In case that was meant for me..
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No contract, no problem for Rams' Warner
[qctimes.com]
Craig DeVrieze, QUAD-CITY TIMES — July 21, 2000 Jul 21, 2000
MACOMB, Ill. — Kurt Warner will start the 2000 season the way he finished the 1999 campaign.
By doing the unthinkable.
Against the advice of his agent and virtually all NFL precedent, the reigning league and Super Bowl MVP reported to St. Louis Rams training camp here Thursday at Western Illinois University without a contract.
An exclusive rights free agent, Warner said he planned to sign a minimal tender offer of $358,000 this morning if late-night negotiations between the Rams and his agent Mark Bartelstein failed to yield a multi-million dollar, long-term deal.
Talks between the two sides continued Thursday night, but Bartelstein told the Associated Press that a late-night deal was unlikely.
By signing the tender offer to take the practice field at 8:55 this morning, Warner would commit himself to playing for only a little more than a $100,000 raise on his 1999 salary. And that is after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title, throwing for a Super Bowl-record 441 yards and finishing with the fifth-highest single-season quarterback rating in NFL history.
"Definitely a lot of risk, but I feel this is what I'm all about," Warner said on his way to an offensive meeting here Thursday night. "I don't want to miss anything. That's why I came here. To practice from Day One and show my teammates that I wanted to be here.
"I will definitely sign something so I can be out there."
The signed tender deal will not end negotiations between the two sides toward the long-term contract Warner is seeking. Bartelstein declined to discuss Warner's contract goals with Associated Press, but the Rams reportedly have offered a deal of seven years, with as much as $10 million in upfront signing bonus included, and have been turned down.
Throughout the week, St. Louis media had been reporting that an agreement was close and Warner said he believes that, too. Still, he said that wasn't why he opted to report to training camp — against Bartelstien's advice — without a signed long-term contract.
"He's basically trusting the thing will get done in good faith," the agent said. "That's the way he runs his life. I think this truly shows the kind of character he has."
That's typical agent talk, but Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native Warner continues to show he is no ordinary client.
"I realize the reason I'm here is a bigger purpose than making millions of dollars and throwing touchdown passes," Warner said. "To me that's the biggest thing that weighs into it. Every decision I make, a lot of prayer goes into it and I just felt that the Lord wanted me here.
"He put me here for a reason. He's going to take care of the rest. It's all in his hands and for that reason I know it's going to get worked out and benefit me in the end."
The 29-year-old bagged groceries and played for the Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers before joining the Rams as a free agent in 1997. He was scheduled to be the Rams' backup quarterback last year, but took over the starting job when free-agent pickup Trent Green was lost for the year to a preseason knee injury.
He went on to throw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, igniting the surprising Rams to 13-3 record and the NFC West title. He completed 77 of 121 passes for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns in three postseason.
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
[qctimes.com]
Craig DeVrieze, QUAD-CITY TIMES — July 21, 2000 Jul 21, 2000
MACOMB, Ill. — Kurt Warner will start the 2000 season the way he finished the 1999 campaign.
By doing the unthinkable.
Against the advice of his agent and virtually all NFL precedent, the reigning league and Super Bowl MVP reported to St. Louis Rams training camp here Thursday at Western Illinois University without a contract.
An exclusive rights free agent, Warner said he planned to sign a minimal tender offer of $358,000 this morning if late-night negotiations between the Rams and his agent Mark Bartelstein failed to yield a multi-million dollar, long-term deal.
Talks between the two sides continued Thursday night, but Bartelstein told the Associated Press that a late-night deal was unlikely.
By signing the tender offer to take the practice field at 8:55 this morning, Warner would commit himself to playing for only a little more than a $100,000 raise on his 1999 salary. And that is after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title, throwing for a Super Bowl-record 441 yards and finishing with the fifth-highest single-season quarterback rating in NFL history.
"Definitely a lot of risk, but I feel this is what I'm all about," Warner said on his way to an offensive meeting here Thursday night. "I don't want to miss anything. That's why I came here. To practice from Day One and show my teammates that I wanted to be here.
"I will definitely sign something so I can be out there."
The signed tender deal will not end negotiations between the two sides toward the long-term contract Warner is seeking. Bartelstein declined to discuss Warner's contract goals with Associated Press, but the Rams reportedly have offered a deal of seven years, with as much as $10 million in upfront signing bonus included, and have been turned down.
Throughout the week, St. Louis media had been reporting that an agreement was close and Warner said he believes that, too. Still, he said that wasn't why he opted to report to training camp — against Bartelstien's advice — without a signed long-term contract.
"He's basically trusting the thing will get done in good faith," the agent said. "That's the way he runs his life. I think this truly shows the kind of character he has."
That's typical agent talk, but Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native Warner continues to show he is no ordinary client.
"I realize the reason I'm here is a bigger purpose than making millions of dollars and throwing touchdown passes," Warner said. "To me that's the biggest thing that weighs into it. Every decision I make, a lot of prayer goes into it and I just felt that the Lord wanted me here.
"He put me here for a reason. He's going to take care of the rest. It's all in his hands and for that reason I know it's going to get worked out and benefit me in the end."
The 29-year-old bagged groceries and played for the Arena Football League Iowa Barnstormers before joining the Rams as a free agent in 1997. He was scheduled to be the Rams' backup quarterback last year, but took over the starting job when free-agent pickup Trent Green was lost for the year to a preseason knee injury.
He went on to throw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, igniting the surprising Rams to 13-3 record and the NFC West title. He completed 77 of 121 passes for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns in three postseason.
Friendship is like peeing your pants.. Everybody can see it, but only you can feel the warmth..
