The Pennington contract covers all the bases

The Dolphins decision to bring back Chad Pennington and his decision to come back has raised some interesting possibilities for the two sides and it seems all those are covered in his soon-to-be-signed contract.

Although it has been widely reported that Pennington agreed to a one-year contract with the Dolphins worth $2.5 million with a "trade bonus" of $1.515 million if the team trades him, it has not been widely circulated (that I've seen) what happens if Pennington sets training camp on fire at the same time Chad Henne struggles.

The contract Pennington agreed stipulates that if Pennington starts over Henne, the veteran gets a salary of $5.75 million.

The number isn't what's important. What is important is that Pennington has agreed to be the backup and would accept that role. But, being a competitor, he is not simply going to come to camp and simply lay down -- at least not once his arm starts feeling good.

Pennington will want to be the best quarterback he can be.

And as the Dolphins gave Pennington the starter's clause in the contract, they obviously see the possibility (however small) that he might win the starting job at some point (either through competition or injury to Henne) and would, therefore, merit a higher salary.

So while both Pennington and the Dolphins have agreed his stated role will be the backup role, both also recognize there is a chance he 1. could be traded or 2. could be the starter.

Talk about running the gamut of possibilites.

[Update: I'm told Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis suffered a wrist injury toward the end of the 2009 season and spent several weeks in a cast afterward. It is unclear if the injury required surgery. Davis has since progressed enough to have the cast removed and is now rehabilitating. He could be limited initially at the start of the team's conditioning program but should be 100 percent for minicamps and training camp.] 

Come back in a bit, I'll have more stuff posting soon.

Comments

[SoiledBottom]

Dear Mr. Salguero

Can you tell me if Penne's contract has a "Come back player of the year" award stipulation ?

I only ask because.

National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

"2006 Chad Pennington New York Jets Quarterback Marshall
2007 Randy Moss New England Patriots Wide Receiver Marshall
2008 Chad Pennington Miami Dolphins Quarterback Marshall
2009 Tom Brady New England Patriots Quarterback Michigan"

If my hunch is right...Penne for the win.

Unless that turncoat Welker gets it.

Just thinkng ahead.

Soiled :)

[G dub]

Wow!! What a joke!!!! Everyone here is talking about how clark gets ran over ....... All of YOU must have forgotten the huge front page picture of Gibril Wilson being stiff armed by Jeremy Shockey while shockey had a huge smile on his face laughing at him!!!

[t]

I really hope we sign Clark... We dont need another WR. Just give us a good defense and good run em to the ground offence. If we get a good safety and a good NT we will be O.K....

[Mark in Toronto]

WVAF, I think Ficklefan is supposed to be sarcastic in his approach.

[marino]

hartline a one wr, hilarious, never a chance to be. hartline a decent 3. name a number one white wr, seriously.

[t]

I though Ryan was a FS? Why would steelers replace him with a SS?

[Jimmy Jam]

that Pennington might have been signed simply to trade for a pick or a player is an interesting thought. Since the Fins insisted that the contract would NOT have a "no-trade" clause like Penny wanted, it might be inferred that they are keeping that door open. I still think none of the QBs gets traded until camp and/or another team loses their starter and is desperate. OR White becomes a roster RB/WR and plays the slash position. That way he can legitimately run the Wildcat without being the 2nd QB. Of course, the fact that he is currently incapable of running the Wildcat effectively is another matter. As is the fact that he is short and slight.

BTW for the dude who asked if it was Clark who knocked out Pat White, it was Ike Taylor. But that hit points up that White has the heart but not the body to handle NFL hits. If someone comes a knockin' with a trade offer, he'll be gone in a city minute.

[Mark in Toronto]

Not sure I like this Pennington signing. I didn't miss him one bit when he went down.

[WestVaFins]

my apologies if that was sarcasm Ficklefan. no apologies if that was serious though haha.

[joe]

nj=cuban menace

[marino]

nobody would offer a bag of balls for white. clark will be an upgrade here, decent player. pennington has zero trade value as of now but maybe few weeks into season they could get a 6th rd pick or so. if he ever starts for us this season then the season is a failure

[WestVaFins]

white was tripped from the back not really like he got laid out by Taylor. I would really love to see another quarterback in the league take that hit.

