Dolphins Have Deal With Jake Long
The Miami Dolphins have completed a contract agreement with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, a source familiar with the negotiations said.
The deal will be a precursor to the Dolphins using the top overall selection in the NFL draft Saturday on Long.
Long agreed to a five-year contract worth about $57.5 million, including approximately $30 million in guaranteed money, according to a source.
The Dolphins apparently also considered defensive ends Vernon Gholston of Ohio State and Chris Long of Virginia but negotiated only with Jake Long.
The tackle will become the centerpiece of the Dolphins' rebuilding program under new front office chief Bill Parcells, who took over a team that went 1-15 last season.
The Dolphins have scheduled a 1:45 p.m. news conference.
Long can play either right tackle or left tackle. It's likely that the Dolphins are projecting Long as a left tackle, a premium position because that's who protects the blind side of a right-handed quarterback.
By signing Long before the draft, as NFL rules permit the team with the top overall choice to do, the Dolphins avoid the sort of lengthy negotiations that plagued the Oakland Raiders and the top overall selection in last year's draft, quarterback JaMarcus Russell. It took Russell until early last September to agree to a six-year, $61 million deal with the Raiders. Russell's contract is worth as much as $68 million and includes $29 million in guaranteed money.
The Dolphins spent about two weeks negotiating with Long's agent, Tom Condon. A source said they did not have serious negotiations with any other player. Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland created a stir when he said during the club's pre-draft news conference last week that the team hoped the player it chose would be a pillar of its defense for a long time. When it was pointed out to Ireland what he'd said, he called it a "Freudian slip" and amended his statement by saying the team hoped the player it picked would be a pillar of its offense or defense for a long time. People around the league debated whether Ireland's remark was a telling slip of the tongue or a pre-draft smokescreen orchestrated by Parcells.
Gholston, Chris Long and LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey probably will be in the mix for the St. Louis Rams, who have the draft's second overall choice Saturday.
UPDATE (2:26 p.m.)...
The Rams officially are on the clock.
Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said at a news conference at the club's headquarters in Davie, Fla., that Jake Long has signed his contract and will be Miami's pick.
"Jake was our guy from the beginning," Ireland said. "... Jake Long was on the top of our board for a long time. In terms of debate, there wasn't a whole lot of debate."
Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano said the team will use Long at left tackle.
"It's really important for us to know Jake will be on the field on time when training camp begins in July," Sparano said.
Long attended the news conference and said, "I'm very excited and honored to be part of the Miami Dolphins and this organization.... Now I can just concentrate on football and don't have to worry about any of that [contract] stuff."
By Mark Maske |
April 22, 2008; 1:44 PM ET
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Dolphins
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Posted by: Gibby | April 22, 2008 5:08 PM
Dolphins took the wrong LONG...they should have taken DE-CHRIS from UVA instead. They're hopeless.
Posted by: I AM A SOFA KING | April 22, 2008 5:37 PM
That's a good question. As far as I know, that rule only applies to the first pick. But I'm not 100 percent sure. I'll check with the league first thing tomorrow and post the answer right here.
Posted by: Mark Maske | April 22, 2008 5:42 PM
How common is it for a press conference to announce the pick four days before the draft?
Seems like the ever-marketing conscious NFL brass would frown upon taking the drama out of "With the first selection in the 2008 NFL Draft...."
I personally love anything that can allow the draft to take more of a back seat! :)
Posted by: Ryan | April 22, 2008 6:46 PM
The basics = blocking & tackling, Mr. Long blocks.
Good pick.
Posted by: wm. | April 22, 2008 9:20 PM
I finally got an answer to that question... No, the Rams can't sign their pick before the draft. Good question. I did an entire blog entry on it just now.
Posted by: Mark Maske | April 23, 2008 3:29 PM
On that other question... Yeah, the Tuesday before the draft is very early for getting the first pick signed. It's usually sometime between Wednesday and Friday, if at all.
Posted by: Mark Maske | April 23, 2008 3:30 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Mark, can the Rams now start negotiating with players that they might pick and possibly sign them to a contract? Or is that right reserved only for the first pick?