consider taking a corner in the first couple rounds of the draft if Kelly really does leave.
Comments (2)
The problem with drafting cornerbacks is it normally takes a year or 2 to get them up to speed. (Heck, just about any draft pick takes a year or 2 to get into the game) If we do draft one, we better pick up another via FA if Kelly leaves because we have no depth at all.
Posted by LostInSeattle | January 29, 2008 12:26 AM
Like you said, all positions take a little while to get up to speed. Defensive end is supposed to be one of the easiest and it still took Gaines Adams the better part of the year to get into the groove. Philip Buchanon and Sammy Davis should be ok until a rookie corner gets up to speed. Did you see Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at the Senior Bowl? Keep your eyes on this guy. He's from Tennessee State and is incredible. His stock will start rising, but the Bucs will still probably be able to get him in the second round.
Posted by Scott
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January 29, 2008 11:41 AM