Chargers Sign Antonio Gates to a Five-Year Contract Extension
by creanium on Jul 28, 2010 5:02 PM PDT
in San Diego Chargers News
59 comments
Well, it appears the Chargers are not butting heads with all their players. News has come out saying the Chargers have reached an agreement with Antonio Gates on a five-year contract extension. The team will pay the star Tight End $7.235 million per year, with $20.4 million in guaranteed money.
Gates's current contract was set to expire at the end of this season. This new deal not only ensures Gates will be a Charger for a long time still (through the 2015 season), but it also makes Gates the highest-paid Tight End in the league.
The Chargers had indicated that they wanted to get a deal with Gates in place before focusing on reaching an agreement with Left Tackle Marcus McNeill. With a deal out of the way, this may open the door for McNeill and the Chargers to enter into talks.
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Good for Gates
Good for the team. Now get going on MM.
http://twitter.com/matthewverygood
http://lobsterstuffedwithtacos.tumblr.com
by matthewverygood on Jul 28, 2010 5:07 PM PDT reply actions
You want to know why this happened?
Its because I wore my Rivers jersey today.
"I sawed a woman in the park today"
Not bad grammar. Just recollections of a deranged killer.
Coincidence?
I THINK SO
"Los Angeles is like San Diego’s older, uglier sister that has herpes." -- Justin Halpern
Happy for Gates.
He totally deserves it. Best tight end in football.
MM and VJ take note: See what happens when you work with management, don’t make waves, and are responsible?
"This is no ordinary honey!"
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.
by Zach (maestro876) on Jul 28, 2010 5:18 PM PDT reply actions
Gates learned that the hard way in '05
http://twitter.com/matthewverygood
http://lobsterstuffedwithtacos.tumblr.com
by matthewverygood on Jul 28, 2010 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yep, and he's been a model citizen ever since.
And as of today it’s worked out excellently for him.
"This is no ordinary honey!"
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.
by Zach (maestro876) on Jul 28, 2010 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I know
It’s just makes VJ and MM’s holdouts even more ludicrous considering AJ’s history. That sentence had tons of initials.
http://twitter.com/matthewverygood
http://lobsterstuffedwithtacos.tumblr.com
by matthewverygood on Jul 28, 2010 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Heh.
And yes, I agree.
"This is no ordinary honey!"
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.
by Zach (maestro876) on Jul 28, 2010 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions
This is awesome!
Great man on and off the field, he totally deserved it!
Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.-Einstein
This is so great
I’ve been saying for a while that what made our offense work last year wasn’t LT or VJ. Rivers to Gates really is what makes everything else tick. He’s something special.
Awesome
I’ve been waiting for that. He’s such a huge part of our offense. I guess they aren’t worried about his feet?
He was a Pro Bowler, even with foot/toe problems.
Bolts from the Blue - Destroying your opinions with facts.
by John Gennaro on Jul 29, 2010 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions
This is stupendous
Second most important contract extension in the last few year. This had to get done.
We’ll see if it actually means that AJ will consider doing deals with McNeil and Jackson. Me and some others will have to eat some crow if it does.
This makes me very happy. I went around high-fiving all the Charger fans I could find.
No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.
Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't
Agree 100%,
Gates is the second most important offensive player on the team.
"This is no ordinary honey!"
Bolts From The Blue - Heavy with the facts, slightly less heavy with the opinions.
by Zach (maestro876) on Jul 28, 2010 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions
You're not alone.
No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.
Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't
Yup
We have more and better options at WR than we do at LT. LT is also a more valuable position. With a WR it can be hard to say if it’s just the QB making him look good, particularly with a talented passer like Rivers. Jackson is good, no doubt, but who’s to say Rivers (and Norv’s schemes) won’t make the next guy look great too? And now that we have Gates signed, we’ve locked up an elite pass-catcher to distract defenses and open up plays for the rest of them.
MM has been on the decline and has had injury concerns in recent years.
VJ is in his prime. I would rather see the Chargers sign VJ first and see what kind of production they get out of MM this year (if he signs the tender by week 10) before offering him the huge contract he will demand. That’s just me.
Please don't read my signature.
by SoCalBoltFan on Jul 29, 2010 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Big Mac is what, 27? 28?
It’s pretty fair to say he’s still in his prime. The trick is for him to rebound from injury.
I don’t want to see VJ around for much longer. He’s getting to be a serious distraction and whatever production he gives us isn’t worth the headache he causes.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Jul 29, 2010 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions
His condition is an unknown
It’s pretty fair to say he’s still in his prime
At least to us in the general public. He had neck surgery (not otherwize specified) a year and a half ago. And MM cursed the manufacturer of a neck brace in an interview following the neck surgery. I believe MM had a very significant surgery, but neither he nor the team has shared what his injury was, nor what procedure he received.
If it is what I think it was (a cervical fusion of some sort) I believe it is fair to say that MM is very far from his prime. And if I was in his shoes I would NOT have taken the feild last season, let alone future seasons.
by Trendsearcher on Jul 29, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
incredible, he took the first offer from the team
“I wanted to see what they thought I was worth,” Gates said. “They couldn’t have put it any better with their first offer. I was so grateful for that.”
by Orz on Jul 28, 2010 5:47 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Wow I am shocked
I had convinced myself that of a conspiracy regarding the Spanos family and the Illuminati.
