|
Defensive tackle Sam Adams, the premier player still available in the unrestricted free agent market, confirmed Saturday he hopes to make a decision on where he will play in 2002 by the end of the week, but insisted there is not a frontrunner for his services. Adams and agent Eugene Parker have been bargaining with at least four teams over the past six weeks, but none has yet approached what the defensive end termed "the magic number," and he reiterated he will not sign until the offers become more realistic. The best proposal to date was a three-year, $9 million offer from the Cincinnati Bengals, a deal that would have paid Adams $3 million in 2002, but which he rejected. "I've been patient this entire ordeal," said Adams, one of several starters released by the Baltimore Ravens this spring for salary cap considerations. "It's getting close to and end, but the numbers still have to be right, and there's no (team) there yet." The suspicion is that Adams, an eight-year veteran who played the past two seasons for Baltimore and was selected for the Pro Bowl each of those years, will prefer to return to the Ravens. The cap-strapped Ravens created about $1 million in additional spending room when they signed middle linebacker Ray Lewis to a $50 million contract extension on Aug. 1. But like his other suitors, the Ravens apparently have not yet presented Adams an offer sufficient enough to get his name on a contract. "People are testing him," Parker said, "and he hasn't cracked." In addition to the Bengals and Ravens, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos are interested in signing Adams. Both have offered contracts that essentially are just one-year deals, the Seahawks at about $1.2 million and the Broncos at roughly $1.5 million. It is not known how much the Ravens are willing to pay but any proposal probably would be for more than one year. Lewis has phoned Adams several times, both before and after signing his own new contract, to help persuade him to return to the Ravens. Adams, 29, said that he has kept himself in good condition and will be ready to practice within days of reporting to a training camp. He denied the popular notion that his delay in making a decision on his future was prompted by his desire to miss two-a-day practices, the most demanding part of training camp. "That had nothing to do with it at all," Adams said. "I've made it through camp before and I could do it again. It's time now to get something done, get to camp, and get ready for the season." Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
|
