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 Strahan the man in N.Y.
Posted: Friday July 16, 1999 12:26 PM
I've got an NFL quiz for you: Who's within a few negotiating sessions of becoming the highest-paid defensive player in football? Before we get to the answer, we've got to asterisk Deion Sanders, whose recent extension with the Cowboys makes him, technically, a $10.3-million player. But because he'll never play the final few years of the contract, it's hardly fair to judge that deal against those of guys with four or five great years left. So now to the quiz: Is the highest-paid defensive player in football soon to be: a. Minnesota's fire-eating defensive lineman John Randle? b. Carolina's overrated defensive tackle Sean Gilbert? c. San Diego's Tazmanian Devil of a linebacker, Junior Seau? d. None of the above. It's D. Because the real answer is New York Giants' two-way defensive end Michael Strahan. Why Strahan? He's 27. He's cat quick and brutally strong. He's had more sacks, 29, over the last two years than any player in football. And he's entering the final season of a contract that will pay him $3.1 million this year. It's vital that the Giants sign him before the end of the season because even if the Giants made him their franchise player in 2000, teams would be lining up to throw two first-round picks at the Giants as compensation for Strahan. Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, and New York general manager Ernie Accorsi have exchanged parameters in the last two weeks. Accorsi is willing to make Strahan the highest-paid defender, aside from Sanders. That would put Strahan just above Gilbert, the reigning salary king at $7.45 million per year, and Arizona's Andre Wadsworth, at $7 million a year. Agnone wants $8 million a year, with the option to re-open the deal after four or five years in the event two or three dozen players pass Strahan on the salary chart. The Giants would be very smart to get Strahan done before September. He's not happy right now. He sees prominent veterans like cornerback Jason Sehorn skipping the off-season workout program to do their own thing. He sees an offense that is still feeble. He sees the mega-dedicated Jets across the river. He sees all this, and he sees his stalled negotiations, and he is not pleased. That's why the Giants will probably make him an $8-million man by opening day. One other incredible salary note: The 49ers will soon announce the signing of wideout Terrell Owens to a $7-million-a-year contract, making him the second highest-paid receiver in football. The only one higher? Teammate Jerry Rice. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's NFL Preview.
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