Jaguars sign five; Leftwich on verge of holdout

[BillsFever]

Rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich is still trying to avoid following in the footsteps of his new boss, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.

Del Rio was a holdout when he was drafted on the third round by the New Orleans Saints in 1985, and Leftwich could be a holdout when the Jaguars report for the start of training camp at 3 p.m. today.

All the signed players will attend a meeting at 5 p.m. today and then hit the field at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow for the first practice of training camp.

Tom Condon, Leftwich's agent, was in Jacksonville yesterday to negotiate with Paul Vance, who handles the salary cap for the Jaguars. Although they didn't reach an agreement yesterday, Condon remained in Jacksonville last night and they will continue talks today.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072503/jag_13114471.shtml

[BillsFever]

Leftwich lone holdout as training camp

Rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich became the Jaguars' first holdout in their new era yesterday after two days of talks between his agent, Tom Condon, and senior vice president Paul Vance failed to produce an agreement.

Condon said he plans to talk to Vance by phone today.

Leftwich became an official holdout when he became the only player not to report for the first camp meeting at 5 p.m. yesterday and will miss his first two practices today when the Jaguars have their first workouts under new coach Jack Del Rio on their new practice fields.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072603/jag_13123114.shtml

[Gunzlingr]

Leftwich set to sign

The 19-day holdout of quarterback Byron Leftwich, the signature player of the Jaguars' new era, is all but over.

The Jaguars and Leftwich's agent, Tom Condon, reached an oral agreement on a long-term deal yesterday that just needs to be finalized and signed before the quarterback drafted with the seventh pick ends his holdout.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Leftwich will receive $11.4 million up front with $10.9 million in signing and option bonuses and a $500,000 reporting bonus. The seven-year deal voids to five and can be worth up to $30 million, including the escalator clauses. The escalator clauses were the sticking point in the talks, and once the Jaguars agreed to those the rest of the deal came together quickly.

more

[R. Rich]

Leftwich In Camp Now; Is Brunell On His Way Out?

The fact that they didn't re-sign Brunell plus the drafting of a QB with their first round pick seems to point to Brunell being done in Jacksonville.

Leftwich In Camp Now