According to Yahoo! the Houston Texans have decided to let the one year tender signed by Owen Daniels expire before negotiating a new contract for their Pro Bowl tight end. The article states that O.D. wants to be the highest paid TE in the NFL.
It is unfortunate how these contract negotiations play out in the media. We as fans naturally form an opinion about the players involved with little to no information surrounding the circumstances of the negotiations. All I hope is that Daniels, upset about his contract situation or not, comes out and gives us another Pro Bowl caliber season and earns a huge extension. It goes without saying that having a TE catching first downs in the middle of the field is instrumental to the success of the Texans offense. From the sound of it, Owen is going to have to earn his big pay day the old fashion way. He’s going to have to produce.
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I’m all for players earning their $ on the field and I think it’s tough that every player that has a break out season or two automatically wants to be the highest paid player at their position. That said, Daniels is one of the top tight ends in the league over the past few seasons I want to see him in Texans gear for a long time. He’s a key to our offensive effectiveness and it would be a shame to lose him to another team. Let’s just hope that he has another BIG year and leads us to the promise land. Perhaps then we can help him realize his dream of making top TE money!
Again, I have no doubt that OD will come through for us in a big way again this year. Whether we extend him or not before he hits free agency next spring is really the kicker. Losing key players to free agency is part of the game and something we should prepare ourselves for. Expect the worst while hoping for the best. Let’s not forget, however, that the Texans invested not one but TWO picks on tight ends in this past April’s draft. The team seems to be planning ahead for life without Owen Daniels, but you never know. He’s a damn good player and I’m sure both sides will do whatever they can to ensure that OD is sporting the Battle Red, Steel Blue and Liberty White beyond 2009.