POSTED 10:38 p.m. EST; UPDATED 11:00 p.m. EST, March 20, 2006

 

WHO'S THE NEXT COMMISH?

 

With NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue prepares to ride off into the sunset (or, for now, into the final 20-some months of a contract that pays him good money to do not much of anything), let's look at the potential candidates to succeed him.

 

The obvious list includes NFL chief operating officer Roger Goodell, Falcons G.M. Rich McKay, and Ravens president Dick Cass.

 

But let's go beyond the obvious.  Yeah, Condoleezza Rice has previously called it her dream job.  We don't see it happening -- not because she's a woman but because she's too closely aligned with an administration that currently is less popular than any of the four major sports leagues.

 

(And don't be fooled by her statement that she's not interested at the present time; good politicians keep their true desire close to the vest until they have a good idea that their desire are feasible, in order to prevent the appearance of rejection or failure.)

 

Besides, if the NFL is inclined to consider a woman for the position, which would be a brilliant marketing strategy for a sport with a core fan base that is still predominantly male, a far better option would be Raiders president Amy Trask.  (And before anyone writes her off simply because of her association with maverick owner Al Davis, don't forget that Davis mended a lot of fences when he pushed his brethren to reach a deal on revenue sharing two weeks ago.) 

 

The job, as we see it, primarily is about public relations and consensus building.  The Commish spend a lot of time pressing flesh and bending ears, which makes social and communication skills the key ingredients in any potential candidate.

 

A burning, rabid passion for the sport is also critical.

 

Business acumen and savvy are also important, but the P.R. aspect, we believe, are far more vital as television, the Internet, and the expansion of the sport's international presence become the focal point of the league's continued revenue growth.

 

Our preference, at least initially?

 

Chris Berman.

 

After you finish laughing, think about it.  He loves football.  He knows how to build bridges among divergent personalities, as evidenced by his ability to host ESPN's pregame show despite the presence of polarizing figures such as Michael Irvin and Rush Limbaugh.

 

Sure, Berman doesn't have a Wharton M.B.A., or a Harvard law degree.  But he went to Brown University, so he's enough of an egghead to understand and process the information funneled to him by his staff.

 

We know he loves what he does at ESPN, but he's been doing it for well over 20 years.  It's time for a bigger job, a bigger title, and bigger pay.

 

It's time for the first major executive in sports with a good nickname.

 

Commisioner Boomer.  We like the sound of it.

 

Other possibilities, if we were making up the list of candidates, include former president Bill Clinton, Virginia senator George Allen, NFL executive Gene Washington, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, FOX analyst and former Cowboys and Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, former ESPN wunderkind Mark Shapiro, former Seahawks receiver and Oklahoma congressman Steve Largent, and Steelers president Art Rooney II.

 

T.O. ROSTER BONUSES DUE IN JUNE

 

A league source tells us that both of the $3 million roster bonuses payable to new Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens in 2007 and 2008 have June due dates.

 

This makes us even more convinced that the Cowboys regard his contract as a series of one-year deals, enabling the team to cut the cord with a minimal cap hit after either of the first two seasons.

 

In 2007, the late trigger for the roster bonus allows the team to dump Owens after June 1, dividing the $3.33 million cap charge from his unallocated signing bonus equally over 2007 and 2008. 

 

Also, the June due date allows the team to get an idea as to whether T.O. plans to go turdy in the second year of his deal, just as he did during year two of his contract in Philly.  If, for example, he starts grousing about his contract or any other issue in April or May of 2007, the team can wash its hands of Owens and move on.

 

Ditto for 2008.  If Owens, for example, is bitching as he enters the final year of the deal that the team hasn't extended his contract, the Cowboys can dump him as late as June, and avoid the final $8 million in compensation.

 

Our guess is that agent Drew Rosenhaus pushed for an earlier trigger for the bonuses, but that the Cowboys insisted on having the ability each year to take T.O.'s offseason temperature before committing to giving him another $3 million.

 

HUTCHINSON LIVID WITH JONES

 

Though it's most likely a moot point, given that the Seahawks lost Monday's hearing regarding whether they can match the offer sheet signed by guard Steve Hutchinson with the Vikings absent a requirement that Seattle guarantee the full amount of the deal, we're told that Hutch is extremely upset with Seattle teammate Walter Jones for agreeing to restructure his own deal in order to make it easier for the Seahawks to try to keep Hutchinson at a time when he wants to move on.

