Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terrence Newman has one year left on his contract with the team, and he's already thinking about getting a new deal. And he tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that although he doesn't need to get the kind of eight-figure signing bonus that the top cornerbacks in football can get, he does want it:"I would like to stay here in Dallas, but I don't need the money," Newman said. "I definitely want to be recognized as one of the top corners. I just want to be paid as one of the top corners.''
The knee-jerk reaction to a guy saying he just wants the money even though he doesn't need it is to describe him as greedy, but I actually understand exactly where he's coming from. The quality-of-life difference between making $5 million a year and making $10 million a year is minuscule, but when a team shows a player the money, it's also showing the player respect. It makes sense for Newman to want the money that he doesn't need.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. He's one of my favorite players (right up there with Ware, I guess), but it's too bad because he turns 30 in September and I just can't see paying a 30-year-old CB top-five CB money for five years or whatever.
Then again, if Jerry Jones is still counting on an uncapped year in 2010, then TNew just might "get paid."
Posted at 8:15AM on Apr 4th 2008 by BlueStarDude
2.
The only problem with paying Newman like a top 5 corner is that....he's not a top 5 corner, at least not now. He's good, but a bit overrated and it's a stretch to call him one of the best, or pay him as such.
Posted at 9:10AM on Apr 4th 2008 by Peter
3. $5M vs $10M is a big difference once you are at that level of income or worth. We can't see it because we don't have $5M... People in India probably don't see the difference between $1M and $2M, but we sure as hell can.
Posted at 2:51PM on Apr 4th 2008 by bet the super bowl
4. I wish more players were as honest about this as Newman is being here. After a few years in the league (assuming they are able to show even an iota of financial restraint), NONE of them need the money.
Their contracts are a scorecard, plain and simple. It's always easy to see how a team is doing by looking at the standings. It is less simple to see how individual players are doing. One way is the contract they are able to score. Competitive people need to know if they are winning or not.
Posted at 9:29PM on Apr 4th 2008 by DJ Murphy