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| 22nd August, 2005 - 9:43 am |  Post-Gazette - While acknowledging that he really does not know the terms being discussed, Hines Ward said he and the Steelers are "close" to a contract extension.
Ward said he talks to his agent often and while "I don't know numbers, I don't want to know numbers." Nevertheless, "it's just a matter of when" and not if a deal gets done before the season begins.
Sources close to the contract negotiations, however, say there is no deal "imminent."
"It's close, as far as what he told me," Ward said of agent Eugene Parker. "I mean, we're close. It's just a matter of when. I don't know when. I just have to go out there, continue to practice, get better and try not to get hurt."
Ward said that Parker, "gave me a ballpark figure somewhere, but I don't know where they're at with their ballpark figures."
Ward reportedly is seeking guaranteed money of between $16 million and $18 million over the first three years of what likely will be a six-year contract. Those so-called guarantees come in the form of a signing bonus this year, a roster bonus next year, annual salaries and other possible bonuses.
The money, technically, is not guaranteed but when the bonuses are high, it would be prohibitive -- for salary-cap purposes -- for the team to cut the player in the first three years, thus virtually guaranteeing the payout. [READ] |
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