Notes: Colts' cap situation may become Peyton place

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It has quietly gone away for now, lost in all the hoopla surrounding the Indianapolis Colts being one game away from the Super Bowl and quarterback Peyton Manning finally getting his due as a player.

Peyton Manning presents a vexing problem for the Colts.(AP)

But hidden beneath this playoff run is the fact that Manning is without a contract for 2004, a situation that is getting more serious by the day.

It's not that the Colts don't want Manning. He's the darling of the franchise, a guy they have to have. But at what price does that happen?

The problem is this: If the Colts were to extend Manning, he would be getting a signing bonus of $20 million to $30 million or more. That means cash, which the Colts don't exactly have considering they play in a facility that does not generate major cash flow.

The other alternative is to franchise Manning, which would mean the Colts would have to pay him 120 percent of his $15.36 salary-cap number from this year, or a 2004 cap number of $18.43 million.

That figure would take nearly a quarter of the team's cap room for 2004, which isn't a good thing when you consider the Colts are close to the number now with just 40 players under contract.

"They have some work to do," said one team's cap specialist who has looked at the numbers. "It's going to be tricky."

Manning does not talk about his contract, something he says a lot to cut off any possible questions about it. This summer, during an interview at his football camp in Louisiana, he did address it some.

"I don't like talking about money," he said. "I want to focus on the season, and then see what happens."

What happened is that Manning has taken a firmer grasp on being the league's top-rated quarterback. In leading the Colts to the AFC Championship Game, he has sparkled in the postseason as Colts fever is finally something that can be seen in the city.

There is nothing the Colts could do that would keep No. 18 from trotting out to take the first snap in 2004. Finding the way to make that happen is the tricky part.

They could give him a tiered bonus, deferring money to later years, which would help lessen the cash-flow sting. Say he got a $20 million bonus, with deferments of all but say $7 million or so. Divide it up in threes or even make it roster bonuses in later years and hope like heck the Colts find a way to either get a new stadium down the road or get the city to help make the RCA Dome more of a revenue-generating facility.

There are those who say the Colts can't handle the $18.4 million cap figure a franchise tag would bring, but if they found a way to do the $15.36 million this year, they could make it happen next year if they had to do so.

That might not make Manning happy, since it would mean no bonus money. Plus, the Colts would be greatly restricted in what they can do in terms of free agency as well as signing their own free agents. Linebacker Marcus Washington is the only other unrestricted free agent of note, but starting guard Rick DeMulling and starting right tackle Ryan Diem are both set to become restricted free agents.

In addition, receiver Marvin Harrison will be in the final year of his contract next season. He is set to have a cap figure of $8.08 million, which could be lessened if he were to get an extension.

The name Colts fans should become acquainted with is Tom Condon. He is the agent for both Manning and Harrison, and how he handles their negotiations will go a long way in deciding how this team moves on next year.

Condon did not return a phone call to his office for comment.

"This is what Condon likes to do," said the cap specialist. "He likes to put pressure on the club in terms of leverage and then force them to do a bad deal."

Manning and Harrison both will be on the field next season. That's a guarantee. But how the deal gets done with Manning is something that a lot of personnel execs around the league are keeping a close eye on.

"I don't like to talk about money," Manning said last summer. "I leave that to Tom."

Talking about it, and rolling around in it are two different things. This contract will eventually get done, and when it does, Manning and Condon will have the biggest deal in NFL history -- and one that Manning has earned this season.

Around the league

• The Bills have a major decision to make regarding quarterback Drew Bledsoe, a decision that new coach Mike Mularkey has to be watching closely. According to NFLPA figures, Bledsoe is set to have a cap figure of $6 million this season, which isn't bad by quarterback standards. But the Bills will either have to give him a $7 million option payout by November of 2004 to trigger the contract years for 2005-07 or pay him $2 million not to exercise the option. That means he will cost them $13 million this season if they decide to keep him and exercise the option. If they keep him and don't, it will cost them $8 million. If they release him, it won't cost the team a penny. So why keep him? They don't have anything behind them, plus they might think that having Mularkey in as the coach could jump-start Bledsoe's career after a poor 2003 season. Some inside the Bills front office wonder if Bledsoe can be the quarterback to take them to the Super Bowl. If that's the case, then they have their option to get out of the contract before the season starts. But then what at quarterback? Travis Brown? Alex Van Pelt? Sign Mark Brunell? Draft a guy? Bledsoe still has some good football left in him, but the Bills need to get him some weapons. No quarterback, Manning included, can drop back and make plays when the receivers are not open, the backs don't do well in the passing game and there is not a legitimate threat at tight end. Fear not, though. Willis McGahee is on the way, he and his reconstructed knee. There is no assurance that McGahee will ever be the same back. Mularkey should either hold onto Bledsoe, find a way to get Drew Henson or sign Brunell.

