Friday, June 28, 2002

Class of 2003

Franchise tags notwithstanding, free-agent class could be special

By Jeff Reynolds, Associate editor

A potential headliner of the 2003 free-agency class, Gonzalez has repeatedly questioned the Kansas City franchise for insulting him with what, in fact, was an extremely generous contract extension in the offseason. The tight end would have been the highest-paid at his position, by far, as Gonzalez believes he deserves. Now, team president/CEO/general manager Carl Peterson says the ball is in Gonzalez’s court. The team will not negotiate further and might, by the time the 2002 season ends, decide to move on without him rather than keep him around as its franchise player.

There are several other big names in line for big money at season’s end, so if your team is a player or two away from getting to the Super Bowl, don’t fret.

Rams RB Marshall Faulk, OLT Orlando Pace and Giants DE Michael Strahan are the best among them. The Rams aren’t letting Pace or Faulk leave town if they can help it. Faulk will retire a Ram, but with the contracts of Isaac Bruce, Grant Wistrom and Torry Holt near expiration, St. Louis is a team that has a lot of prioritizing to do.

If Pace is allowed to leave, he and Redskins OT Jon Jansen would be a couple of the better tackles available. Cowboys OT Flozell Adams should be out there, having signed a one-year tender as the team’s franchise player. Seahawks OLT Walter Jones might be in the same boat.

WR David Boston caught everything in sight last season and then caught flak from Cardinals fans when he had legal trouble in the offseason. A big 2002 would cause fans to forget Boston’s misfortune and lead him to a king’s ransom in free agency. The problem is that Bill Bidwill, club president, would never let Boston out of town.

Strahan, like Gonzalez, has drawn the ire of his current club. Strahan turned down big money and won’t be franchised because his cap number would be astronomical — at least $9 million because he is already the highest-paid at his position. The Giants are more likely to let Strahan leave and re-sign QB Kerry Collins. The Strahan sweepstakes could be interesting. The early favorite? Carolina. Don’t laugh. With Julius Peppers at right end, Strahan could be coaxed into moving south to rejoin his former defensive coordinator John Fox, a great friend of Strahan’s and now the head man with the Panthers.

Steelers QB Charlie Batch and Gus Frerotte of the Bengals have a chance to make themselves money with good performances this season. Batch won’t start, but if Kordell Stewart is ineffective or is injured, Batch has a shot at a decent payday should he lead the Steelers to the postseason — think Tom Brady. Frerotte is going to start in Cincinnati and might be considered long-term with the Bengals if he can go 8-8.

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