Freeman Rejects $11 Million Offer
Antonio Freeman says it wasn't just Yancey Thigpen's big contract with the Tennessee Oilers that caused him to leave a four-year, $11 million offer from the Green Bay Packers on the table.
Freeman said he was astounded at the five-year, $20 million contract former teammate Gabe Wilkins signed with the San Francisco 49ers despite a suspect knee.
"And I'm not knocking Gabe, I'm a big fan of Gabe's -- but deep into the playoffs he was injured, he wasn't at full capacity for the last two or three playoff games. And he still goes out and lands a $20 million contract," Freeman said Friday at Packers' minicamp in his first public comments on his contract situation.
"There's teams that need and teams that'll put the money up."
Wilkins, who underwent knee surgery that will keep him out of much of the 49ers' training camp, and Thigpen (five years, $21 million) are two of the big early beneficiaries of the NFL's new $17.6 billion television contract.
Freeman, who made $225,000 last season, said he'll play for the Packers this season for the tender offer of $1.153 million and then test the unrestricted free agency market -- unless the Packers come up with a blockbuster deal before the season starts.
"It's a chancy risk, but all my life I've been a risk taker," Freeman said."I feel as though I've put up enough work into this where I deserve everything I get. When the right deal comes around, my name will be on the deal. I'll sign it."
Freeman, a third-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 1995, had a breakthrough season last year, catching a team-best 81 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Then, on the global stage of the Super Bowl, he had nine catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
After the Packers locked up unrestricted free agent receiver Robert Brooks for five years at $15.1 million, they went after Freeman, a restricted free agent.
"The deal the Packers made to me was a fair deal considering I'm a restricted free agent and I'm not unrestricted for another year," Freeman said."I'd have to say that was a fair deal. But I saw a bigger picture. I see guys, not to personally say I'm better than them, I know I'm in the same class, I look at what's happening to them and I want to get some of that."
"I'm not going to lie, I want what some of these other guys are getting."
The Packers are trying to sign running back Dorsey Levens to a long-term deal and will have to pay in the $5 million-a-year range to do so. Freeman said he's sure that complicates his case.
"They've got 50 guys they got to worry about, all I got to worry about is what Antono Freeman gets," he said.
Freeman said he's eager to prove his worth this season.
"My mentality is saying, `You've got to show everybody what you think you deserve,"' Freeman said."All I have to do is just continue to perform the way I did and improve the way I did the last three years and then everything will be all right."
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