Roddy White Signs $50 Million Deal, Ends Holdout

by Dave Choate on Aug 9, 2009 8:00 AM EDT in Falcons News Comment 18 comments

A big hat tip to those of you (like mcboyt and ca$hmere) who were all over this news last night, but Roddy White has inked a $50 million deal that will guarantee him $18.6 million over six years.

Obviously, this was a deal that had to get done so we could have our best receiver in camp, particularly after we lost Harry Douglas for the year and our depth took an enormous hit. While the length of the contract is pretty staggering, White's still quite young and the guaranteed money involved is nothing that's going to break the bank. If Roddy puts up huge numbers and racks up bonuses like it's going out of style, I don't think any of us are going to mind paying him. I'll chip in ten bucks myself.

This also ends what could have been a long and acrimonious process between the team and White, something I worried about increasingly as the week wore on. Setting a precedent for this kind of situation in the future was critical, and despite the enormous leverage the receiver had when the injury bug bit Douglas, it's really not a terrible deal. In short, everybody at least sort of won, which is the best kind of victory you can hope for.

Now that White's in camp, he'll resume his spot atop the depth chart, which leaves the Falcons to shake out things at the lower levels. Our starters on offense remain potent and now that Roddy's got his new deal and has Tony Gonzalez to take some pressure off of him, he should be primed for an enormous year. Something north of 60 catches, 1,000 yards and seven TDs wouldn't be unreasonable.

As you can probably tell, I'm just relieved this situation is over. How are you feeling about the deal, and what kind of numbers do you think Roddy White will put up this season?

Poll

Is Roddy White's contract worth its weight in gold?

Yes, he's an elite receiver

184 votes

Maybe, we'll see how this plays out

187 votes

No, he's not worth that amount of cash

69 votes

Word, followed by more words

22 votes

462 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs | Comment 18 comments |

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Comments

I'm just glad it over

Let’s get this season started already!

by FLA_Falcon on Aug 9, 2009 8:31 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Now lets hope he continues to perform like he's getting paid...

I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.

Elayne Boosler

by NaGaNole on Aug 9, 2009 9:32 AM EDT reply actions

thats what I worry about too

Once players get a big deal, the incentive to bust their butts really comes down to commitment to excel. Hopefully, Roddy has that

by zooker on Aug 9, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

I think he does...

at this point. He’s matured quite a bit, and I think he wants to be in the HOF.

by TomQ on Aug 11, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Now that he's back, I hope to hear/see him lighting it up in camp.

Kudos to the front office for getting this taken care of.

You have opinions. Share them.

by Adam Schultz on Aug 9, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions

Dimitroff's the man

U know TD wasn’t going to let this go any further. Roddy should get some credit too for not trying to break the bank

by dunndada77 on Aug 9, 2009 10:41 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs

Agreed

There were a lot of reports flying around about what Roddy wanted, but in the end he clearly wants to be here long-term and he was willing to take less guaranteed money to do so. I’m relieved.

by Dave Choate on Aug 9, 2009 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow,

This is good from Roddy’s perspective, and fantastic from the team’s perspective. Six years?? To me, that’s big-time. Fitz (4 yrs) and Jennings (3 yrs) will probably be in-line for another huge contract after their current ones expire, but that should keep Roddy locked down for (pretty much) the remainder of his career. Also of note: the $18.6M guaranteed (over 6 yrs) vs the ~$30M guaranteed (over 4 yrs) for Fitz. This sure seems like a huge win for everybody involved!!

by orang3b on Aug 9, 2009 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

Absolutely

Roddy has basically no job security after a few years here.

If he plays well he stays and gets paid. If not he’s easily cut. Although I’m sure the fans here would be up in arms if he got cut seeing as they hold the sanctity of contract fulfillment so high…. :-/

Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish — a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow — to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested...Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll.

by iRonin on Aug 9, 2009 10:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

A modest sum

I have to agree with orang3b. Roddy won’t really get paid most of that money unless he meets the incentives that the team was happy with. Meeting those incentives = top notch performance and excelling at that position. This also got us hot on the search for another veteran receiver (Marty Booker) after we’d already went after a talented Ferguson. I remember his playmaking ability and having a vet that can block at the receiver position is WAY underated. We just need a little more depth at the O-line now and we’re ready for a run at the Lombardi Trophy. Schedule is hard this year but who wants to see a blowout anyway…………it’s football and that’s what we all love about the game.

by DocBurnett on Aug 9, 2009 12:30 PM EDT reply actions

I dont know yet

This is the year i want to see. We all know a lot of WR’s in the league can string together a few good seasons but consistency is what counts and Roddy can prove a lot this year. Also we are on the map now and since everybody has us on their radar it should be harder to get numbers, lets see how he does.

by qthaballa on Aug 9, 2009 3:26 PM EDT reply actions

I think White is overpaid. We started a discussion on the Saints msg board...

http://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2009/8/9/982976/roddy-whites-huge-payday

by xen-cuts on Aug 10, 2009 8:01 AM EDT reply actions

thanks for stopping by

and great work on the article, I rec’d it.

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Aug 10, 2009 9:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Not bad.

Given the guaranteed money, the whole package doesn’t look bad – as long as he doesn’t pull a Jamal Anderson and blowout a knee in the first game.

by widderslainte on Aug 10, 2009 10:26 AM EDT reply actions

Roddy Roddy Roddy!!!!!

History will repeat its self .It always does. And injuries breed injuries. Just like I said before. Remember Jamal Anderson after he signed a hugh contract after the 98 season. He played one game in 99 and never played again. I really hope I ’m wrong. Maybe I will be. But, I have seen it before. Good Luck!!!!

by j24 on Aug 10, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions

It's the right move

I always side with the players in a contract dispute since the leverage is so one-sided in the NFL. People like to throw out the “but you signed a deal” argument without realizing that these aren’t guaranteed contracts. Even if you honor the deal you signed as a player, you can be cut at any time without cause so you have to get as much upfront and guaranteed as you can. I’m just glad it’s over and now we get back to business as usual in Flowery Branch.

http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/

by AuditDawg on Aug 11, 2009 5:02 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Amen

by Dave Choate on Aug 12, 2009 12:44 AM EDT up reply actions

No brainer

This deal is worth its weight in gold! especially once Harry Douglass went out for the year. I would say Roddy is certainly in the top 5 receivers in the league and deserves top dollar. If the Falcons wish to vie for any type of superbowl, Roddy has to be a piece of this team for years to come.

"Just want the Falcons to win a bowl before I'm gone!"

by Edgecrusher211 on Aug 12, 2009 8:01 AM EDT reply actions