Sapp Chooses Silver & Black
Monday March 22, 2004
In a bit of a surprise move Saturday evening, the Oakland Raiders landed one of the top free agents remaining on the market by signing veteran defensive tackle Warren Sapp to a seven-year, $36.6 million contract. About $7 million of that is reported to be in the form of guaranteed bonuses.
The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be the leading candidate for the seven-time Pro Bowl performer, with Kansas City and Baltimore also rumored to be in the mix, but Oakland jumped into the bidding late Friday after reports broke that the Bengals were close to a deal with the defensive tackle on a four-year contract that would have paid him more than $16 million. After analyzing the financial ramifications of adding Sapp, Raiders executives determined he was worth pursuing.
Over the weekend, Sapp's former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finally put the finishing touches on a deal that has been in the works with the Dallas Cowboys for the past several weeks when they sent disgruntled receiver Keyshawn Johnson to Dallas for wideout Joey Galloway.
Talks aimed at restructuring Galloway's contract had been holding up the deal, but the Bucs offered a one-year deal Thursday for $2 million with another $600,000 in possible incentives. After sleeping on it, Galloway decided late Friday to accept the deal.
The San Diego Chargers also made a significant signing over the weekend when they picked up free agent wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who had been with the Carolina Panthers. Dyson, who was sidelined much of last year with a torn Achilles tendon, was signed to a one-year contract and is expected to help fill whatever void might have been left by the trade of wide receiver David Boston to the Miami Dolphins.
The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to be the leading candidate for the seven-time Pro Bowl performer, with Kansas City and Baltimore also rumored to be in the mix, but Oakland jumped into the bidding late Friday after reports broke that the Bengals were close to a deal with the defensive tackle on a four-year contract that would have paid him more than $16 million. After analyzing the financial ramifications of adding Sapp, Raiders executives determined he was worth pursuing.
Over the weekend, Sapp's former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finally put the finishing touches on a deal that has been in the works with the Dallas Cowboys for the past several weeks when they sent disgruntled receiver Keyshawn Johnson to Dallas for wideout Joey Galloway.
Talks aimed at restructuring Galloway's contract had been holding up the deal, but the Bucs offered a one-year deal Thursday for $2 million with another $600,000 in possible incentives. After sleeping on it, Galloway decided late Friday to accept the deal.
The San Diego Chargers also made a significant signing over the weekend when they picked up free agent wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who had been with the Carolina Panthers. Dyson, who was sidelined much of last year with a torn Achilles tendon, was signed to a one-year contract and is expected to help fill whatever void might have been left by the trade of wide receiver David Boston to the Miami Dolphins.
Comments
No comments yet. Leave a Comment