Agents for Abraham officially looking for trade partners

Agents for Abraham officially looking for trade partners

By ANDREA ADELSON, AP Sports Writer
March 3, 2006

Several teams have expressed interest in acquiring Jets defensive end John Abraham, who has made it clear he wants out of New York.

Meanwhile, the Jets appear to be in a holding pattern with quarterback Chad Pennington, who needs to renegotiate his contract to stay with the team. They needed to get a deal done Thursday but got a reprieve when the start of free agency was delayed three days.

Abraham, who last week was placed with the franchise tag for the second straight year, probably won't play for the Jets again. His agents, Tony Agnone and Rich Rosa, said on a conference call Thursday that four or five teams said they were "definitely interested" in Abraham but declined to name them.

"Change is good and for John Abraham moving forward, change would be good for him," Rosa said. "You get to a point in your career as a player when there's been some unfulfilled promises ... you have to move through that because it's a business. That's what we've been able to do with John, have his sights set on a brighter future."

Abraham is unhappy the Jets have failed to deliver a long-term deal, even though they all but assured him they would if he played in every game in 2005. He did, but was given a one-year, $8.33 million franchise tender. Abraham has yet to sign it while his agents weigh their options.

"Unfortunately, great players from great teams end up on another team," Rosa said. "This is a business decision and he's not an angry player. This is not about the money with John. This is about being somewhere and being a leader on a team that has a chance to win a championship."

Agnone and Rosa said in the best case scenario, they would come to a long-term deal with an interested team and then have the new club work out a trade with the Jets. They hoped to have something done before the draft in April.

Last year, Abraham had 10.5 sacks even though he came in late to training camp. Abraham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection in six seasons, has 53.5 sacks, fourth on the team's all-time list.

Pennington said earlier this week he wants to stay with the Jets, but his base salary needs to be slashed in order for his contract to fit under the salary cap. The Jets were $26 million over a projected $94.5 million cap, and were also considering the futures of center Kevin Mawae and guard Pete Kendall.

According to published reports, the Jets have told Mawae he will be released. The 35-year-old six-time Pro Bowler will save the Jets only about $1.1 million against the salary cap, but is recovering from a torn triceps that caused him to miss the last 10 games of the season.

"Anytime you've been that much a part of a place, it's a hard thing to deal with," agent Mark Bartelstein told the New York Post. "He's disappointed, but he also feels like he's in the prime of his career. We'll find the best place for him. There are not too many guys like Kevin Mawae out there. Any team that signs him is going to get an automatic upgrade."



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