 

If the Seahawks had prevailed before Special Master Stephen Burbank, and if they likewise had matched the offer sheet, Hutchinson (we hear) would have publicly said nothing -- and he likewise would have given his all, as he always has, to the team. 

 

But we're told that Hutchinson would have had nothing to say to Jones, and Hutchinson would have wanted Jones to say nothing to him.

 

The broader question is whether any of the other Seattle players will give the cold shoulder to Jones based on his perceived interference in the affairs of Hutchinson for what amounted to the conversion of Jones' $2 million roster bonus into a guarantee and the insertion of a voidable year with a $1 million salary onto the tail end of his deal. 

 

Jones, we hear, is a very temperamental guy, and if other players begin to freeze him out it could be a problem.

 

Stay tuned.  It's possible that, in their zeal to match the offer that they ultimately didn't match, the Seahawks might have created an even bigger mess.

 

'HAWKS TO TURN TABLES ON VIKES?

 

Now that the Vikings' unique offer sheet to Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson has been upheld via the legal process, don't be surprised if the Seahawks try to use a similar tactic in cobbling together an offer sheet for Vikings restricted free agent receiver Nate Burleson.

 

Burleson has visited Seattle, which also happens to be his hometown.  He has described his desire to play there as a "fantasy."

 

So as teams now look into possible strategies for parlaying the Hutchinson ruling into offer sheets that a player's current team can't or won't match, the first example could indeed be the 'Hawks trying to exact quick revenge on the Vikings by pilfering the guy who succeeded Randy Moss as the No. 1 wideout in Minnesota.

 

Then again, the Vikings won't nearly be as inclined to keep Burleson as the 'Hawks were to hang on to Hutchinson.  Minnesota has a deep receiving corps, featuring Travis Taylor and Marcus Robinson and Troy Williamson and Koren Robinson.  Burleson missed much of 2005 due to injury. 

 

So the Vikings might be happy to pick up the extra third-rounder in exchange for letting Burleson go, which then could be added to the pile of picks that they might dangle in an effort to move up in round one and draft one of the three top quarterbacks.

 

POSTED 3:35 p.m. EST; UPDATED 4:20 p.m. EST, March 20, 2006

 

SEATTLE, JONES TRY TO SCREW HUTCH

 

Kevin Seifert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Seahawks left tackle Walter Jones has agreed to restructure his contract in a manner that arguably enables Seattle to match the offer sheet signed by guard Steve Hutchinson with the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Under the offer sheet, Hutchinson's entire contract -- all $49 million of it -- would become guaranteed if he is not the highest-paid member of the offensive line in 2006.  

 

In Minnesota, it's not an issue.  In Seattle, it is.  

 

The move came to light because the Seahawks apparently have abandoned their argument that the poison pill provision violates the CBA.  During Monday's hearing before Special Master Stephen Burbank, the 'Hawks disclosed the restructuring and argued that the guarantee should not be implicated because the move caused Jones' average pay to dip below $7 million, which is the average annual value of Hutchinson's deal.

 

But NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen contends that the relevant clause in the offer sheet triggers the guarantee if Hutchinson is not the highest paid offensive lineman at any time during the 2006 league year.  Under this argument, the restructuring is irrelevant because Jones already has had during the 2006 league year a wage in excess of $7 million.

 

The fact that the Seahawks finagled a Special Master proceeding under apparently false pretenses is bad form, in our view.  On Saturday, the NFL and the team selected the forum for the resolution of the dispute by claiming that the guarantee violates the CBA.  But now the Seahawks are advancing a matter that entails interpretation of the offer sheet, which in our view seems to fall within the jurisdiction not of the Special Master, but of the arbitrator.

 

Indeed, there's no apparent violation of the CBA at this point, if the Seahawks and the NFL have essentially conceded that the guarantee is a proper term.  

 

The bigger problem, if the Seahawks eventually match the deal, is the potentially hostile environment that will arise between Jones and Hutchinson, who line up next to each other on every offensive snap.  Jones has sold out Hutchinson to help management, and that's a no-no in the locker room.  It'll be very interesting to see, then, how the other players react to Jones, even if Hutchinson moves on.

