The End of an Era: The Indianapolis Colts release Marvin Harrison

:(

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by Jake Whitacre on Feb 23, 2009 7:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

That pretty much sums it up...

:,( :’(

Go Colts!

by Marked Hoosier on Feb 23, 2009 7:35 PM EST up reply actions

So far this whole offseason has been a bummer.

Regardless of the circumstances (or the fact that I’m angry with Marv for not being reasonable) it is another sad day.

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Feb 23, 2009 7:30 PM EST reply actions

Dungy, Marvin, maybe Jeff...i mean, who's next...Sorgi!?

by BlueMark1821 on Feb 23, 2009 8:26 PM EST up reply actions

They can't get rid of Sorgi

He runs a 4.6 40!

by LovinBlue on Feb 23, 2009 9:41 PM EST up reply actions

haha lol

by BlueMark1821 on Feb 23, 2009 10:10 PM EST up reply actions

Which would be useful

if he was actually on the field! ;)

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Feb 24, 2009 10:15 AM EST up reply actions

Sorry to hear it, gang.

Even for me, it’ll be hard to see Marvin in a different uniform.

Blogger at SBNation's New England Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit

by MaPatsFan on Feb 23, 2009 7:33 PM EST reply actions

One of my closest friends is a Pats fan.

He called me today to tell me that he thinks Marvin and Saturday would make great Patriots. He even offered us Gaffney as consolation.

Make that one of my former close friends… =p

by coltsfanawalt on Feb 23, 2009 9:52 PM EST up reply actions

"The End of an Era"

It sounds so familiar

by Adam Stites on Feb 23, 2009 7:35 PM EST reply actions

Thx

For posting the first link in the FanPost.

SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.

by Brad Wells on Feb 23, 2009 7:39 PM EST up reply actions

First the fat boys break up, now this

I’m kinda sad that Marv won’t be back next season, but I didn’t want him to leave on these terms. I still can’t believe he thinks that he’s worth thank much money after his performance this past season. Clearly he has enough money to feed his family; I just would’ve never thought that he would that money hungry. The Colts have been so good and loyal to him and their loyalty showed last season during his shooting incident. I know that the NFL is a business, but I thought he would’ve cared more about winning than the money.

by KMR24 on Feb 23, 2009 7:36 PM EST reply actions

Yep.

Well said. It’s very disappointing.

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Feb 23, 2009 7:38 PM EST up reply actions

i cant believe he didn’t restructure

how much does he get paid from the colt this year after being cut?

He is going to miss peyton’s perfect passes and having wayne on the otherside and clark in the middle…

but peyton and the others will miss him too :(

by dbcb on Feb 23, 2009 7:41 PM EST reply actions

Nothing

He gets paid nothing. None of his 13 mill was guaranteed.

SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.

by Brad Wells on Feb 23, 2009 7:42 PM EST up reply actions

the 6-7 mil cap hit is from the signing bonus he got long ago

but hasn’t been counted against the cap yet, because signing bonus money is spread over the life of the contract.

Indy got 6-7 mil in room room from cutting him (I’ve seen it cited as a 6.4mil hit with 7mil savings and as 7 mil hit with 6.4mil savings)

I ain't tryin' do you, I'm just tryin' do me
Last album did two, I'm just tryin' do three.
-Young Jeezy "I Luv It

by shake n bake on Feb 23, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions

I still think

I’m only certain of a 1 million hit at this point. Like I said, I’ve only found evidence saying his second roster bonus couldn’t be converted because of the special master ruling. And there’s also an inconsitency about the length and the total amount of money his contract was worth to begin with. Some cite a 6 year/66 million deal and some cite a 7 year/67 million deal. Well, this is actually the sequence of events as far as I can tell from my research concerning his contract:

December, 2004 (2004 season):
Signs contract extension – 67 million/7 years, 6 million signing bonus prorated ~ 6 years = 1 mil/year
Extension supercedes 2004 contract and applies 1 million to 2004 season
Remaining original signing bonus money due – 5 million ~ 5 years
Two roster bonuses due. 7 million for 2005, 10 million for 2006.

