Two of the players featured on our team-by-team salary cap series as looming contract issues for their respective teams were Miami Dolphins left tackle Jake Long and St. Louis Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis.
Both players are represented by CAA Football -- part of Hollywood's high-powered Creative Artists Agency -- and, in a pair of local media reports Tuesday, said that they are not worrying about their contract situations.
"Personally, I'm just excited for this year, I'm excited for this team," Long said via the Sun-Sentinel. "I'm not even thinking about that contract stuff. It'll all work out how it's supposed to."
Long is scheduled to earn $11.2 million in base salary this season and could receive the franchise tag next offseason, which would cost the Dolphins $15.36 million (120 percent of Long's cap number). Long is represented by Tom Condon -- who as one of the top quartderback agents (e.g. Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Eli Manning) in the business -- is used to negotiating contracts with plenty of zeroes in the total value and has done big-money deals for Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil and Tennessee Titans guard Steve Hutchinson.
Talks are underway between the Rams and Laurinaitis' agent about a new deal, but how far along they've progressed is unknown, even to Laurinaitis, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Tom (Condon) mentioned that they're talking, but I don't follow that stuff," Laurinaitis said. "I really try not to focus on that. I just go and play football and if anything happens, Tom will let me know."
Laurinaitis mentions Condon, but according to NFL Players Association records, Ben Dogra, also with CAA, is his agent of record. Dogra has done several big-money middle linebackers deals lately, including ones for DeMeco Ryans and Patrick Willis. The franchise tag for linebackers is projected to be worth just over $9 million in 2013.
