Johnson, Winslow and others show Pro Bowl not just a party week
Chad Johnson is unhappy about the silence of his teammates. Kellen Winslow is looking for a new contract. Asante Samuel and Marcus Trufant are preparing for the open market.
Certainly not those NFL players, who spoke Thursday on a variety of topics, including the business of pro ball.
Johnson reiterated his unhappiness with the Cincinnati Bengals. The receiver is at his fifth Pro Bowl, replacing New England's Randy Moss, and he wasn't looking at the surroundings as paradise.
"All the voices talked for 16 weeks," Johnson said of Cincinnati's disappointing regular season. "I don't hear them now. Where you at? Now's the time to let it out. The only voice I hear is mine."
While that's not unusual with the loquacious Johnson, he wasn't smiling or joking around after the AFC practice. He was defending his self-promoting manner, although he admitted some of it didn't fit the Bengals' approach.
"Consistently, I've done it," he said of his performances. "I haven't done it perfect, but consistently at a high level. I get out of line at times, but what great one doesn't? What great one doesn't get emotional? Find me a great one who hasn't done it like that and I'll be quiet."
If Johnson is trying to orchestrate his exit from Cincinnati, it will be a difficult chore. He has four years remaining on his contract, worth $18.5 million, including a $3 million base for the 2008 season.
Also still under contract is Browns tight end Winslow. In fact, Cleveland extended his deal even as Winslow was recuperating in 2005 from a serious motorcycle accident that cost him an entire season.
Winslow breached his original six-year, $40 million rookie deal when he violated a "dangerous activities" clause while practicing motorcycle stunts in a parking lot. Although he lost close to $3 million in bonuses from that contract, he got an extension that allowed Winslow to recoup some of the money.
He responded with Pro Bowl numbers, including 82 receptions for 1,106 yards and five TDs in 2007.
With agent Drew Rosenhaus at his side Thursday, Winslow said he would be seeking a second opinion on his right knee, which might require surgery for the fourth time. Then he mentioned he hoped to get a new deal from the Browns.
"I leave it up to Drew," said Winslow, who replaced Antonio Gates of San Diego for the game.
"When I got hurt the contract got renegotiated so some things changed. But I think I've proven these past two years that I'm one of the elite tight ends. My value on the field ... they put an extra DB in the game, and that really changes the whole game. They have to guard me kind of like a wide receiver so, you know, yeah, I've got to get that new money."
After the laughter died down, Winslow added:
"This is my life, what I always wanted to do. My career didn't start out like I wanted it to with the injuries and all, and I started asking questions like, `Why me, why'd I get hurt?' But without the struggle, there is no progress, and this is progress. I stayed positive, worked my butt off, and now I'm here.
"Anyone would want to be out here. It's like a Corona commercial."
Samuel and Trufant were out there practicing Thursday, as well. Neither knows which team he will suit up for after Sunday's Pro Bowl.
New England agreed not to give Samuel the franchise tag - Seattle could put it on Trufant - and Samuel figures to lure the kind of money Nate Clements got from San Francisco last March: $80 million over eight years. Clements didn't have the kind of numbers All-Pro Samuel has had in the last two years, including a league-leading 10 interceptions in 2006.
"There's definitely always a chance I'll be back with the Patriots," he said. "Free agency is what you work hard for, the financial security it brings. I look forward to it, but hopefully I remain a Patriot.
"It's part of the business, and eventually I will be happy with what I get."
Several other Pro Bowlers have spoken to Samuel and Trufant, campaigning for their teams. Samuel said Dallas safety Ken Hamlin bought him a couple of mai tais, while Trufant was more coy, only admitting "there are some guys who want me to look where they're at."
Trufant smiled broadly when asked if perhaps he could re-sign with Seattle, then have Samuel join him as a Seahawk.
"Would be a nice backfield, wouldn't it?" he said. "In this league, a hot commodity is cornerback."