[Jimmy Jam]

Brian Hartline #1? Haha. Excellent receiver but: 40 time: 4.52. Miles Austin's 40 time: 4.34. Big difference. 4.52 is way too slow for a #1. He has quicks, though, which is what makes him a good #2.

[Mark in Toronto]

You have a point WVAF, even the tank of a Qb that used to be Duante Culpepper had his career derailed by a hit, it can happen to anyone.

[SoiledBottom]

Dear Mr. Mark in Toronto

"Not sure I like this Pennington signing. I didn't miss him one bit when he went down."

How can you say that with a straight face ?

Penne is like a kinder, gentler General George Patton or like Hank Hill (from King of the Hill) a consumate Propane and Propane accessories salesman.

Give me Penne or give me death.

Soiled :)

[Mark in Toronto]

Enough of pointing out Brian Hartline's deficiencies. He's a very promising player. he will be part of this team for a long time.

[ALoco]

Joe = cuban menace and me

[WestVaFins]

Im not sure who it was that made the comment about 2011 being a deep wr draft. Can we get some prospect names to expect????

[marino]

remember major harris. face it man pat white isnt an nfl player, was an awful pick. could of had massaquoi, m.wallace, s.greene, l.murphy, a.collie, j.knox etccc

[Mark in Toronto]

Haha, Soiled, I obviously missed the Hank Hill similarities although they seem to be so obvious now :$

Seriously though, he's a bad fit for this offense. Nowhere near as aggressive with his arm as he needs to be given our receiving crew. He seems to only feel comfortable throwing down the seam and presently we don't have a TE or a huge WR to take advantage of that trait. bad, bad fit. Hope Henne runs with the ball fast from the start this year.

[marino]

and dont forget about edelman to the patriots in the 7th rd

[Jimmy Jam]

Mark - you take the good with the bad. Hartline is a good receiver and was a nice pickup at that spot. He is quick and reliable. But he is not a number one and that is okay.

Agreed that not many people could take the hit White took and just bounce up. That said, he is still too fragile for the NFL in my opinion. Thus far he has brought nothing to the table. If he had been drafted in the 5th or 6th, he would likely be a practice squad lackey or off the roster. But he was taken in the 2nd so he will be given at least a camp's worht of grace.

I disagree that Penny could only draw a 6th in trade value. If a team loses their QB and Penny has shown he can still toss it 20 yards or so then he'll be worth a lot more and that can happen anytime before or during the season. Thigpen is a better QB at this point. it'd be daft to trade him.

[WestVaFins]

I agree the White pick was too early but as far as being a bad pick i dont agree at all. They wanted him to run the wildcat and he was given few opportunities.

[MikeyG]

The Phins should maybe see what the price would be for Limas Sweed. I could see maybe a 5th Rd pick with possiblity of being a 4th depending on perfomance.

[marino]

we need so much so lets hope we hit a homerun with this draft, so far parcells and co havent impressed me in the draft or free agency

[marino]

sweed, no way he hasnt done anything and the rookie wallace destroyed him. k.walter would be a decent pickup

[star tracker]

Pricemaster
I totally agree about Henne. Looks like there is a reason Henne was not called "THE STARTER" by his coach. Ireland may have said Henne is our future, but he also said wilson was a great safety..Henne's agent really should step up and get him starter money that alone you let us know the plan!

[fishypete]

The Dolphins did everything they could to screw up White...instead of letting him be him...they are trying to make him a NFL QB...they even told him not to wear gloves.
If you want to blame someone...blame the coaches.

[miamitrini]

signing penny just in case henne gets something in his eye.... cause they dont want white going out there doing head bumps

[Mark in Toronto]

WVAF,

here are some 2011 WRS to consider (if you want to research these guys a year early)

Terrance Toliver, LSU, 6'4 206, 4.52
Austin Pettis, Boise State, 6'3 202, 4.54
James Rodgers, Oregon State, 5'7 185, 4.42
ROnald Johnson, USC, 6 ft 190, 4.42
Armon Binns, Cinci, 6'4 200, 4.54

These were all Jrs this year and will be srs next year obviously, but my favourite is Johnathan Baldwin, Pitt, 6'5 225 who was only a Sophomore this year and was the #1 target on a team with a fair amount of talent.

