Antonio Gates Ultimatum

[RezRob]

The team notified the All-Pro tight end by letter that he has to report to training camp and sign a contract by 12:30 p.m. Saturday or be suspended at least through the season opener.
Gates has not participated in training camp, and his agent has said he will not play for the $380,000, one-year tender that is all the Chargers are required to offer him as a third-year player. The two sides have been unable to come to terms since the team initiated contract talks 10 months ago. SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

LOL did teams just now realize that writing memos and letters is better than talking in the media and on the phone? Gates obviously should be paid and the Bolts are fools if they don't take care of this. He caught 13 tds last year which is a record for TEs. He wants a 3-year deal with Gonzalez money. They want him for 5 years at less than Gonzo money. If they don't sign him and he plays 6 games this year he's a FA. 

[Diomedes]

If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay out of camp.  He needs to get paid before he puts his health on the line again.

[Seabiscuit36]

He's a guy who is getting underpaid and does have the right to hold out

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

He's a guy who is getting underpaid and does have the right to hold out

No doubt about that.

[hbionic]

Hypocrates.....why is it ok for Gates and not T.O.?

[Tomahawk]

Hypocrates.....why is it ok for Gates and not T.O.?

Gates isn't one year in and actually did drastically overplay the value of his current contract.+

[Diomedes]

A word of advice Chuggie:  don't call people names you can't spell.  It makes you look bad.

[hbionic]

Gates isn't one year in and actually did drastically overplay the value of his current contract.+

1 year in, 3 years in, whatever, same farging principle as far as honoring contracts, you either do or you don't...you can't pick and choose unless you really don't give a farg and think its fun...but otherwise, he's just as much an icehole as T.O. is...or just as sound a business man as T.O. is. Whatever.

[Diomedes]

Gates hasn't made his forturne yet.  He's being paid only marginally better than me.  Meanwhile, the Super Chargers are making a mint on him.  The game is simple:  if they want to keep making money, they have to compensate him enough for the risk to his ability to make a living.

[hbionic]

Gates hasn't made his forturne yet.  He's being paid only marginally better than me.  Meanwhile, the Super Chargers are making a mint on him.  The game is simple:  if they want to keep making money, they have to compensate him enough for the risk to his ability to make a living.

Why can't the same be said for T.O.? Last time I checked $380 g's was a farging good salary. You mean to say that if he only would have caught 6 TD's you would be telling him to farg himself? If he deserves a raise, so does T.O.

[Zanshin]

HB-- TO was ONE YEAR into a 7-year deal....and he'd just gotten a $10 million signing bonus that secured him for life (even more than he was).  Gates is in the last year of his rookie deal, never got a big veteran bump and is arguably the best at his position in the entire league; if he gets hurt, he doesn't have that cushion to fall back on-- he's just SOL.  To play under that rookie deal and be the best at his position would be retarded.

[hbionic]

I understand that G....but you're saying that there are exceptions as for when to honor a contract. That can easily become a skewed with each case with an argument justifying the holdout.

Yes, its unfortunate that Antonio Gates doesn't have a huge signing bonus to fall back on...but correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he an undrafted free agent?

My argument is where do you draw the line?

[Zanshin]

Pretty clear difference to me.

[hbionic]

So you all should be pushing for T.O. to get a re-negotiated contract then. It's the same thing.

[MadMarchHare]

A better comparison would be Westbrook over TO.  Although, I think Gates has a better chance of getting his than Westbrook.