Collins signs his tender
By Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel
March 9, 2010 10:30 a.m. |(16) Comments
In the first sign that safety NIck Collins and the Green Bay Packers may be moving toward a long-term contract agreement, Collins has signed his restricted free agent tender, according to his agent, Alan Herman.
In what Herman called a good faith gesture aimed at kindling negotiations, Collins took himself off the free agent market by signing the one-year, $3.3 million offer.
Reached Tuesday morning, Herman reiterated comments he made to the Journal Sentinel at the scouting combine last month that he was optimistic the two sides could reach a deal soon. Though he wouldn't characterize an agreement with the Packers as imminent, he said he felt Collins' gesture could provide the impetus to get a deal done.
"Based on the tender Nick received and based on Nick's desire to stay with the Packers and to take part in the off-season program, which is something he really wanted to do, he elected to sign the tender," Herman said. "Nick really likes it in Green Bay and wants to stay there. Hopefully, this will help us finalize a deal as we move forward."
There is nothing for Collins to gain financially in signing the tender because all of the salary is dependent on him making the team. If everything stays the same, he wouldn't receive a paycheck until the first week of the regular season.
Despite that fact, Collins and his agents, Herman and Dave Butz, felt signing the tender would express to the Packers how serious they were about negotiating a long-term deal. Collins has been pursuing a long-term contract since the end of the 2008 season after he made the Pro Bowl for the first time.
The Packers put the highest tender on Collins, which means an interested team would have to compensate the Packers with first- and third-round draft choices if it signed him and the offer wasn't matched. That effectively took Collins out of the market.
From that standpoint, signing the tender isn't a big deal. But most restricted free agents in Collins' position don't sign the tender because being unsigned is the only leverage they have in negotiations. Being unsigned pretty much assures that they won't take part in any off-season workout programs and won't be on the field for the mandatory mini-camp.
It's obvious that Collins would not have signed the tender if he didn't think the Packers were also serious about getting a deal done. Herman said he didn't think it would take that long for the two sides to hammer out a contract that would be satisfactory to both sides once they get heavy into negotiations.
"We hope to get things moving as free agency moves forward over the next week or so," Herman said.
Collins, 26, was elected a Pro Bowl starter this year -- his second straight Pro Bowl selection -- after a stellar year in which he finished fifth in the NFL in interceptions with six. Over a two-year period, he has 13 interceptions, including three he has returned for touchdowns.
Collins expected to be eligible for unrestricted free agency this year, but when NFL owners exercised an option to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement, the salary cap was removed and free agency requirements went from four years to six years of experience.
Collins just finished his fifth season in the NFL He was a second-round pick in 2005.