Brian Kelly reports to camp on time and says he won't worry about his contract during the season.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published July 19, 2003
[Times photo: Bill Serne]
Brian Kelly, right, talking to former Buc Scott Brantley, was rebuffed by the Bucs after approaching them about restructuring his contract.
CELEBRATION - Brian Kelly's camouflage shirt did little to help him blend into the scenery Friday as players checked in for training camp.
All eyes were peeled.
The Buccaneers cornerback arrived, ending speculation of a holdout, then explained why he sought to have his contract restructured in only the second of six years.
"It wasn't a threat," he said.
Kelly, 27, played above expectations last season, tying for the league lead with eight interceptions and helping the No. 1-ranked defense to a 48-21 Super Bowl victory.
But the contract he signed in 2002 calls for him to make $1-million this season, $1.8-million less than the four remaining years of the contract and well below the league average for cornerbacks of $2.5-million.
Kelly proposed moving money from the back of his contract to this season. He then would have made $2.5-million over five years.
"I didn't come in saying, "I want new money, I got eight picks, pay me,"' said Kelly, who approached the Bucs in late February. "I asked for some money to be moved up to bring me to the average of cornerbacks in the NFL. That was it."
The Bucs declined.
"We had a lot of players who had great years, and we had great team success," general manager Rich McKay said. "Contracts, contrary to some people's perception, are not a perfect science. Accordingly, you're going to have great disagreement on the value of contracts, on how a player fits in a contract."
Kelly had three interceptions during his first four seasons, none while starting 11 games in 2001. Yet to see proof Kelly was a playmaker, the Bucs had the upper hand in last year's contract negotiations.
Now that Kelly has delivered, he said he believes he should be rewarded. But he said he never threatened to hold out.
"It's not even a smart move to hold out for something like this when you've got five years left on your contract," Kelly said. "What is smart is to come and ask and make yourself vocal and make a request. That's all I did was make a request.
"I think players have that right because if you look at both sides of it, you have situations where guys don't perform up to a level and they're asked to bring money back, to take pay cuts, or they get cut."
His request denied, Kelly reported to the hotel and planned to check his contract baggage at the door. Though frustrated, he said he did not take it personally.
"I'm more than happy to be a Buccaneer," he said. "The Buccaneers gave me an opportunity to come in and be a player. I signed the contract. I understand that.
"I'm here and ready to play football. I'm not going to leave, not going to come back asking for it. I'm done with it. I'm just going to go out and perform like I did last year, and after that, it's a whole other issue. It's a new year."
