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You can see the gold coins laying on his eye-lids, already....
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Longwell's contract expires in March
By BOB McGINN
[email protected]
Posted: Nov. 25, 2005
Green Bay - Ryan Longwell took careful note earlier in the month when the market for kickers in the National Football League went up and up and up.
Soon it will be his turn to cash in following the lead of Philadelphia's David Akers, St. Louis' Jeff Wilkins and Arizona's Neil Rackers. As the fourth most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, Longwell's only question is whether the Green Bay Packers or another team will be signing his checks next year.
"The new market for kickers has really gone up," Longwell said Friday. "I think I rate in there above those guys so I think the number should absolutely show it."
No talks have occurred between Longwell's agent and the club. He will become an unrestricted free agent and will be eligible to sign with another team in early March if the Packers don't re-sign him.
The possibility exists that the Packers might place the franchise designation on Longwell, which is what New England has done with Adam Vinatieri. That effectively would remove Longwell from the market and all but force him to play for a one-year contract worth about $1.9 million.
"They still have tag abilities to keep us here," Longwell said. "I wouldn't say that I want to leave. I would say I've always been curious. I don't feel that I'm at a position where I need to take a pay cut or something to stay."
The flurry of signings began March 2 when Wilkins got a $3 million signing bonus for agreeing to a four-year extension. He was to have been unrestricted.
Wilkins, 33, signed a five-year, $6.5 million deal ($1.5 million signing bonus) to stay with the Rams in March 2001 just a few days after Longwell, 31, signed a five-year, $7.5 million deal ($2 million signing bonus) to stay with Green Bay.
"Wilkins has had a solid career," Longwell said. "But he's been in a dome, too."
On Nov. 7, both Akers and Rackers re-signed. Akers' deal was to have run through 2007 whereas Rackers' was expiring at season's end.
The Eagles gave Akers a $1.05 million signing bonus plus a $1 million roster bonus in 2006 as part of a three-year extension. At the same time, they used some of their surplus under the salary cap to pay him an additional $1.27 million in base salary for the rest of '05.
Akers, 30, signed the deal one day after returning from a month-long absence due to a torn hamstring.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Akers and what he's done," Longwell said. "But he signed that contract in the middle of a hamstring tear. As a kicker, your hamstring is your lifeblood. You don't know if he'll ever regain the power that he had. So I think it's a good deal for him."
The selling point for the 29-year-old Rackers to sign his four-year extension was the Cardinals' decision to use their cap space to increase his base salary by $2 million over the final eight weeks of '05. The deal had no signing bonus. He has made all 31 of his field-goal attempts this season after having made just 65.7% in Cincinnati from 2000-'02.
"Rackers is a guy that was kicked out of Cincinnati and struggled mightily in the bad weather and was left for dead," Longwell said. "He went to Arizona in perfect conditions and all of a sudden he's a superstar. He's having an unbelievable year, the year we all kind of dream about having. I think it's a great deal for him."
Vinatieri's franchise-player salary of $2.51 million leads all kickers. Akers' average per year is $2.293 million, Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski's average is $1.74 million, Rackers' average is $1.625 million and Wilkins' average is $1.569 million.
Indianapolis' Mike Vanderjagt, who also will be unrestricted in March, is the all-time leader in field-goal accuracy at 87.2%. He is followed by Cleveland's Phil Dawson (83.4%), Baltimore's Matt Stover (82.8%), Longwell (82%), Wilkins (81.9%), Miami's Olindo Mare (81.9%), Vinatieri (81.8%) and Akers (81.5%).
Although B.J. Sander has slipped to 25th in gross average (41.2) and 23rd in net (36.9), it's probable that he'll be back punting and holding in '06. Longwell, however, said he now was comfortable with Sander and that his erratic holding wouldn't be a factor in his decision to stay or leave.
The fate of Mike Sherman and his coaching staff remains to be determined but Longwell said the return of John Bonamego would be a plus for the Packers.
"He's by far the best special-teams coach I've ever worked with," said Longwell, who also had Nolan Cromwell, Johnny Holland, Steve Ortmayer and Frank Novak in Green Bay. "Much more knowledgeable about stuff that had never crossed my mind before. I'd love to play for him."
Longwell has seen Packers punters Craig Hentrich leave for Tennessee in February 1998 and Josh Bidwell for Tampa Bay in March 2004. Hentrich has made the Pro Bowl twice for the Titans and Bidwell, with a league-leading average of 47.3 and a net average of 39, might make it this year.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both in good weather," Longwell said. "It is a big difference. Guys have left and have improved their careers. So that's obviously a factor.