• Remember all those stories about how Kurt Warner would be playing elsewhere next season. Forget it. The Rams were never going to let Warner go, not even if Marc Bulger had played to a high level this season, and into the playoffs. The reason is the cap hit to trade or release Warner would have been too high. So unless he gave back some of that bonus money he received last year, there was no way he was going anywhere. And forget giving back bonus money. His wife and agent would strangle him if that were to happen. The Rams paid him an option bonus of $6 million last spring, with $3 million of that deferred until this spring. Warner has a cap figure of $9.46 million this season, and would count about the same if he were to be traded or released. So why not just keep him and let him compete for the job? The big decision will come on Bulger, who is a restricted free agent. The Rams will tender him an offer, which could limit his ability to move. They will have to decide what level to tender him. If it's the high tender, which would force a team to give up a first- and third-round pick to get him, they would be on the hook for $1.9 million for the season. The lower tender, which would bring a first-round pick in return for not matching an offer to him, would cost the Rams $1.4 million. They also could choose the low tender, which would not bring any compensation if the Rams chose not to match any offer Bulger received. Based on the way he played in the postseason, the Rams will likely give him the middle tender, which should be enough to scare off any potential suitors. What that would do is bring him back at $1.4 million and let him prove that he can be the quarterback of the future. To do so, he would have to fend off Warner. If Bulger does sign the one-year tender, he could then become an unrestricted free agent after the 2004 season. But if he loses his job, they'll let him walk. If he plays well, they will try to extend him. This is one quarterback controversy that isn't going to go away. By the way, put Rams coach Mike Martz at the top of that list in terms of coaches on the hot seat heading into the 2004 season. Martz was on shaky ground in some circles of the Rams front office, but his inability to bring home a playoff victory last week has him in an even more tenuous situation. The Rams brass was not happy with his decision to play it safe at the end of the game. Nor were his players. Contrary to reports that the players agreed with the decision, word out of St. Louis is that many players were angry Martz played it that way. That can't be a good thing going into next season.

• There are some big cap problems brewing in Tennessee. The Titans have 37 players under contract for 2004 and those players are counting $91,800,000 against the cap, which is way over the $79 million cap. The retirement of tight end Frank Wycheck will save the team $3.3 million or the situation could have been even worse. The Titans have too few players taking up too much cap room. Defensive end Kevin Carter is set to have a cap figure of $11.775 million, followed by Steve McNair ($10.8 million), cornerback Samari Rolle ($8.8 million) and Eddie George at $7.2 million. The Titans also have to decide if they can bring back unrestricted free agents Jevon Kearse and Robaire Smith. And you can bet teams will watch closely the tenders they make to wide receiver Justin McCareins. A team looking for a tough, hard-nosed defensive lineman might want to ante up for Smith with the idea the Titans will be too limited to give him the same offer. He's a potential Pro Bowl player. Coach Jeff Fisher said he wants George back, but with Chris Brown coming on late in his rookie year, that has to be one of those moves that the Titans can't make based on emotions. Keeping veterans too long is a danger in this cap era, something the Titans are finding out the hard way. It doesn't help that Randall Godfrey, a player they released last year, will count $3 million against the 2004 cap.

• When the Colts and Patriots meet Sunday, two of the four starting cornerbacks will be alums from Fort Valley State. Patriots corner Tyrone Poole and Colts cornerback Nick Harper both played at the Michigan school. Poole has been a pleasant surprise for the Patriots after signing as a free agent, while Harper is enjoying his best season. He will be a restricted free agent after the season, and the Colts like him. With the Manning contract situation, plus talented Donald Strickland waiting in the wings, the Colts have to make a decision on what to do with Harper and fellow starting corner Walt Harris, who likely will have to take a big pay cut to stick around.

• The Packers are thrilled with the way defensive tackle Grady Jackson has played, and feel that they gave him the 2-year contract extension at the right time, before his price went up. The deal is favorable to the team, as Jackson received an $800,000 signing bonus with a base salary of $660,000 in 2004 and $750,000 in 2005. The contract does include some weight bonuses that should help, or attempt to help, keep Jackson's weight in check. That was always a problem in New Orleans, where he often paid the fine for missing weigh-ins, rather than the fine for being overweight because he figured out that the former would be less money. The coaching staff in New Orleans always liked Jackson's ability to make a play or two, but they didn't think he could hold up for the long haul playing as heavy as he was. He also had a tendency to blow things off, like the time he didn't show up for a scheduled surgery and left the team hotel the night before a game because he wasn't playing. The Packers say he hasn't been any trouble at all since they signed him.