2005 (2005 season)
Colts pay 1 million base salary and 1 million prorated bonus (remaining bonus 4 million ~ 4 years)

And of course Marvin simply had his 7 million signing bonus converted and prorated….Wrong.
The colts brought Marvin’s salary cap charge down 3.5 million in 2005.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Free+Agency/2005/news030205.htm And due to the Deion Sanders rule, you can NOT have more signing bonus money than base salary for a player without violating league rules.

Total conversion – 7 million becomes 3.5 million added on to 2005. 3.5 million still remains + 4 million of initial signing bonus and 10 million for 2006 roster bonus = 4 million guaranteed remaining. The 3.5 million payout is also the only way they wouldn’t have violated the 30% rule. Since 2006 was the final capped year at the time, the rule says that if a players contract extends into an uncapped season it can not increase by more than 30% per year. Since the signing bonus isn’t factored in as salary counting towards the 30% rule, his total salary that would count would be 2.4 million if the 1.4 million that’s been cited is taken at face value. Meaning his total salary, minus signing bonus money (1 million) could only be 3.12 million in 2006. But just his base salary of 2 million plus the proration of his roster bonus of 1.4 million would surpass that number. Easy way to put it? Couldn’t happen without being in violation.

And there was another rule to account for. Not only was there a 30% rule concerning going past 2006 into an uncapped year, but there was also a 25% rule. You might be wondering why they gave Marvin such a low signing bonus in relation to what his total contract was. Well, the 25% rule states “The 25 percent rule says that the most a player’s salary can increase each year is 25 percent of the base compensation in the first year of that player’s contract. Base compensation includes salary, reporting bonus and roster bonus. Signing bonuses don’t count toward that base number, and with a shorter proration time, the more a player gets in signing bonus, the less he gets in salary.” I’m not sure of his 2000 extension breakdown other than it was for 25.4 million with 11.5 million in signing bonus so I’m not sure what his bonus in 2004 was. But either way, it’s something to note. http://www.apse.net/PJS3.htm

2006 : This is where it gets dicey
Tries to convert roster bonus, however, due to a special master ruling, teams were specifically prohibited from doing so.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2350428&searchName=clayton_john&action=upsell&appRedirect=http3a2f2finsider.espn.go.com2fespn2fblog2findex3fentryID3d235042826searchName3dclayton_john

And here’s the smoking gun that USA Today doesn’t update their database.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-03-07-notebook_x.htm

Note the “savings” of 7.5 million. It’s important because his roster bonus that season was 10 million. Meaning they didn’t simply prorate his 10 million over 5 years, as is assumed, but accounted for 2.5 million and had 7.5 million remaining of the roster bonus. If both the roster bonuses had been turned into signing bonuses, to not violate the Deion Sanders rule of having more signing bonus money than salary, starting in 2006 (with the assumed prorations), he could never have a salary less than 4.4 million. But he had a 2006 salary of 2 million and a 2007 salary of 4 million. And as I said, his 2005 salary was 1 million and he already had a 3.5 million allocation of roster bonus money that year.

