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National Football League
Draft King Analysis
January 16, 2009
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here. Send your thoughts to Draft King at LouPickney@gmail.com.
The rumors of the San Diego Chargers looking to part ways with star (and likely future Hall of Fame) running back LaDainian Tomlinson continue to swirl. As crazy as that might sound on the surface, Tomlinson turns 30 this year, and that is the magic age at which many running backs hit the wall. Tomlinson has battled nagging injuries over the past few years, and earlier this month he suffered a severe injury that kept him out of the San Diego/Pittsburgh game: a detached tendon in his groin.
Tomlinson has three years remaining on his contract, but the money he is due is big. Take a look at what he is slated to make if he remains in San Diego with an unaltered deal:
2009: $6.725 million
2010: $8 million
2011: $9.275 million
 | Where will LaDainian Tomlinson be playing in 2009? (Icon SMI)
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With Tomlinson's age in mind, and the possibility of the Chargers having their choice of the running back crop at #16 overall, perhaps the rumors have some validity. Also, remember that just last year the Seattle Seahawks were in a similar situation and cut Shaun Alexander, who was age 30 at the time he was released. And while Tomlinson is just three years removed from being the NFL MVP, the same was true of Alexander this time last year.
It's tough for running backs to keep it going long-term with the beatings that their bodies take. It's difficult to keep it going after years of wear and tear, even for the best.
At the same time, this could also be posturing by the Chargers to approach Tomlinson about a pay cut. If he would be willing to lower his base from $6.725 million for 2009 (and a reported $8.8 million salary cap number for the upcoming fiscal year) to a more manageable rate, perhaps San Diego would keep him.
That talk may seem crazy for a player who has posted at least 1,100 rushing yards in each of his eight NFL seasons, but Tomlinson had just 3.6 yards per carry in 2008. And, if the Chargers decide to draft a player like Chris "Beanie" Wells or Knowshon Moreno or LeSean "Shady" McCoy, perhaps they would be willing to part ways with Tomlinson, either now or after June 1 (for salary cap purposes).
If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth taking two minutes to watch this video of a nonplussed Pete Carroll addressing the media at yesterday's press conference by USC redshirt junior QB Mark Sanchez. Despite Carroll's wishes otherwise, Sanchez announced that he was turning pro. Carroll's body language speaks volumes, and he expressed his displeasure with the decision in a somewhat demonstrative way.
One thing mentioned by Carroll that I feel needs to be corrected is statement that the NFL "wants you to finish your education", which while true is something that I believe is unfair relative to Sanchez's situation. Sanchez is on schedule to graduate after this semester, meaning a redshirt senior year would have nothing to do with him obtaining his undergraduate degree (in communications). Perhaps Sanchez didn't want to come back to take a ballroom dancing class like Matt Leinart did in his fifth year at USC in the fall of 2005. Perhaps also he didn't want to battle with both Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford in the 2010 QB class (if Bradford leaves early next year, which is another discussion for another day).
I happened to catch a Mel Kiper segment on ESPN where his take was that Sanchez could end up being a high pick, potentially going to Kansas City at #3 overall. I had scoffed at that notion as being unrealistic when I first considered how the draft would play out without Sam Bradford involved, but if Kiper thinks that highly of Sanchez then perhaps he really has a chance to leapfrog into the spot. I think Sanchez will settle more into the early-mid first round range, but there is a long way to go between now and the 2009 NFL Draft.
One notable player who opted to return to school is speedy Clemson RB C.J. Spiller. I didn't mention him on here yesterday but I should have, since he kept his promise that he would return for his senior season if Clemson retained interim head coach Dabo Swinney, which the school opted to do last month.
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