Wilfork Gets the Franchise Tag

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Wilfork Gets the Franchise Tag

When Mr Rooney said Hampton was a 'priority', pretty sure that meant the Steelers are going to re-sign him- what do you think?

i know the Steelers would like to re-sign Hampton, but what if Casey and his agent are asking for something like a 5-year contract worth $40 million?

would you give him that kind of a contract? we had to franchise Starks in order to keep him, i believe we will have to do the same to keep Hampton.

Sam Adams & Ted Washington played 3-4 NT until their mid to late 30's at a starting level of play.

So, if that's what it costs to keep Casey, who's play has not declined over the years, then why not?

In the end, our worry is related to Hampton's age, not his play level. What sized contract did the Steelers give Farrior? Why wouldn't Casey get something similar? Is Farrior 'more important' to the Steelers than Hampton? If they ponied up for James, expect it for Casey.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed James Farrior to a five-year contract, which includes a $5 million signing bonus and is worth $12.6 million over the first three seasons.
The last two years of the deal are meant to lessen the salary cap impact of the deal.

There is a big difference between ponying up $12.6 million for three years as opposed to what Hampton is looking for. If we overpay for Hampton we may not be able to re-sign players like Mendenhall, Santonio and Woodley whose contracts are expiring soon.

it's just not the Steelers' philosophy to overpay, they didn't do it for Faneca and they won't for Hampton either...if a deal is to be done Hampton and his agent need to lower their demands to something in the 3-year $20-25 million range.

[Discipline of Steel]

Re: Wilfork Gets the Franchise Tag

If he gets franchised, that doesnt preclude working out a long term deal in the summer. But the Steelers will be in a much stronger bargaining position. And if they dont have to worry about scratching up a starting DT for the 2010 season, they can focus free agency and the draft on other positions, so its important to get him nailed down early.