A Baker bit
Yes, tight end Chris Baker was on Sirius NFL Radio Thursday and yes, he’s still unhappy with his contract. And with the Jets still maintaining their "We expect Chris Baker to be here" line in public when asked about Baker, well, that's the update.
Look, Baker is going to continue to be unhappy until the Jets redo his contract but asked point blank yesterday if he was planning to sit out the team’s mandatory minicamp in early June or training camp when it gets underway, Baker didn’t say one way or another. In other words, he’s holding the threat of boycotting camp over the Jets heads, without making the threat. Baker in the radio interview indicated he took a message from the Jets drafting of Dustin Keller, though he has to know that he and Keller possess almost entirely different skill sets and would fit into the offense in different ways. Bottom line: it’s not quite time to panic on this and while the Pete Kendall comparisons are natural to make, there’s still a long way to go before it reaches that point of acrimony. It has been interesting to read fans reactions to this, both here and elsewhere, with there seeming to be an almost equal split between “pay the man,” and “play out the contract you signed.”
As for today, I’m out at Hofstra for the rookie minicamp. We have player access in a few minutes and will head out to see some of the workout/practice about 2:30 or so. Eric Mangini wraps up the day about 5 p.m. Back later (and yes, the Ainge story is forthcoming).
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Comments (8)
Once a player shows that despite his midiocre play, and despite the team having paid him more than his worth when he wasn't doing any thing and despite the fact that his career year was still less impressive than more than 16 teams in the NFL last year and despite still having TWO years left on his contract for which he was paid a handsome bonus, that he is still willing to cause THIS MUCH havoc right before the draft and during the draft and right after wards while the team is dealing with undrated rookies and organizing the rookie mini camp, then let him sit. Do what Cincinatti is doing to Chad Johnson: draw a line in the sand! We can't keep having this every single year with these below average players. Baker is a disgrace of a Tight End and worse of a human being.
Agreed, but if the Jets ARE so concerned with players character, I really hope the Jets are not making promises to their players and then not following through. That would demonstrate the Jets mngt. donot have the same character they ask of their players.
I'm sorry but Baker's not worth more money. He isn't a top 10 TE and definitely not a top 20. We picked up Bubba and we drafted a versatile TE. So what is so special about Baker? He's got good hands, but he's not very fast. He's a middle of the road blocker and he's clearly got personality issues. My thought: Cut him. He's not worth more money and its ridiculous that he should ASSUME that guys like Coles and Rhodes getting contracts would mean that HE should get the same? Coles and Rhodes are part of the reasons why we even WON a game last year.
I'd like some assurances that he doesn't have a money problem and that he doesn't just want more. He's already 800K in debt. Trying to get out of his contract seems fishy.
It's been reported that Baker's salary this year will be lower because he received some of it as a bonus last year. So for him to now complain about his current salary is ridiculous.
I've seen several examples of this lately, where a player is complaining about his salary being low, but it's almost never mentioned that his annual salary is lower because he signed a front-loaded contract with a huge signing bonus. I think some reporters are missing that when they cover the stories.
And just for the record, I thought that the Jets were stupid for not giving Kendall a raise, so I'm not anti-player. Football is a brutal sport and with non-guaranteed contracts, I usually don't blame players when they fight over contracts. But in this case, Baker comes off as a whiner to me.
I would have to disagree with most of you here. If Chris Baker wasn't so valuable to the team, why keep him around for 6 years. We have seen TEs come and go in the last few years. His contract was renegotiated and a bonus given recently. This is not a sign of a player that isn't valued by the organization.
I personally like the job I've seen him do over the years. He can be a go to guy when asked to be that guy, but his role has been mainly to help out with blocking because of Chad's weak arm and Kellen's inexperience.
He is coming off his best year and it's no crime to want to make more money when you feel you are outperforming your contract. I think these players are handicapped in a way with not being able to go to other teams and get bids on what they are worth. The Jets are under no obligation to pay more and don't have to let get offers from other teams. I know I certainly wouldn't want to be in that situation.
Unfortunately, with all that said, the real issue is, as atljetsfan has pointed out, that it appears that the Jets are making promises to their players and not honoring them. This despite the fact that they require the highest level of character from their players.
Come on, Mr T., don't end up being a scuzball. Treat your players right and they will play their hearts out for you.
Did I miss something or is Chris Baker the next Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates or Dallas Clark, just to name a few?
I can't believe there are so many people whining for more money on a 4-12 team. I'm often more critical of management than I am of players. I tend to be pro-player, but this is just ridiculous. Rhodes got more money and a new contract because him hitting the free agent market would kill us and he's been perhaps the best player on our defense over the last 2 years. He's a fan favorite who consistently gets his job done and does a superb job. He's quickly becoming top tier talent for his position and is really one of the most valuable assets on a team that doesn't want to go backwards. They didn't want to give coles more, but they met him halfway because of all he's given the team over the years and his leadership. What has Baker done that's so great? He's been a mediocre player on a 4-12 team. Why should he be paid more? He has a contract. To have a legitimate claim for more money he'd have to really play at a level above his current contract. After the team goes 4-12 he'd have to be an asset that they couldn't afford to lose.