It’s Not Just the Colts

So far this offseason, the dominate issue surrounding the Indianapolis Colts is the multiple contract disputes that the team is dealing with. First with Antoine Bethea and now to Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Robert Mathis, the Colts have had a number of players looking for new contracts. However, this seems to be a very common theme around the NFL, specifically for two teams that are rivals with the Colts. The New England Patriots are having disagreements with star-offensive guard, Logan Mankins, and future hall-of-fame quarterback, Tom Brady. Moving a little farther south and you will find Colts’ division rival, the Tennessee Titans, in a dispute with running back, Chris Johnson, over his contract. For the Colts, Wayne and Mathis headline the possible holdouts for training camp, but don’t think that this is a problem being experienced only by the Colts.

The Patriots have been known to let veteran players walk away from the team to get paid elsewhere, and the team appears to be willing to do so with one of its best players. Mankins has proven himself as one of the best guards in the NFL, and he wants to get paid like one. The Patriots and Mankins are currently not even negotiating a contract, and the two sides appear to be at a standstill. On the other hand, the Patriots seem to be willing to bring Brady back on a new contract, however, the two sides are certainly not seeing eye to eye. Not only does Brady want to get paid, but he wants to see his fellow veterans get paid. Players, such as, Mankins, are customarily discarded by the Patriots when their time comes for a big pay day, and the constant flow of young players has taken the Patriots out of the driver’s seat for Super Bowl favorite. If Brady goes back to the Patriots he wants to be sure that he is not signing up for a constant rebuilding process, and that the team is serious about competing with the best players, and not simply looking for the cheap way out.

For the Titans, Chris Johnson’s contract dispute is a rather different one. Johnson, who is only going into the third year of a five year deal, has been calling for a larger contract for a long time now, but has not even fulfilled half of his current one. It has been reported that the Patriots will be happy to give him a new one, that is once he has played through at least three years of his current one. Johnson wants to get paid as the top back in the NFL, and although he might be, the Titans want to make sure that they don’t sign him to a massive deal only to see his production fall early in his career. The Titans want to get something done, but currently they own Johnson’s contract, and it is one of the best contracts in the NFL, especially for the caliber of the player. Johnson has stated that he will holdout if need be, and it appears that the dynamic back is completely serious.

Although the Colts appear to have a huge contract dispute that is headlining their offseason, keep in mind that a number of NFL teams around the NFL are dealing with the same problem. Part of it is due to the uncertainty with the collective bargaining agreement and part of it is due to the uncapped year, and until the NFL can straighten out these problems, it is not looking good for us fans.