Our old pal MJD had some interesting things to say about Jeff Garcia's retirement threat. The 38-year-old quarterback, who is due to make a $2 million base salary in 2008, has been asking for a raise after leading the Bucs to the playoffs last season.My first reaction was that Garcia had a point but didn't have much leverage. The more I think about it, though, the more I wonder if this is part of a growing trend in Tampa for owner Malcolm Glazer and GM Bruce Allen. They tend to kick to the curb veterans who, in their opinion, have outlived their usefulness. Witness the cutting of Simeon Rice last summer, which many Bucs players didn't appreciate. Warren Sapp was not re-signed by the team in 2004, either, even though he still had some gas left in the tank.
The end result is that the Bucs have tons of room under the salary cap. They could afford to give Garcia a good-faith raise, which they gave B.J. Askew. Askew, however, is only 27. Does age play a role in these decisions?
Or can Glazer simply not afford it right now? I know I keep bringing up the fact that Glazer's other team, Manchester United, just posted a £58 million loss. You can certainly argue that they're separate entities, but nothing happens in a vacuum, and dropping $114 million with one team might make Glazer hesitant to spend on another team. Maybe if Garcia gets his raise a week after Cristiano Ronaldo gets sold to Real Madrid, we'll know just how connected those two franchises really are.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-09-2008 @ 9:50AM
Jeff said...
Wait, so Man U won the Barclay's trophy and the Champions League, both of which presumably come with handsome purses, and has perhaps the biggest worldwide marketing network of any soccer team anywhere, and they LOST money? What the hell? How does that work?
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6-09-2008 @ 9:58AM
Dave said...
Two words, Jeff: Leveraged Takeover. Glazer borrowed every penny he used to buy Man United, and now that there's a credit crunch on, his interest payments are astronomical. Tom Hicks and George Gillett are in the same boat with Liverpool.
That's why Cristiano Ronaldo will transfer this summer. Real Madrid can give Man United $150 million, which they can recoup in replica jersey sales -- just like the Galaxy is doing for Beckham -- and Man United can make up the short fall and still bring in a Roque Santa Cruz, or some other true forward that Wayne Rooney can play off of.
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6-09-2008 @ 2:43PM
Keep in Mind said...
David,
Keep in mind that the Glazer's aren't exactly small fish and are in more than just the sport business. The family's net worth is estimated at over $2 billion and going up. They have a diverse portfolio of nationwide investments which include food service equipment, food packaging and food supplies, marine protein, broadcasting, health care, property, banking, natural gas and oil, the Internet, stocks and bonds and a health real estate portfolio with around 67 major shopping centers. That's not to mention they could probably sell Man U at quite a tasty profit even if you account the debt. Refinancing the debt will be tricky in these times but count me among those who think that the Glazers are savvier than you give them credit for and will find a way to own both clubs as Allen & Gruden/SAF see fit. That is what the family has always insisted all along and quite frankly I believe them.
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