Michael82
02-21-2008, 01:03 PM
Contract makes Indy’s Clark NFL’s highest paid tight end
Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark can at least buy a ticket to Hawaii for the next six years if the Pro Bowl voters continue to overlook his talents.
Colts president Bill Polian said Wednesday that Clark signed a new six-year contract that virtually assures Peyton Manning of finding one of his favorite targets for the rest of his career. Terms were not disclosed, but a source close to the negotiations said the deal will make Clark the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position even though he’s never been selected to the Pro Bowl. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of a clause in the contract.
The move came a day after the Colts announced they designated Clark their franchise player.
“Mr. Polian and I had engaged in ongoing conversations since the fall with the intent desire to keep Dallas with the Colts till the end of his career,” said Neil Cornrich, Clark’s agent. “It’s been close for quite a while and we just refined it.”
As the franchise player, Clark would have been guaranteed $4.55 million, the average of the top five tight end salaries in the NFL. But the long-term contract means the Colts can make the deal more affordable under the NFL’s complex salary cap structure. The cap is expected to be about $123 million this season.
For the Colts, it’s their second major move in two days.
On Wednesday, the Colts signed starting guard Ryan Lilja to a five-year deal that team owner Jim Irsay said was worth about $19 million and included a signing bonus of roughly $4.5 million.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-colts-clark&prov=ap&type=lgns
Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark can at least buy a ticket to Hawaii for the next six years if the Pro Bowl voters continue to overlook his talents.
Colts president Bill Polian said Wednesday that Clark signed a new six-year contract that virtually assures Peyton Manning of finding one of his favorite targets for the rest of his career. Terms were not disclosed, but a source close to the negotiations said the deal will make Clark the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position even though he’s never been selected to the Pro Bowl. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of a clause in the contract.
The move came a day after the Colts announced they designated Clark their franchise player.
“Mr. Polian and I had engaged in ongoing conversations since the fall with the intent desire to keep Dallas with the Colts till the end of his career,” said Neil Cornrich, Clark’s agent. “It’s been close for quite a while and we just refined it.”
As the franchise player, Clark would have been guaranteed $4.55 million, the average of the top five tight end salaries in the NFL. But the long-term contract means the Colts can make the deal more affordable under the NFL’s complex salary cap structure. The cap is expected to be about $123 million this season.
For the Colts, it’s their second major move in two days.
On Wednesday, the Colts signed starting guard Ryan Lilja to a five-year deal that team owner Jim Irsay said was worth about $19 million and included a signing bonus of roughly $4.5 million.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-colts-clark&prov=ap&type=lgns