Update [2008-2-18 17:19:45 by Skin Patrol]: More money quotes from Albright per
drWNC per, I'm told, the Local Greensboro paper. That's a good enough source for me!
LS Ethan Albright continued his trend of being the first player re-signed by the club in the off season, saying yesterday that he signed the one-year offer sent to him in the mail "Same contract as last year and that's more than enough for me,"...
"I'm the unofficial NFL record-holder for minimum contracts for someone with (tenure)," he said. "There's significant salary-cap savings in signing me to those deals. In terms of NFL dollars, I'm at the bottom of the totem pole, but in terms of what I ever thought I'd make in my lifetime, I'm as happy as I can be with it."
Albright = Core Redskin, if that term can mean anything.
So maybe I'm just cheerleading the greatest rock eating long snapper to ever take the field, but why can't Ethan Albright get love? Big news from the
Post and
Redskins Insider is:
...and the team also agreed on a one-year contract with Pro Bowl long snapper Ethan Albright.
Notice the structure of the above quote that should tell you Ethan Albright getting a new contract with the team was the second thing you should know about, the first being:
New Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn phoned quarterback Todd Collins this week to relay the team's interest in retaining the potential free agent as a backup...
I'm not telling anyone how to do their job, because you all well know that I can't do my non-job properly -- and I'm unemployed -- but the fact that maybe the team will keep backup quarterback per a phone conversation is bigger news than signing Pro Bowler Ethan Albright The Great? Discrimination, I say.
Actually that's all tongue in cheek since Todd Collins (un)arguably did much more for this team in '07 than Albright, even though the former started just four regular season games. My position on Collins is good for him for (maybe?) keeping his job despite losing Al Saunders. Even though I'm of the opinion that Collins succeeded in large part because of his familiarity with that offensive system, there is no discounting just how incredibly he played for a short stretch at the conclusion of last season. He makes a fine backup, in my opinion, even if he ain't no Ethan Albright. Who among us mere mortals is, though?
Elsewhere in the Post article: Derrick Frost has been "extended an offer" suggesting that he's yet to sign it. Derrick, guy, you need to sign it ASAP because things aren't going to be much better elsewhere. Also, not news but both Randall Godfrey and Pierson Prioleau are contemplating a move to sunny Jacksonville to join not-so-sunny-but-I-wish-he-were-here Gregg Williams.
Reader(s) wondering why the team keeps extending Ethan Albright to one year contracts and can't secure the reliable Red Snappah! to a longer contract, I misquote the great Gale Snoats: "And as per usual, I wouldn't be surprised if the source of the marital contractual friction was financial." In this case there is no friction; Ethan Albright is heavily compensated for his work and doesn't mind doing so without the benefit of a long-term contract. He plays ball with the franchise for the team's benefit. The Hogs reminds:
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams are rewarded for using veteran players by giving them a cap discount. For qualifying contracts, all minimum salaries for veterans (plus up to $40,000 signing bonus).
Which requires they be one year contracts, if I'm not mistaken, though I usually am. I imagine Albright signed a league minimum contract with a 40K signing bonus, which for a man of his tenure would usually cost us,
depending who you ask, 820K a year in minimum base salary. With the veteran league minimum exemption it will only cost us around 400-500K. Maybe not huge savings, but you won't get me to say unkind things about the Red Snappah.