And now there’s 3.5 million from the 2005 roster bonus and 7.5 from the 2006 roster bonus somewhere. The terms of his contract were kept disclosed, so any salary “projections” are guesses at best. However, some of the guesses are simply put, wrong. They violate multiple rules associated with contract structuring and restructuring. It’s also important to note that it was a contract EXTENSION signed in 2005 and subject to the paragraph 5 defininition which breaks down players pay by 1/17 installments. It allowed the Colts to put 1 million of the signing bonus money into that year because it was “earned” in 2004. That’s why you see the two different versions of his deal. You have the 7 year 67 million and 6 year 66 million. It’s also why you don’t see any of the bonus money going into 2011, because there is no 2011. People took the number 7 from the reported number (because technically it was a 7 year deal but 1 year happened to be 2004) and applied it to 2005 and beyond. That’s why there’s the “2011” end. It also means that 1 million of bonus money was applied to 2004. They didn’t really “add” 1 million to 2004, they took his 5.6 million and converted 1 million of that to signing bonus instead of salary and his “salary” number was adjusted to 4.6 million. Sneaky, I know. It’s also the only way they could have been in compliance with the rules when they wrote his contract. “The league’s collective-bargaining agreement allows signing bonuses to be prorated for no more than two years past the expiration of the labor deal, which as of now is after the 2007 season.” “What that means for contracts is that this year’s signing bonuses can be prorated over only five years, from the 2005 through 2009 seasons, compared with six last year and seven the year before that.”

So what does that mean? Well it means that his 6 million dollar signing bonus prorated over 6 years (max allowed) actually ends next year. Meaning IT ONLY COUNTS FOR 1 MILLION. It also means that, unless Marvin, Polian, or the NFL walk up to me and hand me his contract, I don’t believe the “reported” numbers. I don’t believe his roster bonuses were ever converted to signing bonuses (the 7 million one because there was a reported 3.5 million savings which means it wasn’t spread evenly, and the 10 million one because the league specifically told them no). Do I assume to know how the money was allocated? No, definitely not. But I also do not believe they were converted to signing bonuses and prorated. It would violate multiple rules. I tend to believe the reports of his base salary numbers. However, even those couldn’t be considered accurate because his contract remained undisclosed after a renegoation, not a restructuring. They had to renegotiate in 2006 or Marvin simply had to actually take a pay cut or give up guaranteed money.

People are assuming way too much about a contract as complex as this. At first I wondered why Polian would have to be an idiot, and yes he would be if he structured a contract in a way that would have a 13.4 million cap charge for a 37 year old WR that would give him so much leverage the only option would be to cut him and eat the equivalent of a coveted free agent or multiple UFAs on our own team. And maybe Marvin does have a case and maybe he isn’t being greedy if they moved his non-guaranteed roster bonuses and had them in 2009 and 2010. Maybe he did, in fact, take a pay cut and didn’t just move numbers around to be in compliance with the salary cap. If that’s the case, I’m not viewing him in the same light as being a greedy mofo like I was. It also means, I’m sorry to see you go Marv, but if you won’t take a paycut, we have to move on. Pains me to say that, but facts are facts. However, I do see his point if say, the Colts had his roster bonus money moved into later years and are now telling him he’s not getting it. Although, I can’t really be too ticked if that’s the Colts perspective because he sort of didn’t play the last 2 seasons. Anyway, as I said before, if he gets cut, I expect us to be suddenly under that reported savings. Unless the Colts were violating salary cap rules left and right of course.

Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.

by monstersbox on Feb 24, 2009 12:35 PM EST up reply actions

hope you're right, an extra 6 mil in cap room is a very good thing

though it does make Marvin much more likely to leave if they aren’t eating 7mil to cut him.

I ain't tryin' do you, I'm just tryin' do me
Last album did two, I'm just tryin' do three.
-Young Jeezy "I Luv It

by shake n bake on Feb 24, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

I know

I understand the implications, pretty much saying they’re not taking a big hit and not adding onto his cap hit so they could offer him 5 million and still be way under. They’re probably not offering him a whole lot, and that’s my point. Before I was kind of blaming both sides. Polian and co. for structuring a deal that would basically say we can only pay you peanuts, please stay? And Marvin for saying, thanks for the money mofos! I’m going to cash this check biatches! HAHAHA!

It makes more sense for them to be offering him a low contract, him knowing that they could offer him more and actually feeling undervalued. Now it’s more of a business decision than an incompentant FO (not saying overall, but you have to admit this situation if handled like everyone is assuming wasn’t very well thought out) and a greedy player. Makes me sleep better at night.

Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.

by monstersbox on Feb 24, 2009 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

Incompetent

I don’t like glaring spelling errors.

Jim Sorgi runs a 4.6 40. That's all I've got to say about that.

by monstersbox on Feb 24, 2009 12:53 PM EST up reply actions

tl;dr

This line will remain in my signature until the Colts draft Rashad Jennings in 2009.

by KingRichard on Feb 24, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

Honestly,

I always thought MH would retire before playing anywhere else.

I’m a Bears fan at heart, but have always rooted for the Colts too (except in the SB).

Manning to Harrison was something incredibly special to witness…

Things will get better as they improve...

by Dane Noble on Feb 23, 2009 7:51 PM EST reply actions

Thanks.

I live up here in Bears country (northwest Indiana), and I follow the Bears with great interest too. Especially with the Lovie and Dungy connection. Best wishes.

by coltsfanawalt on Feb 23, 2009 9:49 PM EST up reply actions

So Be It, Marvin.

You have to hand it to Polian and the Colts. They tried, and they could not agree, and it is handled with class.

As long as no one (either the Colts or Marvin) start anything in the media, the door is wide open for Marvin to retire as a Colt. The bad thing is much like Favre, he’s going to realize he’s still not firing on all cylinders, and retire after spending one year in Philly (you know this is where he ends up). At least we do not play them for a couple years…

Thanks Marvin, and thank you to the Colts for doing all they can, yet playing it smart at the same time.

Looks like if Percy is on the board, we will be drafting a WR.

by masonzbt on Feb 23, 2009 8:12 PM EST reply actions

Everybody on the Roy Hall banwagon

The fail train is leaving. Its going to be a bumpy ride.

Nate Davis = beast, God I hope he doesn't go to Detriot.......

by colts9318rock on Feb 23, 2009 8:21 PM EST reply actions

P.S. Nate Davis can play WR

Nate Davis = beast, God I hope he doesn't go to Detriot.......

by colts9318rock on Feb 23, 2009 8:22 PM EST up reply actions

I still have high hopes for Hall.

by coltsfanawalt on Feb 23, 2009 9:42 PM EST up reply actions

Sad and disappointing

We have talked about it for the last few days. We all knew this was coming but refused to believed it and hoped that Marv would stay with us.
As fans, the only thing we can do is thank him really, even if im pissed right now, (against the nfl cap, marv i dont know) i will appreciate him and forever see him as a Colt.
If he feels like he can play, i say go for it. Too bad he wont play for the Colts but still, i support him.
He was a gentleman on the field and will be remembered as that, an athlete full of class and one of the most humble, decent, professional, modest sportsman ive ever seen.
Good luck (still hoping for a sudden miracle)

by BlueMark1821 on Feb 23, 2009 8:26 PM EST reply actions

I'll be honest...

Marvin was a great player and gave us some incredible memories, but I really don’t see this as much of a loss. Marvin “dogged it” BIG TIME in the playoffs. He totally stunk. Consider this; Anthony Gonzalez in two playoff games has as many TD’s (2) as Marvin Harrison had in 16 playoff games (and his two came in one game). So for 15 playoff games Marvin failed to get in the endzone.
For awhile I have felt that Reggie Wayne was the better receiver. He won’t give you as many highlight reels as Marvin, but he always shows up when it counts. Something Harrison never did. We now have a lot of money to go find younger guys. I think this is great.

by MasterRWayne on Feb 23, 2009 8:32 PM EST reply actions

This is great?

