Mark Barron, Bucs Getting Closer To Pact
July 18th, 2012
So far this season, about the only news that Bucs first round draft pick, safety Mark Barron of Alabama, made was being on the wrong end of a Brian Price right hook.
It appears Barron may be making some news in the near future, and it has nothing to do with getting blasted in the grill in a meeting room at One Buc Palace.
Joe often gets Twitter messages and e-mails asking why he doesn’t write about so-and-so signing a Bucs contract. In Joe’s eyes, only if a draft pick doesn’t sign is it news.
So far, Barron has not signed, but Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune believes both sides are nearing ink on paper.
Safety Mark Barron, the No. 7 overall pick and the first of the Bucs’ two first-round selections, remains the team’s only unsigned draftee, and there’s a chance he won’t report until his contract is finalized. That could happen as soon as today or take until just before the start of camp workouts.
Given the way rookie contracts are now structured, however, a holdout seems unlikely.
Barron’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, knows Barron eventually will sign a four-year contract with a club option for a fifth year that includes a base salary for 2012 of $390,000. He also knows that Barron will receive a signing bonus of approximately $9 million, because last year’s seventh overall pick, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith, received an $8.96 million signing bonus.
Now that RGIII has signed with the Redskins, Joe believes the dominoes will quickly fall, and that Barron will be in a Bucs uniform within a few days.
Barron’s fellow Buccaneer rookies are getting drilled and grilled at One Buc Palace — rookies reported today — while Barron waits for his lawyers to slug it out with rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and put his signature on a deal.
It’s easy to say Barron’s absence before full squad training camp starts next week is rather meaningless. But if you go there, then you can’t buy in to the theory floated last year by Raheem Morris and others that claimed any and all offseason time with coaches is critical to a player’s development.
July 18th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
I was beginning to get a bit worried about whether or not Mark would be here from the beginning of training camp. We need him desperately! After our front four there’s very little to be optimistic about.
July 18th, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Woody is really going out on a limb. When hasn’t all our draftees not reported to camp on time while Dominik has been GM. (that’s about the only thing he’s done right since he’s been in charge). And knowing there’s a scale how hard can it be? Of course I’ll be shocked if he’s not signed by tomorrow. Don’t need to be a sports writer to predict that.
July 18th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
@jb our secondary is better than our d line. Our front 4 as of now may be the worst in the entire league. true story. I am not a hater, just calling it like i see it
July 18th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Here’s why Bucs drafted Barron. TE’s he will match-up with this year:
Jimmy Graham
Tony Gonzalez
Antonio Gates
Jason Whitten
Brent Celek
Greg Olsen
Tony Moeaki
Chris Cooley
Kyle Rudolph
Kevin Boss
Martellus Bennett
Mark Barron has his hands full to say the least.
July 18th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
The Rockstar dropped from 5th overall to 7th to pick up a 4th round pick and to save a little money on the 1st round pick. Barron and his agent will argue that he really deserves to be paid like a 5th overall. Claiborne was 5A and Barron was 5B.
It’s an argument that may not be resolved that easily. He doesn’t need to miss any workouts.
July 18th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
An NFL guaranteed contract ought to be what it says it is………gauranteed. And once signed a player should have to complete the term of the contract before he is allowed to holdout or renegotiate. Fair is fair!
July 18th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Bum!! Sign your contract for millions and get your ass in camp. Not a good first impression for this fan
July 18th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Once upon a time Trent Dilfer held out, see how that worked?
Sign Barron, and pay the man!
July 18th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
@DallasBuc,
I feel your frustration, but you just don’t understand the way it works. First of all, players hire agents to get these deals done. They pay the agents and they let the agents do their job. This is a business, as much as so many people like to pretend that it isn’t. Mark Barron is not sitting at the negotiating table. Of the top 8 picks, only one has signed so far (RG3 signed today). Everything will fall into place as a result. It is completely ridiculous to get mad at the player over this. The deal will get done and he won’t miss out on anything.