“Sarah and I are excited about the next chapters of our lives, whether that’s here or elsewhere.â€
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Longwell's contract expires in March
By BOB McGINN
[email protected]
Posted: Nov. 25, 2005
Green Bay - Ryan Longwell took careful note earlier in the month when the market for kickers in the National Football League went up and up and up.
Soon it will be his turn to cash in following the lead of Philadelphia's David Akers, St. Louis' Jeff Wilkins and Arizona's Neil Rackers. As the fourth most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, Longwell's only question is whether the Green Bay Packers or another team will be signing his checks next year.
"The new market for kickers has really gone up," Longwell said Friday. "I think I rate in there above those guys so I think the number should absolutely show it."
No talks have occurred between Longwell's agent and the club. He will become an unrestricted free agent and will be eligible to sign with another team in early March if the Packers don't re-sign him.
The possibility exists that the Packers might place the franchise designation on Longwell, which is what New England has done with Adam Vinatieri. That effectively would remove Longwell from the market and all but force him to play for a one-year contract worth about $1.9 million.
"They still have tag abilities to keep us here," Longwell said. "I wouldn't say that I want to leave. I would say I've always been curious. I don't feel that I'm at a position where I need to take a pay cut or something to stay."
The flurry of signings began March 2 when Wilkins got a $3 million signing bonus for agreeing to a four-year extension. He was to have been unrestricted.
Wilkins, 33, signed a five-year, $6.5 million deal ($1.5 million signing bonus) to stay with the Rams in March 2001 just a few days after Longwell, 31, signed a five-year, $7.5 million deal ($2 million signing bonus) to stay with Green Bay.
"Wilkins has had a solid career," Longwell said. "But he's been in a dome, too."
On Nov. 7, both Akers and Rackers re-signed. Akers' deal was to have run through 2007 whereas Rackers' was expiring at season's end.
The Eagles gave Akers a $1.05 million signing bonus plus a $1 million roster bonus in 2006 as part of a three-year extension. At the same time, they used some of their surplus under the salary cap to pay him an additional $1.27 million in base salary for the rest of '05.
Akers, 30, signed the deal one day after returning from a month-long absence due to a torn hamstring.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Akers and what he's done," Longwell said. "But he signed that contract in the middle of a hamstring tear. As a kicker, your hamstring is your lifeblood. You don't know if he'll ever regain the power that he had. So I think it's a good deal for him."
The selling point for the 29-year-old Rackers to sign his four-year extension was the Cardinals' decision to use their cap space to increase his base salary by $2 million over the final eight weeks of '05. The deal had no signing bonus. He has made all 31 of his field-goal attempts this season after having made just 65.7% in Cincinnati from 2000-'02.
"Rackers is a guy that was kicked out of Cincinnati and struggled mightily in the bad weather and was left for dead," Longwell said. "He went to Arizona in perfect conditions and all of a sudden he's a superstar. He's having an unbelievable year, the year we all kind of dream about having. I think it's a great deal for him."
Vinatieri's franchise-player salary of $2.51 million leads all kickers. Akers' average per year is $2.293 million, Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski's average is $1.74 million, Rackers' average is $1.625 million and Wilkins' average is $1.569 million.
Indianapolis' Mike Vanderjagt, who also will be unrestricted in March, is the all-time leader in field-goal accuracy at 87.2%. He is followed by Cleveland's Phil Dawson (83.4%), Baltimore's Matt Stover (82.8%), Longwell (82%), Wilkins (81.9%), Miami's Olindo Mare (81.9%), Vinatieri (81.8%) and Akers (81.5%).
Although B.J. Sander has slipped to 25th in gross average (41.2) and 23rd in net (36.9), it's probable that he'll be back punting and holding in '06. Longwell, however, said he now was comfortable with Sander and that his erratic holding wouldn't be a factor in his decision to stay or leave.
The fate of Mike Sherman and his coaching staff remains to be determined but Longwell said the return of John Bonamego would be a plus for the Packers.
"He's by far the best special-teams coach I've ever worked with," said Longwell, who also had Nolan Cromwell, Johnny Holland, Steve Ortmayer and Frank Novak in Green Bay. "Much more knowledgeable about stuff that had never crossed my mind before. I'd love to play for him."
Longwell has seen Packers punters Craig Hentrich leave for Tennessee in February 1998 and Josh Bidwell for Tampa Bay in March 2004. Hentrich has made the Pro Bowl twice for the Titans and Bidwell, with a league-leading average of 47.3 and a net average of 39, might make it this year.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both in good weather," Longwell said. "It is a big difference. Guys have left and have improved their careers. So that's obviously a factor.
“Sarah and I are excited about the next chapters of our lives, whether that’s here or elsewhere.â€