By: Tyler Ward
The Chargers announced that they have signed tight end Antonio Gates to a five-year/$36.2 million contract extension. The extension immediately makes Gates the highest-paid tight end in the NFL - annually, he will be making $7.2 million per season, along with a little over $20 million guaranteed.
General Manager A.J. Smith commented, "Antonio is a special player and person. He is everything we are looking for in a Chargers player. His talent and contributions to our team speak for themselves. His work ethic and desire to be the best are unmatched. He has been a major part of the success we have had over the past several years, and we are thrilled he will continue to be with us for years to come."
San Diego has already had difficulty pleasing three of their top players - Vincent Jackson, Shawne Merriman, and Marcus McNeill. The Gates extension gives the Chargers leverage in hopes of signing one, if not all, of the free agents. All three players have expressed their displeasure with the Chargers, hoping to sign big contracts, which they all seemingly deserve. But, for now, they have the best tight end in the game for an additional five years.
In 2005, Gates and the Chargers butted heads about a contract - at the time, the Chargers placed Gates on "roster exempt" list, which forced him to miss the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He was then asked to report to camp by August 31, in which he did eventually cooperate with the team's wishes. One day after returning, Gates signed a six-year/$24 million contract extension. Earning roughly $4 million per year, Gates has done more than what they had hoped.
Since coming into the league in 2003, Gates has broken numerous records - he has also led the Chargers in receptions for the last six seasons. He has also been a six-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for 2000-09.
Gates' teammates, Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill, have said time and time again that they want long-term deals, but the Chargers have failed to meet their expectations. Both players are ready to sit out the team's first ten games, while hoping they can get what they have asked for. They are also expected to sit out for training camp, the preseason's four games, along with the ten regular season games. If the Chargers fail to re-sign the two unhappy players, they will be eligible for free agency next season. They will almost certainly draw big contracts, especially McNeill, who has showed that he is one of the best offensive linemen in the game. With McNeill's absence, Brandyn Dombrowski would be the starting left tackle, with veteran Tra Thomas sitting behind him on the depth chart.
Jackson has been the most public about the holdout and some teams were foaming at the mouth, hoping that Jackson would be placed on the trade block. The Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears have reportedly showed interest in Jackson, among other teams. However, the Chargers announced that they will not trade Jackson and if he decides not to return to the field, they have no problem making him sit out. San Diego would more than likely not get anything remotely close to what the Broncos received for disgruntled wide receiver, Brandon Marshall. Jackson's unhappiness shows a very big weakness for the Chargers at the wide receiver position - their receiving corps would consist of unproven players Malcom Floyd, Josh Reed, Craig "Buster" Davis, and Demetrius Byrd. If the Chargers want to dominate the AFC West like they have been, they will have to shore up an already thin receiving corps.
McNeill and Jackson were both given offers of one-year deals worth roughly $3 million, but they declined the Chargers' offers. When they didn't sign by June 15, according to NFL rules, San Diego was forced to give them the same amount of money they made during the entire 2009 season. Given that, both players would receive somewhere around $500,000, and both respectively declined.
The other unhappy player, Shawne Merriman, has not signed his tender yet either. The tender was worth approximately $3.27 million and due to his 10% raise, Merriman would make somewhere around the 2010 tender amount. It has yet to be determined if he will report to training camp or not.
Luckily, the Chargers have satisfied Antonio Gates and they can now look forward to having the best tight end in the NFL on the field. Gates is expected to make even more noise for the Chargers and with a thin core receivers, quarterback Philip Rivers will be targeting Gates even more.
San Diego will definitely have a tough road in front of them this season. With the Oakland Raiders vastly improving, they can be a surprise team this year if newly-acquired quarterback Jason Campbell performs well. The defense, which was questionable at best last year, has improved greatly with the additions of John Henderson and rookie Rolando McClain. The Denver Broncos, albeit trading record-breaking receiver Brandon Marshall, are still a decent team and could be used as a spoiler to some teams. Quarterback Kyle Orton would have to play exceptionally well if they want to succeed this season - the Broncos got off to a 6-0 start in 2009, but lost eight of their last ten games, going 8-8 for the year and missing the playoffs. The Chiefs are definitely rebuilding and with the acquisitions of running back Thomas Jones and rookie Eric Berry, they are moving in the right direction. Like Jason Campbell, one-year wonder Matt Cassell will have to perform great if the Chiefs want to make a playoff appearance.
In other news..
The Jets announced that they have signed former Pro Bowler Mark Brunell to a contract. Brunell will likely compete with Kellen Clemens for the backup job. For the Jets, a quarterback will certainly have to be released to make room for Brunell. Rex Ryan's Jets have been awfully busy this offseason, acquiring LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, and Jason Taylor. They have now built their team into a playoff contender and could challenge the likes of the Indianapolis Colts for AFC supremacy.