You have to understand, this is their job. Their career only lasts a few years (if they are lucky), so they have to make as much money as they can. It’s easy for us as fans to say they are making so much money and they are being greedy, but I guarantee you that if you were in their shoes and you had the opportunity to get an extra million dollars or so, you would wait it out as well. You would be stupid not to. And nobody seems to complain when these teams cut these players and don’t pay them the remaining money on their contract.
July 18th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
does anyone know when evan longoria is coming back
July 18th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Joe I wasn’t buying ANYTHING from last years coaches that floated…
July 18th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
All top picks wait for first picks to set market.All will be fine
July 18th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Uh, DallasBuc… settle down. This is how it works in the NFL. This is not a reflection on the player. It’s totally unjustified, and shockingly misinformed to call the guy a bum. It would be like me calling you an idiot for you post…
July 18th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
I saw an article about the referee strike thats going on. In 2001, the same
thing happened. And the scrub refs threw about 1-5 flags in a game compared
to 14-18 flags in last seasons games.
LOL the Bucs can benefit greatly from this. A 6’5 wide receiver against our
puny division cornerbacks. Young reckless linebackers. A mauler offensive line
yet penalty prone. This will be a great season for our BUCS.
CANT F$&@ING WAIT!
July 18th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Barron is a good dude and the agents were waiting for the top picks like RGIII who signed today, with all guaranteed money. Barron will get there soon if not sooner. He has to listen to his agent.
Another point, btw, dirtbags always tend to be dirtbags. I am a second chance kinda guy, but I’m starting to rethink that. After idiot Dez Bryant the other day, it just seems like every player that has a Red Flag in the Draft ends up screwing up within the first 2 years. Look at the Lions, and so on. I wanted Janoris Jenkins but now I just feel like he is going to screw up and that is why the Rams are dogging him with the contract. I am no longer a fan of picking red flag players because they all screw up as soon as they get that big money. Aqib Talib, our Red Flagged step child.
Hire a driver, body guard, or just stay home. Nothing good happens after 2 AM.
July 18th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
I heard yesterday that Longoria may come back soon as the DH. They say is getting around pretty well but can’t turn yet to make a backhanded play on the ball yet. I just heard that on 620 and it may just be speculation, but it would be nice to get his bat back.
July 18th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Hawaii, George & biggie Mac…sorry but if this is a business as you all so obvi
July 18th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
…obviously point out then it is his business to get his ass on the football field. He is actually in charge, not his agent. His agent will sit at that negotiating table as long as he can with his first round cash cow. Oh, dominik is a bum too for not getting this done in time. With rookie pay scale in place they are pinching pennies on the margins. Try and remember that the business is football which requires this guy to be on the field and in the meeting rooms.
July 18th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Make sure we give him the big money up front. After all I am sure he will light the world on fire just like the rest of our number 1 draft picks lately. I think they should change the system to the same system everyone else works for. Prove you can do the job. Then you get the big money. Just because they may look good in college does not mean they will in the NFL.
Just my opinion.
July 18th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
“The Rockstar dropped from 5th overall to 7th to pick up a 4th round pick and to save a little money on the 1st round pick. Barron and his agent will argue that he really deserves to be paid like a 5th overall. Claiborne was 5A and Barron was 5B.”
There’s a set scale, he’ll be paid according to where he was drafted, not where he, or his lawyer thinks he shouldn’t been drafted. Malarkey like that is why the league fought so hard for a rookie scale. Get with the times, dude.
July 19th, 2012 at 3:20 am
Again Dallas Buc, you still don’t get it. And you are incorrect, it is all his agent. I have a couple friends that play professional basketball, so trust me on this one. And you are incorrect, the agent wants to get the deal done too. They don’t get paid until the money comes in. That’s like saying a realtor doesn’t want to close on a house. They want to make the deal, but as a businessman, they are willing to wait to get the right deal.
