Jul 28th 2008 7:24AM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Packers
Brett Favre isn’t the only player not in Packers training camp.
The case of running back Ryan Grant, whose absence in a contract dispute concerns coach Mike McCarthy, has the potential to get ugly. Grant is an exclusive rights free agent, which means he doesn’t have a contract but isn’t really a free agent at all. And he and his agent are none too pleased about the offer the Packers have made:
“It’s insulting,” agent said of the offer he received from negotiator at 5:15 p.m. Saturday “Ryan Grant gave them a running game last year. They know what he can do.”
Herman said the most insulting part of the offer was the $1.75 million signing bonus the Packers offered on a six-year contract extension.You and I might be thrilled to have our bosses offer us $1.75 million, but that’s because you and I don’t generate the kind of revenue for our bosses that Ryan Grant does. The Packers’ offer is way below market value, but the fact is that in the NFL, exclusive rights free agents have virtually no leverage, and Grant might end up taking an offer he finds insulting.