Miami also has some good WRS coming through like Leonard Hankerson and Laron Byrd. Both guys are about 6'3 215. Hank was a jr this year, Byrd a soph.

[fishypete]

One thing Mark;

They may not have a 2011 draft.

[Just Because]

Mark in Toronto - don't forget about AJ Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama - guys that are Juniors and will more than likely enter the draft. They are bette than Dez in my book.

[Mark in Toronto]

I'm still unclear about that. Would there still be a draft, but no season? I don't know but these are some of the better players available regardless.

[WestVaFins]

Saw baldwin first hand and yes he is darn good. Thanks for the list Mark... The rodgers bros from oregon state are both very interesting im not sure about quiz though. dont know if he is an nfl runner but def had speed.

[WestVaFins]

Just because two good names that had slipped my mind. especially jones.

[fishypete]

No CBA...Lockout...NO DRAFT.

[Mark in Toronto]

Just Because, yes, AJ Green definitely is gifted and Julio Jones is definitely polished and a physical freak. When you add it all together, it is definitely a deeper class than 2010. If Green, Jones, and Baldwin all declare, those are all 1st rd talents it appears.

[WestVaFins]

anyone seen the movie the replacements haha

[fishypete]

I remember the replacements.

[WestVaFins]

Thats the situation you were referring to pete lol. that would be amusing but not ideal haha

[fishypete]

1987...the strike lasted a couple weeks and then the real players started to cross the picket line and broke the strike...thank God.

[WestVaFins]

sign me up. ill be a replacement lol

[fishypete]

At my age and health...I'm happy to just be a fan. LOL

[Mark in Toronto]

Wasn't the QB's name Flacco?

[fishypete]

Watch this video about the replacements;

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d8111b667/Top-Ten-Biggest-Upsets-The-Replacements

[Jethro in Toronto,West Virginia]

Does anyone have any wine parings to recommend for squirrel or groundhog?

[WestVaFins]

I thought it was Falco but i could be wrong its been a while since i saw that movie

[fishpete]

cuban menace=nj phin

[WestVaFins]

Beer is always good jethro. Natty lite

[ALoco]

fishpete = cuban menace = me

[Mark in Toronto]

Oh ya, it was Falco. That darned dyslexia kicking in.

[LipsinToronto]

His name was Shane Falco. He had a rep for hearing footsteps and being afraid of getting hits. I think he played for OSU.. isnt that where Ginn comes from? lol

I wonder if we get locked out if Ginn decides to play and resurrects his career against scrubs!

[bond, david bond]

Miami would foolish if they trade thigpen. e is their best quarterback. However, the dolphins are known for trading away their best players.

[WestVaFins]

DAVID BOND, i hope you are better at being an international spy then you are at making football comments lol. Thigpen isnt better than Henne. If he was then he would have played over Henne.

[marino]

heene and thigpen are even so far in their careers. both throw way to many ints

[WestVaFins]

If Ted Ginn got better every time we had a funny joke about him he would be the best player in the history of football lol. What an easy target.. To make fun of not to throw to.

[Gus]

Look I have been a dolphins fan for many years.. I think that we should use the pick on C J Spiller.. go look at this guy high lights.. with eachstep he takes is 5 yards out in the open ..he would improve our passing game and make it wide open .. team would now not all ways look for us to pass.. but hey what do I know I just sit back here each day and read all the write ups that people post and some are way far off..but back to spiller.. this is by far the best back in the draft.. and what ever team he lands on is going to open the run game up ,he's smart and fast..check it out http://www.mynfldraft.com/NFL-Draft-Profiles/2010/CJ-Spiller

[DEFinFan]

Straight up Shaun Rogers for Thigpen

[WestVaFins]

Gus everything you said about spiller is correct. I wish we had a need for a running back as much as we do some pass rushers coming off the edge.

[dqbmx1212]

Pennington fits this team IMO, I love henne but until we get a WR that can go deep to utilize his arm, mind as well keep pennington on the roster as backup or possible starter if he tears it up at camp.