• Green Bay does have a tough decision on whether to bring back left tackle Chad Clifton. After missing time in 2002 following the Warren Sapp cheap shot, Clifton had another stellar season for the Packers. If he does hit the open market, he could one of the top offensive linemen available because teams are always looking for an upgrade at left tackle.

• Don't be fooled by all the hype about LaVar Arrington's new deal with the Redskins. The word was that it was an eight-year extension worth $85 million. On paper, that's the way it could be portrayed. But the reality is that it wasn't as beneficial to the player as the agents would make one think. What the Redskins did was essentially ask Arrington to lower his base salaries the next two seasons in exchange for bonus money to help lower his cap number. Arrington was to have a cap figure of $10.6 million this season with a base salary of $6.36 million. He will now have a cap figure of $5.6 million with a base of $450,000. It's a similar type slash in 2005. In exchange, Arrington received a $4.2 million signing bonus and potential option bonuses that could total $11.3 million. Moral of the story: Don't believe the hype about all these contracts. A lot of it is funny money and creative bookkeeping. The Arrington contract does include an interesting provision: He had to buy a disability policy that makes the team the beneficiary. That's the first time the Redskins have asked for that type of provision in a contract, although other teams have done so.

• For all of those who frown on Dan Marino entering the front-office world of the NFL, lighten up. It's not molecular biology. It's football. Marino knows football. And he can learn the details of finding good players, scouting and the business side of things. There are a lot of qualified people in the NFL who started their careers as high school coaches. Does Marino know more about the NFL game than a high-school coach? Give the guy a chance. If he turns into Matt Millen, then he deserves the rips. If he becomes Ozzie Newsome, a former player who knows how to find good football players, then heap the praise. But for the first couple of years, give him a little slack. Marino won't be making player decisions because those will rest with Rick Spielman, the new GM. Word is owner Wayne Huizenga wanted Spielman to be his GM all along, which is why he strongly considered bringing Ron Wolf on as a consultant. But Wolf didn't know Spielman, who was the team's player personnel director before his promotion, and therefore Wolf was uncomfortable working with a guy he didn't know. That's when Marino became a reality. First order of business for Marino is to help find a quarterback, which could very well be Brunell, the man who beat him in Marino's final game as a player.

• New Cardinals coach Dennis Green has his work cut out for him in helping to improve the team's offensive line. Once believed to be a strength, it was a group that woefully underachieved last season. Guard Leonard Davis and tackles L.J. Shelton and Anthony Clement have the ability to form a top group. Instead they were outplayed by center Pete Kendall, who was playing a new position in 2003. "Those guys need a foot up their behinds," said one team source. "They were poorly coached." Another player who needs some major prodding is defensive tackle Wendell Bryant. A 2002 first-round pick, he is on the verge of being considered a major flop.

• The Bears' decision to make Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm a candidate for the head-coaching job was met with much surprise around the league. It was met that way from Grimm himself. It seems that when Bill Cowher told Grimm the Bears had asked permission to speak with him about the job, Grimm's reply was something like this: "Yeah, right." He thought it was a joke and had to be convinced it was real. Grimm had a good interview with the Bears, even though he lost out to Lovie Smith. Grimm should be named offensive coordinator to replace Mike Mularkey in the next day or two, and will be on many team's watch list next season. Grimm has the fiery personality you want in a coach, and he can relate to the players. A year as a coordinator will be good for him in the long run.

• With Jan. 15 the last day juniors can enter the draft, we have already seen an abundance of name players make their intentions to enter the draft known. This junior class could feature several top 10 picks. Among the possibilities are Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a trio of Miami players in defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, safety Shaun Taylor and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., Oklahoma defensive tackle Tommie Harris, USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze, Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones, Oregon State running back Steven Jackson, LSU receiver Michael Clayton, Washington receiver Reggie Williams, Arkansas tackle Shawn Andrews and Ohio State cornerback Chris Gamble. The bet here is that more juniors go in the first 15 picks than seniors.

• Giants coach Tom Coughlin inherited kicker Mike Hollis when he took over as coach. That's touchy because Hollis ripped Coughlin when he was his kicker in Jacksonville as he departed as a free agent. Word is the two have already sat down and had a talk to clear the air. Now the issue is whether Hollis is recovered enough from back surgery to be a capable kicker again. At one point there was talk he might not kick again, but he has made some strides in his recovery. Incidentally, Coughlin was thrilled to get former Steelers coach Tim Lewis to run his defense. He was blown away by the preparation Lewis showed when he interviewed him last week.