John Clayton - Weblog Tuesday, February 21, 2006 ~ ~ ~ Abraham keeps plans a mystery: Jets defensive end John Abraham took the high road Tuesday by holding a conference call with reporters and saying he was all right with the team's decision to give him the franchise tag for a second consecutive year. Abraham is leaving the team guessing whether he will hold out or sign the tender, but Abraham plans to make a decision over the weekend. If he signs the tender, he'll be guaranteed a salary of $8 million. But if he holds off signing the tender, he'll have veto rights on any trade the Jets try to make. That could decrease his value. Abraham can't be traded if he is unsigned. Unsigned, it may be hard for the Jets to get a first-round pick and might have to settle for a second. Because the Jets are entering a rebuilding period and will try to get younger, it's more likely the Jets franchised him to trade him.
I actually think he knows he will be traded...so I think he will sign the tender to make sure it gets down quicker.
All that this means is he has to hear the new team's contract details before the deal goes down. If I'm him, I take the franchise deal now because 8.3 is a lot. Sign it before it's revoked.