If he’s not there by the real training camp, then there’s a problem. But that won’t happen. And you are totally off calling the guy a bum. Would you turn down a raise at your job? If you had to miss a couple days of work in order to make more money, would you? And please don’t even go there with the ridiculous argument that they make so much money. That’s a load of crap. They make a lot of money because they generate a lot of money. Where do you think that money should go? It’s real easy for someone to sit back on their couch and be jealous and spiteful because someone else makes a lot of money playing a game. However, if you or I had the talent to do it, we would do the exact same thing. We would want as much money as we could possibly get. It’s a crock if you are going to tell me that you would give up a million dollars just so you could be there for the first day of rookies reporting. Give me a break with that BS.
July 19th, 2012 at 9:08 am
Hawaii- if Barron tells his agent that he needs to get a deal done so that he can make first day of camp then that is what the agent will do. Agent works for Barron. Don’t lecture me about how to think about other peoples money or assume that you and I would behave the same. Speak for yourself. Barron is in charge, he is a rookie and it is in this teams best interest that he be in camp. Dominik also bears responsibility here. Funny how you think I as a fan am so ridiculous for thinking our 1st round draft pick who will be a starter day one should get his ass in camp!!! Who is full of it here? Go back to sniffing your so called pro ball friend jocks and quit the preachy attitude.
July 19th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Ha ha, how ridiculous can you be? Of course I want him in camp, but I understand the hold up. If he and Dominik are bums, them I guess there are 12 other bums in the NFL right now (the other top 6 picks and the GM’s). And for the third time, as an athlete, you let the agents do their job. That’s why you hire them. Don’t know why that’s hard for you to wrap your brain around, but keep trying and maybe you’ll get it one day.
As for what you would do, don’t get your tigh little panties in a wad. Maybe you are stupid enough to take less money just so you could get into rookie camp. If so, you truly are a f-ing moron. Anyway, I have to go now so I can sniff my so-called pro ball friend’s jock. It smells sooooo good!!!!
July 19th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
@Fritz50
“There’s a set scale, he’ll be paid according to where he was drafted, not where he, or his lawyer thinks he shouldn’t been drafted. Malarkey like that is why the league fought so hard for a rookie scale. Get with the times, dude.”
Get with the times, Fritz, in 1865 the 13th Amendment was passed. He doesn’t have to sign with the Bucs, he could sue for emancipation.
July 19th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
@Hawaiian Buc
Your right. It’s the agent responsiblility to work on the deal. The reason why agents take so long to neigotiate for rookies is because as an agent it is your job to get the best deal possible for your player, if you don’t and take a less than others you will not be an agent for long. You will have to fire your agent to sign the deal, because like Osi for the Giants they will not allow you to sign the deal as them as your representative.
July 19th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
@Sneedy16,
Not Dallas Buc. He doesn’t care about money. He would just report to camp no matter what. Lose a million here or there, it’s no big deal to him. He just wants to get his arse on the field, no matter what. He would not allow his agent to negotiate a fair deal to take care of him and his family. He would just trust the organization, because we all know that NFL organizations only look out for the player’s best interests, and not their own. Dallas Buc is certainly no bum.
July 19th, 2012 at 7:36 pm
It’s so easy to negotiate multi-million dollar deals. I’m sure most of us do that type of thing everyday. Unfortunately, I have never been able to negotiate a multi-million dollar deal. I have, however, spent a lot of my time sniffing on my so-called pro ball friend’s jock.
July 19th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Hawaii- you are a funny guy. So my expectation that the guys getting paid millions to negotiate a million dollar contract for our soon to be millionaire safety would have it done in time for camp is somehow naive? Ok why don’t you tell more about your insider contract knowledge based on your pro basketball buddies experience. You are a real treasure of information. I believe there are only a few bums left unsigned with Luck and RG3 done.
Go Bucs!!
July 19th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
I want to know why Ronde has to move to safety. He was our best corner last year!