Starting today, Field Gulls will have a new running segment. John has brought me in to provide a daily dose of football / Hawks news, and this should be a great opportunity to spur some football conversation about the topic at hand. In commenting, please stay on topic, be courteous, and keep your posts brief. Without further ado:
While Terrell Suggs may have enough affinity for his own team to leave money on the table, Albert Haynesworth will have none of that.
"I'm not Terrell Suggs, that's all I can say,'' Haynesworth said of Baltimore's Pro Bowl linebacker, one of several Raven defenders scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
Not only does he (rightfully) believe he should get paid, he is seeking a good deal of guaranteed money.
Although he declined to go into specifics, Haynesworth is seeking a six-year deal that would make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Right now that designation belongs to Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, who signed a six-year contract last offseason with $32 million guaranteed and $12.2 million per year. Haynesworth made it clear he's looking to get paid.
John has made no secret about the fact that signing Phat Albert would immediately improve the Hawks' defense, although it is clear that Hayneworth will be an expensive proposition. With Tennessee now effectively just another team in the running for the services of the most disruptive force in football, the auction has begun. The question then: where will the bidding stop?