 

After all, Jones played his status as the franchise player like Yo Yo Ma on a cello, reeling in multiple years of big money before signing a blockbuster long-term deal.  The fact that Jones has tried to get in the way of Hutchinson's chance to work that same system should prompt plenty of resentment in the locker room.

 

Stay tuned for more.  Burbank is supposed to announce his decision by 5:00 p.m. EST.

 

HILLIARD RE-UPS WITH BUCS

 

A league source tells us that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed receiver Ike Hilliard to a four-year deal deal a day after the veteran receiver completed a free-agency visit with the Houston Texans.  The contract is four years in length.

 

Hilliard was drafted by the Giants in 1997, and he parted ways with the organization a year ago, inking a one-year deal with the Bucs.

 

The Florida product caught 35 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown in 2005.

 

POSTED 12:15 p.m. EST; UPDATED 12:24 p.m. EST, March 20, 2006

 

TAGS TO STEP DOWN IN JULY

 

Profootballtalk.com has learned Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has alerted the 32 NFL teams that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will step down as Commissioner at the end of July 2006.

 

In an e-mail sent to all teams, Rooney says that a search process will be conducted, and that after the new Commish is hired, Tagliabue will serve in a "senior executive and advisory role" through the expiration of his contract in May 2008.

 

Not long after the owners and the NFLPA secured a new CBA earlier this month, ESPN's Chris Mortensen first raised the "R" word regarding Tagliabue.  But the Commish denied the report, saying on March 10 that "[i]t's not on my radar."

 

Well, if it wasn't, it sure as hell showed up at some point over the past ten days.

 

With labor peace secure -- albeit possibly for only two years -- Tagliabue no longer has anything to accomplish.  So if he has a term in his deal that lets him step into a high-pay, low-work role, why not invoke it?  He deserves to a break, in our view, especially after spending much of his time over the past few months trying to get a gaggle of gazillionaires to act in their collective best interests. 

 

But let's not forget that the new CBA, while serving as the catalyst for a resolution of the revenue-sharing conundrum, contains multiple non-economic terms that are very favorable to the NFLPA.  This could set the stage for a nasty fight come 2008, and possibly a work stoppage after 2009.

 

By then, it'll be too late for anyone to hang blame on Tagliabue, who despite the recent Band-Aid CBA has presided over the most prosperous era in NFL history.

 

POSTED 12:34 p.m. EST, March 20, 2006

WONDERLIC GETTING A MAKEOVER

 

A league source tells us that the folks who run the scouting combine will overhaul starting in 2007 the procedures for grading the Wonderlic test.  

 

Moving forward, the tests will be sent out to an independent firm, who will perform the grading and then send the results to the individual teams.

 

This change is the direct result of the single-digit score generated by Texas quarterback Vince Young last month.  The test initially was graded as a six by a combine employee, and on further review the score was changed to a seven.  Because of the error, Young was permitted to re-take the test the next day (but supposedly a different version of it) and he scored a 15.

 

We've previously reported that he only answered 33 of the 50 question in his second shot at the test.

 

In our view, the decision to send the results out to an independent firm primarily was designed to prevent a repeat of the furor that erupted in Indy when word got out of Young's low score.  Now, the tests won't even be looked at by anyone in Indy, and most likely won't be scored until after all of the attendees have dispersed.

 

This new procedure also eliminates the likelihood of any future combine do-overs, since the player won't know how poorly he might have scored so soon after sitting for the exam.

 

So under this new approach, the end result this year would have been an official score of seven for Vince Young.

 

POSTED 5:49 a.m. EST; UPDATED 11:14 a.m. EST, March 20, 2006

 

NALL LEAVING MEANS THAT LORD FAVRE ISN'T?

 

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel suggests that the decision of Packers backup quarterback Craig Nall to sign a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills could mean that Packers starter Brett Favre is staying put.

 

Nall, Silverstein writes, is "close friends" with Favre and recently went hunting with him.  So if Nall thought that Favre was going to retire, Nall might not have been so eager to find a new home.

 

But Nall's departure could also be interpreted as a sign that Favre isn't coming back.  Since they're close friends, the fact that Favre won't be there is one less reason for Nall to stay.