Are you serious? I mean, youre right about many things but considering this “great”…man I dont know…im not happy about it at all at this point. Of course many things will be done with that money but still, its pretty sad. I dont know about you but anyway, have it your way

by BlueMark1821 on Feb 23, 2009 8:43 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn't say 'great'

But I absolutely am not heartbroken over Marvin leaving…He hasnt really played for us since 2006 (2007 injury year, and last year he wasnt good)…and as mentioned my man Marv NEVER shows up in playoff games…ever…Marv has 2 playoff tds..against the broncos…in one game. One of his tds was where he caught a diving catch and the defenders argued and didnt touch him and he got up and scored. He has one 100 yd playoff game…which was the same 2 td bronco game. So he’s had a season’s worth of playoff games and put up ‘brandon stokley while he was with the ravens’ type numbers. I will give him this – although he never showed up when we needed him in the playoffs, he was great in the reg season and helped us get to the playoffs.

by fc3worships on Feb 24, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions

Brutal

So many of my favorite Colts memories include Marvin. Some of the best: 1) One handed TD grab in Foxboro in ‘06 2) Play action TD on the first play from scrimmage against the Steelers in the reg. season of ’05 3) Diving catch against the Broncos, then realizing he wasn’t touched, he ran in for a TD.

Now, what to do with that #88 jersey…

by burc on Feb 23, 2009 8:38 PM EST reply actions

Thanks Marvin

It’s a shame that an agreement couldn’t be reached, but I can’t fault anyone. The team needs to do what’s best to win a Super Bowl this season and a $13 million cap hit just wasn’t going to work, and Marvin deserves to be paid like the elite receiver he has been and always will be. Marvin has done some great things for the Colts, the city of Indianapolis, and he’s done so the right way. I wish him the best success in whatever he does (though if the team he lands on ever plays the Colts, I hope he doesn’t take it personally that I won’t be rooting for his team ;) ).

I’m only saddened that Marvin is the only receiver who would ever come close to topping Jerry Rice’s reception and yardage records. As great as Marvin is, it was still long odds for him to get close to Rice’s phenomenal numbers, but I’d hoped that if Marvin did pull it off, it would be with a horseshoe on his helmet.

by JaysonAych on Feb 23, 2009 8:47 PM EST reply actions

Reality stinks

Hearing this news brought flash backs of a few of the insane catches Marv made over the years along with the play action deep balls caught in stride five yards ahead of the closest DB. Normally these things drive me nuts after a viewing, but looking forward to repeats of the ESPN highlight montage.

Thanks, Marv!

Indy Cornrows

by Tom Lewis on Feb 23, 2009 8:50 PM EST reply actions

Sorry Guys!

Even as a Titans fan, this stinks. I know what it is like to watch someone who has ment so much to your franchise leave for another jersey. You will always love them, but it will never be the same. Marvin was one of my favorite Colts, he is and always has been a classy guy. It will be different seeing him in a different jersey, but you will rise and fill his position through the draft like you guys always do. The Colts will be fine as for Marv, I wish him the best, no matter where he lands. Who knows maybe you guys will get to see him 2 times next year. I know a really good team that could use a really good WR really bad. BUT, we are NOT that lucky!

Someone once said "Vince Young bleeds two toned blue!" But I disagree, because The Great One Doesnt Bleed!!

by Vincanity on Feb 23, 2009 9:40 PM EST reply actions

Thanks for the post.

I hope Marvin goes NFC, to be honest.

Hey, now that we released Harrison, the Jags released Taylor and your Titans are soon releasing Haynesworth I believe, who are the Texans going to release to keep this fair?

Oh, that’’s right. Sage Rosenfels.

by coltsfanawalt on Feb 23, 2009 9:47 PM EST up reply actions

All good things come to an end...eh?

I can see where the pain comes from, but the guy is pretty old and towards the end of the career and I guess it was bound to happen sometime. I know you guys all realize that, I guess even then it can be a tough pill to swallow.

