*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Jul 15, 1998: -- Bundren Agrees To Contract --
** Jim Bundren Agrees to Deal
The Miami Herald is reporting this morning that 7th round
draft pick Jim Bundren has agreed to a 3 year contract for the rookie
minimum salary plus a $36,000 signing bonus. That works out to
$146,000 in '98, $182,000 in '99 and $216,000 in 2000.
Bundren is the third draft choice to agreed to a deal.
Lorenzo Bromell and Nathan Strikwerda have already signed contracts
with the team. The deal with Bundren leaves 7 draft picks unsigned,
although Brad Jackson is reportedly close to a deal.
** Raymont Harris Info
The current word on the Raymont Harris negotiations is that
the Dolphins are offering less than the $1.3 million per year deal
that the Packers are offering, but JJ is said to be telling Harris
that he will have a chance to start in Miami and that may make a
difference with Harris. If Harris signs with the Packers, he will
spend most of his time as a backup to Dorsey Levens.
Harris worked out with the Packers in June and is reportedly
asking for about $2.5 million per year.
** Franchise Signing Period Starts
As of today (July 15th), the Dolphins can re-sign franchise
player Tim Bowens to a contract and remove the franchise tag from him
next year to re-use on another player. This has been the date that
the Dolphins have been waiting for to begin serious negotiations with
Bowens for a long-term contract.
** Dolphins Hold Fan-Fest
The Dolphins are planning to hold their first ever "Fan-Fest"
on Saturday, July 18th, at at the Broward County Convention Center in
Fort Lauderdale from 10 AM to 6 PM. There will be all kinds of
activities available for fans of all ages, including (but not limited
to) autographs by current and former Dolphin players, performances by
the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders, youth clinics, a sports card and
memorabilia show, interactive games, prize giveaways, and "Question &
Answer" sessions where fans can talk directly with members of the
team.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under and
can be purchased from Ticketmaster, from the Dolphins' box office at
Pro Player Stadium or from the Broward County Convention Center on the
day of the event.
My Comments:
Bundren was specifically mentioned by director of college
scouting Tom Braatz in a recent interview as one of the draftees that
he expected to make an impact on the team this year. Certainly,
getting him signed before training camp improves his chances to
compete.
With full training camp starting next week, you would expect a
flurry of signings to be happening in the next few days. It does seem
like the Dolphins are slower in signing their draft picks this year
than they have been in the past and I hope that this trend doesn't
continue, but they seem to have set some standards for the lower round
draft picks, so that should continue to progress.
The big concern is John Avery, but with the dedication he's
shown so far, I would not expect him to be a problem for very long.
The current sticking point seems to be the length of this contract.
The Dolphins want him to sign for 5 or 6 years and Avery's agent is
asking for 4 years. The reason for that is that after 4 years, Avery
can become an unrestricted free agent.
After reading about Raymont Harris a little more, I feel
better about the Dolphins signing him - if they can get him. The
question remains at to whether or not he's serious about playing for
the Dolphins and whether money or starting is more important to him.
Hopefully, we'll find out something before Training Camp starts next
week.
And maybe they can finally get something worked out with Tim
Bowens. Of course, Rosenhaus and the Dolphins are "far apart" in
terms of a contract, but that's to be expected at this point. At
worst, you figure that Bowens will sign for the Franchise player
minimum for a year and then try again next year.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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