 

More importantly, if 2005 first-rounder Aaron Rodgers will be the starter in 2006, the Pack might be inclined to sign a guy with more experience to be the No. 2 -- making them less inclined to make a competitive offer to Nall, who was drafted by a guy who is now long gone.

 

ARCHULETA GETS $10 MILLION GUARANTEED

 

A recent item in the Washington Post suggested that the deals recently given to Redskins free-agent additions Antwaan Randle El, Adam Archuleta, and Andre Carter weren't as rich as advertised.  

 

In Archuleta's case, we've confirmed that, notwithstanding the impression that the Post created, his deal carries $10 million in guaranteed money.

 

There's a $5 million signing bonus and a $5 million 2006 option bonus that is fully and completely guaranteed via salary guarantees in future seasons and a non-exercise provision.

 

For Archuleta, the deal still keeps his 2006 cap number manageable, since only $1 million of his bonus money will hit the books this year.  The cap number will increase in 2006, when the charge moves to $2 million due to the bonuses.

 

HOVAN DEAL A ONE-YEAR ARRANGEMENT?

 

Now that we've gotten a look-see at the salaries payable to Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan over the course of his five-year, $17.5 million deal to remain in Tampa, the thing sure looks like yet another one-year contract that through puffery and careful omissions appears to be a long-term deal.

 

Hovan's base salary in 2006 will be $1.4 million.  But in 2007 it spikes to $4.5 million -- more than triple what he'll make this year.

 

This suggests that the deal will likely be renegotiated before the start of the 2007 season, or that Hovan will be cut.

 

The salaries for 2008, 2009, and 2010 are $1.6 million, $3 million, and $4 million, respectively.

 

This leave $3 million, which likely was the amount of the signing bonus.

 

So if the Bucs cut Hovan after June 1, 2007, they'll take a $600,000 cap charge in 2007 (for a net savings of $3.9 million), and carry $1.8 million in dead money for 2008.

 

Bottom line -- that $17.5 million contract is, in reality, a one-year, $4.4 million deal.

 

MONDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

 

New Fins CB Will Allen gets a four-year, $12 million deal, with a $5 million signing bonus; the Seahawks and Chiefs had expressed interest in Allen before he visited Miami on Friday.

 

With the Dolphins, Allen joins a secondary that has had turnover at 80 percent of the top five positions on the depth chart from 2005.

 

Lions FB Paul Smith is meeting with the Texans on Monday.

 

The Texans canceled a visit from Vikings WR Nate Burleson, a restricted free agent.

 

Jets DE John Abraham wants to play for the Falcons, not the Seahawks.

 

T.O. gets to hit the ground pissing and moaning as the Cowboys launch offseason workouts on Monday.

 

The Bears are likely to make an offer to QB Brian Griese.

 

The Bengals have "talked extensively" with LB LaVar Arrington (but his agents won't be ready to do anything until the Bengals being to "talk expensively").

 

From the "Insert Your Own Homophobic Reference Here" file, Eagles DE N.D. Kalu had this to say about T.O.:  "He never rubbed me the wrong way."

 

The Titans are hosting Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler on Monday.

 

Reports that Pats OT Tom Ashworth will be visiting the Titans are apparently inaccurate.

 

The Bears likely will attempt to upgrade their return game via the draft.

 

The Browns traded S Chris Crocker in order to create a spot for Brodney Pool.

 

K Paul Edinger's agent has called the Dolphins to see if they'd be interested in adding to the special teams a guy who lines up like a sissified matador before attempting placekicks.

 

Former Vikings WR Cris Carter thinks his old team is stoopid for trading the quarterback he used to berate.

 

As offseason workouts begin in Miami, LB Julian Peterson will be making a visit.

 

Next up for the Cowboys is to find a kicker and to decide whether to give the boot to Larry Allen.

 

The Vikings have yet to make a serious run at QB Brian Griese.

 

QB Tommy Maddox will visit the Dolphins on Tuesday.

 

QB Aaron Brooks is expected to visit the Raiders.

 

Giants WR Tim Carter reportedly will visit the Bucs.

 

Click here for more of the best NFL news and information (or you can update your resume in the hopes that you'll be asked to apply for the position of Commissioner . . . of the Madden league that the neighborhood kids are putting together).