Anyways, one of the best to ever play receiver. You’ve still got some pretty good wideouts in Indy though (not to mention one heck of a QB to throw to them all). You should be fine. It’s a shame he’s no longer in the Colts blue and white. I loved watching him play. One of my favorites and those I respected highly. He’ll be missed (in a Colts uni) elsewhere around the league…for sure. Pure class.

by phantom818 on Feb 23, 2009 9:58 PM EST reply actions

Marvin and Saturday

I’m sad to see Marvin go, too, but it’s mainly a sentimental thing. I thought he had one more season left. The lack of synch time with Peyton in pre-season hurt both of them. And I think several of the near misses in the endzone at the beginning of the season were caused by Peyton’s underthrows, not Marvin’s lack of separation. At the same, it’s okay that this good thing had to come to an end. As for the future, I have no faith in Hall at all. He’s as fragile as a china cup. But I do think that Garcon has potential to do a lot of the things that Marvin did. In pre-season he resembled Marvin a lot.
What I haven’t seen anyone address is whether releasing Marvin helps put some more $ into a potential offer to Saturday, a much more valuable Colt at this point. Anyone know exactly how much might be saved — and potentially transferred — for Saturday. After all, Polian couldn’t have offered as much to Saturday before Marvin was released than he could now.

by Dizz on Feb 23, 2009 10:31 PM EST reply actions

It's not official yet

I know this probably means nothing, but he hasn’t officially been released yet. Irsay might talk him into saying. Hey, he talked Dungy into staying an extra year, and he talked Moore and Mudd into staying this year. It could happen.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090223/SPORTS03/90223006

by nealE on Feb 23, 2009 11:16 PM EST reply actions

I think that he's going to retire

Marvin is a very reserved person that has his own routine, sits on the bench by himself, and doesn’t talk to anyone but Peyton. How is he going to act on a brand new team? He will have no chemistry with the QB, and we all know what happens when there is no chemistry, and he only has a couple years left at best. Why would he go to a rebuilding team, ie the Eagles, when there is no confirmation if McNabb will even be the QB next year.

I think he’s going to retire a Colt.

by MarkFive05 on Feb 23, 2009 11:33 PM EST reply actions

I had hoped

That if he wasn’t going to play for us that he would retire. But the man has his pride and he thinks he can still play (and while his numbers were down he had some spectacular outings this season) and since we can’t pay him he knows someone can. Hell, Issac Bruce got a pretty solid payday, Jerry Porter too…I expect there’s someone willing to pay him.

But yeah, I don’t expect much really, with all the chemistry and familiarity gone. I just pray he goes to someone outside the conference so we won’t have to face the pain of playing him.

by slash196 on Feb 24, 2009 12:12 AM EST up reply actions

based on his contract and lessened production, this had to happen. – wayne and gonzo can step up now

by Lrccolt4 on Feb 24, 2009 12:28 AM EST reply actions

peyton to marvin. it is a very sad day knowing this will no longer be seen or heard. I loved how he quietly was a part of the best combo in history. how he handed the football to the ref and went and sat on the bench quietly only to be ready to do it again and again and again. the legacy he left. while other players were acting like fools marvin just quietly became a star the minute he stepped onto the field, handing the ball to the ref after each great catch. I loved that. the idiot antics of some how they handled themselves on the field, not everybody thought that was cool to act like a fool. I certainly did not. harrison was class.

I still remember when they called his name in the draft. I remember calling my friend with excitement of he is going to be something special and immediately it happened. almost surprisingly fast to the point I thought and knew the colts hit the jackpot with that pick. that halfway into his career I still couldnt believe it was the best pick next to peyton and MY colts were the team that got that very risky pick of choosing a wr (like today) RIGHT. peyton to manning. canton

having said that I am disappointed that he thinks the colts should and he knew they couldnt pay him that much for what is the end of his career and not retire a colt makes me just as sad. like an above poster stated. its not like marvin needs the money and I dont completely understand why he couldnt work with the colts but I wish him all the best because Im not one to be selfish for wanting him to stay not on his terms, for considering all he did for the colts.

jeff saturday too. Im still hoping. he WANTS to retire a colt. this one confuses me.

as for 88. thank you for giving colts fans happy memories year after year after year after year, etc with his greatness when we thought it would never be possible with so many losing seasons before.

by kinnickcolt on Feb 24, 2009 4:42 AM EST reply actions