Wanted to share...

[A57moon( Tony)]

Something I read and wanted to share if no one minds....

IN A TIGHT SPOT


By MARK CANNIZZARO


April 27, 2008 --


When the Jets made their aggressive trade-up move into the first round
Saturday to draft
tight end Dustin Keller, it left many people around the league
scratching their heads in
bewilderment.


Count Jets starting tight end Chris Baker as one of them.


Baker, who recently left the Jets' offseason conditioning program in
protest over the
team's apparent unwillingness to renegotiate his below-market
contract, told The Post in
an exclusive interview today that he wants to remain a Jet for the
rest of his career, but
finds it hard to believe the team wants him here based on the way he's
being treated.


Unless the Jets re-do Baker's contract, he'll find himself as the
third-highest paid tight
end on the team despite the fact he's the starter and coming off the
best season of his
career with 41 catches.


The Jets signed veteran free agent Bubba Franks to a one-year, $1.65
million deal this
offseason and, as the 30th draft pick in the first round, Keller will
be signed to a
contract that'll pay him even more than that.


Baker is due to make $683,000 this season.


What galls Baker most is the fact that, dating back two years,
promises have been made to
him by the Jets about reworking his contract. According to Baker's
agent, Jonathan
Feinsod, "Jets management has acknowledged that Chris has outperformed
his contract."


"I'm angry about the fact that they said, 'We're going to do something
for you,' and
nothing's being done," Baker told The Post. "It doesn't make any
sense. I've been here six
years and I've always done what they've asked me to do."


Baker said he never wanted to leave the offseason conditioning
program, but felt he had no
choice.


"What else can I do?" he said. "I don't think I'm being unreasonable.
I needed to let it
be known that I'm not happy and nothing is being addressed with my
contract."


Baker, in the third year of a four-year, $6.6 million contract, has
quietly watched this
offseason as the Jets have not only spent more than $140 million in
free-agent contracts,
but also taken care of a couple of his fellow veterans who were still
under contract.


When receiver Laveranues Coles boycotted the beginning of the
offseason program because he
was unhappy with his contract status, the Jets appeased him by
guaranteeing the final two
years of his contract worth $11 million.


Then they re-signed safety Kerry Rhodes, who had a year remaining on
his contract, to a
new deal with $20 million in guarantees.


"I was happy for both of those guys because they're both deserving,"
Baker said.


One NFL source said the drafting of Keller was a clear "cat-and-mouse"
move to avoid the
Baker situation becoming similar to the messy Pete Kendall ordeal of a
year ago.


"This is their insurance policy to make sure what happened with Pete
doesn't happen
again," the source told The Post. "They figured if they can get a high-
round [draft pick]
then they won't be stuck [like they were last year without a starting
guard to replace
Kendall]."


Oddly enough, Baker recently signed on to be represented by Feinsod,
the same agent as
Kendall.


Feinsod, a week ago yesterday, formally asked the Jets to trade Baker,
a request that was
declined.


"Chris Baker will be on our team," Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has stated
firmly.