Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis shouldn't hold their breath waiting for new contracts from the Indianapolis Colts this year, but it has less to do with the team's view of the Pro Bowl-caliber duo than with the unsettled NFL labor situtation.
Colts general manager Bill Polian said Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio that he told the agents for both players, each of whom has skipped the team's voluntary offseason workouts, not to expect new deals any time soon.
"What I told both representatives was that given the current status of both our budget and the labor negotiations, it is not possible to do anything at this point," Polian said on The Sirius Blitz. "I recognize that they are both very good players, that they are great guys, that we respect them highly, that we value their contributions, and when it's time to do that, when it's propitious to do that, when it is possible to do it, we will."
Wayne, who tied Dallas Clark for the team lead in receptions (100) and touchdown catches (10) and led the Colts with 1,264 receiving yards, traditionally doesn't show up for voluntary offseason workouts.
"I don't think (Wayne) will stay away from training camp because there is a rule this year in the uncapped year that if you do not come in by Aug. 10, you get an extra year tacked onto your contract," Polian said. "So, that is the last thing he wants. He's got two years to run on his contract. So, I presume he will be in."
Mathis, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, reportedly wants to renegotiate his contract and didn't attend any team workouts last month.
Polian said the labor situation also could impact the timing of a new contract for quarterback Peyton Manning, a four-time NFL MVP.
"It's always difficult to do, in that you are talking about astronomical numbers," Polian said. "That said, the more difficult part of it is, not knowing what the labor situation will be going forward. That is the hard part because you don't know that a contract you do today would fit under the system tomorrow."
Polian reiterated that the team plans to re-sign Manning before the 2011 season.
"I don't think you play the waiting game," Polian said. "I think you cover as much ground as you can both conceptually and inform in the way you are going to deal with parts of the contract and then hope to get as much information as time goes on as possible so that when you get to the last throws of it, you are able to just plug the numbers in, in the sense that you covered a lot of grounds beforehand.
"That's our objective -- both Tom Condon (Manning's agent) and myself -- going forward, so we will have those conversations. And we will cover a lot of ground. ... The further we get to next March, probably the more we will know about how the labor situation shapes up.
"There isn't any timeframe. We've done Peyton's contract at the end of the season. The last two contracts we did actually during the period of time when he was about to become a free agent. ... There is nothing out of the ordinary there. At least in a way that Tom and I have operated. So, we will cover the ground we need to cover, and we are aware of the calendar and we know what the issues are, so that won't be a problem.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
