Dolphins land QB Trent Green
BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com
• The Dolphins and the Chiefs reached an agreement that will send quarterback Trent Green to Miami for a fifth-round pick. The pick could become a fourth-round selection.
The deal is finally done. The talks have finally ended. The stalemate is finally over.
And as a result of all of those conclusions Tuesday, the Dolphins finally got their quarterback.
After months of frustrating negotiations, Miami reached a trade agreement Tuesday to acquire quarterback Trent Green from Kansas City, agent Jim Steiner and one Dolphins source said.
An official announcement is expected today, as soon as Green passes a physical in South Florida this morning.
In the end, it was the simplest of compromises that closed the deal. The Dolphins tweaked their offer of a sixth-round pick once more, giving up a fifth-round pick that could become a fourth-round selection if Green meets certain performance incentives.
The Chiefs had been asking for a fourth-round pick, resulting in the sides eventually reaching the final middle ground.
But while the Dolphins' struggle with the Chiefs has ended, another competition is about to begin. The team must now decide the fate of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who received clearance from his surgeon and the team this week to participate in a weekend minicamp.
A FORMALITY
Green also is expected to participate in this weekend's minicamp, as long as he passes his physical. Although Green, 36, sustained a severe concussion at the start of last season, today's medical evaluation is being viewed as nothing more than a formality, a team source said.
Green has long been prepared to make the move to South Florida, even publicly criticizing the slow-moving process taken by the Chiefs as he eagerly awaited joining the Dolphins.
''It's not only awkward for me and my family, but it's awkward for the guys in the weight room, in the locker room, on the practice field,'' Green told Kansas City media after a recent minicamp. 'I'm here every day. People ask, `What's going on?' Guys don't know how to react to me, how to treat me.''
During that same interview session, Green said he had not been told by the Dolphins whether he would be the starter as soon as he got to South Florida. But he has been assured he would get the fair chance he was looking for.
The Dolphins also appeared to have much of the leverage in negotiations since the Chiefs would have owed Green $7.2 million in salary, despite plans to go with either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle as the starting quarterback. But that wasn't necessarily the case.
The reason is the Chiefs could have held onto Green until a week before the regular season -- when teams are mandated to cut rosters down to 53 players -- without owing him any money.
As a result, if the Dolphins wanted to wait until Green was cut, they would have been without their desired starter through all of training camp.
Green, who played for coach Cam Cameron during a stay with the Washington Redskins, now likely will replace Culpepper as the team's starting quarterback. A team source said Tuesday it would be ''very difficult'' to keep Culpepper in the plans.
Culpepper expected to participate in this weekend's minicamp after missing most of the offseason's workouts while rehabilitating his right knee.
Green has played 13 seasons in the NFL, including his previous six with the Chiefs. He has been a consistent star in the league, but he does come with questions.
Green, who is near the end of his career because he will be 37 at the start of next season, also sustained a severe concussion in the first game of last season.
Green returned to his starting role for the final seven games of the regular season, helping the Chiefs to four victories.
However, he also threw eight interceptions and was sacked 21 times during that span.
At the Dolphins' facility Tuesday, management was buzzing through the office while working to get the deal done. However, in the team's indoor practice facility, players had no idea the deal was about to go down.
TEAM PREPARED
During his youth football camp, defensive end Jason Taylor said the team was prepared to enter the weekend's minicamp as if the quarterbacks were set without Green.
''In my mind, we're settled,'' Taylor said before Green's addition. ``We've got four quarterbacks in camp, I mean how many can you carry?
``Shoot, we almost have as many quarterbacks as we do D-lineman, so if you get one more, in my eyes it's settled. This is the guys we're going to battle with.''
Now, Taylor can officially add Green to the mix.
No comments:
Post a Comment