IMO
Back in '06
Gates was our only quality target; put on a coat ’cause the window is staying open.
Excellent news for both sides.
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Kris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Jul 28, 2010 6:29 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs
I'm unsure if AJ will work on Mathew's or McNiel's contract next.
Basic reasoning will of course be McNiel, with Mathews coming later once contracts around his draft selection have been finalized. But for some reason I have this lingering feeling that he’ll try and take care of Mathews before the vets come in on Friday since supposedly talks have been good.
I love my team of historically talented underachievers.
Mathews
Mathews needs to get to camp. He’ll be relied on to start and needs to know as much as possible. It may be relatively easy for RBs to adjust to the NFL, but it’s still an adjustment. McNeill isn’t going anywhere and knows how to play the game. His contract, if there’s going to be one, can wait.
Aren't rookie contracts a little easier to negotiate?
I’m saying, wouldn’t they be able to focus on MM since they have a good idea of what Mathews will be getting?
Oh internet, what a wicked web you weave.
I think Mathews' hold up is the sequence
Every year it seems like they have to sign in reverse order of their draft choice.
AJ can work on MM right now if he so chooses. To me the Gates signing as good as it is, puts even more pressure on AJ to avoid large and long term exposure with Merriman, MM and V Jax.
by Trendsearcher on Jul 29, 2010 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
With Rolando McClain signing today
I believe there is now a contract signed above Matthews and on below (but not adjacent). So the deal should be starting to come into focus.
No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.
Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't
hopefully they dont wait for spiller
or we’d be waiting for a while.
by Its Mikey!! on Jul 29, 2010 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't see them waiting for spiller
Since AJ and Norv seem to be under the opinion that Mathews > Spiller.
McClain signed above (he was #8 overall) and two have signed below (#24 and #27 I believe)
And McClain signed with the Raiders, so they aren’t exactly a reliable gauge for proper contract numbers. Hell, McClain’s contract is worth more than Gates’s (5-year, $40 mil, $23 mil guaranteed).
"Los Angeles is like San Diego’s older, uglier sister that has herpes." -- Justin Halpern
Its a start.
No, I don't think you're an idiot. Please don't go trying to prove me wrong about that.
Bolts from the Blue - General Manager: It is what it isn't
This whole thing seems to fall in line with that single report where MM said he was going to enter negotiations with the Chargers this week. Negotiations doesn’t necessarily mean a contract immediately but it doesn’t look like MM was lying.
Knock on wood.
"I sawed a woman in the park today"
Not bad grammar. Just recollections of a deranged killer.
I love this...
As long as he’s healthy, Gates is the biggest difference maker on offense. You can’t say enough for a player that single-handedly dictates to the defense when he’s on the field. I would imagine the 2nd happiest player has to be Phil.
Now, let’s get to work on Mathews and McNeill.
"The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe." - Dr. Leonard McCoy.
by Jeff (sliderockmpc) on Jul 28, 2010 6:49 PM PDT reply actions
EVERYTHING
calls for more beer!
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Jul 28, 2010 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
YES!
I was hoping they would get this done! Nothing better than having your favorite player on your favorite team. GO Gates & CHARGERS!!
Good signing
And I don’t expect this to affect the MM/VJ situation one iota.
If the thunder don't get ya then the lightning will!!
Robert Hunter
If they're planning on signing MM or VJ, they would have been waiting for this.
And this would have been waiting for Gates to show up at TC.
Affect the situation? No. But there is (or would be) a chronological relationship.
What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the cheerleaders!
by Neoplatonist Bolthead on Jul 29, 2010 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh yeah
And my Gates jersey is on order. :-p
If the thunder don't get ya then the lightning will!!
Robert Hunter
Mo' Money
That’s gonna ruffle some feathers in birdland for the other players looking for more money.
Perhaps
On the other hand the player they rewarded was the one who performed on and off the field, kept his mouth shut and came into camp. Maybe the other birds will take note…
"Football is a physical sport, sometimes you have a disagreement on what's going on, and you have a discussion about it." Kris Dielman
by Brian (DaBolts) on Jul 29, 2010 6:59 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
This...
is what got the deal done, and will continue to get future deals done with AJ at the helm. We all see this, why don’t the agents and players see this?
If VJ hadn’t been in trouble (twice), he would have been in consideration for a new deal. Since he did stupid things twice, he’s out (for now).
MM should get a new deal soon.
Birds of a feather
Some birds like TO and Ocho never learn. That’s one bird cage I wouldn’t want to be in. Being a Ravens fan it’s nice to see the competition falter, but then you also want to watch a good competitive game. The one thing some fans don’t realize is we don’t benefit if our team wins a super bowl. In the long run it may even cost us. The Jets are in the same position as you guys with Revis and Mangold. If you guys lose Jackson and McNeill and they lose their two for ten weeks that is a pretty devastating blow to the team and moral. We lost Sergio Kindle for awhile due to his accident last week. I believe Sergio could be an excellent player, but he wouldn’t have made a big impact this year. Good luck to you guys.
I don't want this to be taken the wrong way...
But Gates is hands down the best looking Charger. If my girlfriend told me she wishes I’d look more like him, I’d only be upset by the monumental task that would be for a 170lb white kid.
by sd_Baby-B on Jul 29, 2010 10:24 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
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