Though most of the focus regarding contractual controversies in San Diego have centered of late on Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson, left tackle Marcus McNeill also remains unsigned. And he also saw his restricted free agency tender slashed from $3.168 million to $600,000 by the team when he didn’t accept it by June 15. And he also was included in G.M. A.J. Smith’s eulogy for the two key players.
But perhaps the ice is thawing. McNeill reportedly said at his youth football camp that negotiations will commence next week with the team.
Here’s the caveat. The report appears in a small Decatur, Georgia newspaper (McNeill grew up there), and no specific quote from McNeill appears in which he says that negotiations will commence next week. Moreover, the sentence prior to the one explaining that “McNeill said he will enter negotiations with the Chargers this week” states that McNeill is an unrestricted free agent.
For now, we’re skeptical. But we’re checking this one out. It could be that the Chargers have begun to realize that protecting a nine-figure quarterback from violent trauma possibly trumps being a hard ass at the bargaining table. Or it could be that the only decisions McNeill will be making in the near future relate to whether he’ll take a nap on the couch or on his bed.
UPDATE: A source with knowledge of the situation says that no talks are scheduled, and that no discussions have occurred since the middle of June.
