The impasse over the collective bargaining agreement has not put a halt to all negotiations in the NFL; Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported that the Miami Dolphins are having active discussions with Paul Soliai and his agent, David Canter. In his fourth season Soliai provided the impasse the Dolphins needed for their 3-4 defense, effectively plugging up the middle against the run. Miami wants to keep Paul the Plug in place, and may use the franchise tag to do so. Soliai would like a multiyear deal that exceeds the five-year, $20.5 million contract his fellow defensive lineman Randy Starks signed in 2008, while the team has tendered one year offers. One hindrance is the 30 percent rule, which would limit Soliai's pay to 30 percent more than the $467,000 he made last season. The two sides could skirt around that hitch with a large signing bonus, but how large of a bonus should a team give a large man who has only made a large contribution to the team in one of his four years in the league? Soliai's agent predicts that he will test the open market, but that will be contingent upon the league having a new collective bargaining agreement in place. Still, it is encouraging that this once doubted player has transformed himself into a stalwart.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Paul the Plug
The impasse over the collective bargaining agreement has not put a halt to all negotiations in the NFL; Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported that the Miami Dolphins are having active discussions with Paul Soliai and his agent, David Canter. In his fourth season Soliai provided the impasse the Dolphins needed for their 3-4 defense, effectively plugging up the middle against the run. Miami wants to keep Paul the Plug in place, and may use the franchise tag to do so. Soliai would like a multiyear deal that exceeds the five-year, $20.5 million contract his fellow defensive lineman Randy Starks signed in 2008, while the team has tendered one year offers. One hindrance is the 30 percent rule, which would limit Soliai's pay to 30 percent more than the $467,000 he made last season. The two sides could skirt around that hitch with a large signing bonus, but how large of a bonus should a team give a large man who has only made a large contribution to the team in one of his four years in the league? Soliai's agent predicts that he will test the open market, but that will be contingent upon the league having a new collective bargaining agreement in place. Still, it is encouraging that this once doubted player has transformed himself into a stalwart.
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Soliai received and signed a franchise tender: $12.381 million for one year. That's a hefty raise for a hefty player!
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