GRANT LOOKING TO LONG-TERM DEAL
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 25, 2008, 9:40 a.m.
Fresh off a season in which he went from the bottom of the Giants’ depth chart to the top of the Packers’ single-game postseason rushing list, running back Ryan Grant and his agent appear to be looking for a long-term deal.
“We’ll see what happens,” agent Alan Herman said, per Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “We’ll see if the organization is aggressive and wants to do the right thing, then you certainly reward a player and try to lock him up for the future.”
The only problem is that Grant doesn’t have a lot of leverage. He has been out of college for three years, but he was technically considered a rookie in 2007 because he spent his first year on the Giants’ practice squad and his second on the Giants’ non-football injury list. He made the league minimum of $310,000 in the 2007 season, and he still has two years before he can be a free agent.
Dougherty reports that the Packers might simply tender him at the second-year minimum of $370,000 in 2008, and the third-year minimum of $460,000 in 2009.
Packers General Manager Ted Thompson wouldn’t address Grant’s contract situation, other than to say, “We’ve spent a lot of effort and time addressing some of the fellas that are a little bit more veteran in terms of doing contract extensions, but as we grow as a team and these young guys move through their initial contracts, we’ll address those as we go along, sure.”