Jan
Big bonus awaits Wake down south
Courtesy Vancouver Province:
Monstrous defensive end Cam Wake, who played two CFL seasons almost in a league of his own, is about to completely outgrow its relevant salary structure.
It has been nearly two weeks since the two-time defensive player of the year with the B.C. Lions has been eligible to sign an option-year NFL contract, but time has had no downward effect whatsoever on his market value.
Wake has told friends the signing bonus being discussed at present is fast approaching the $500,000 US mark, a staggering sum by CFL standards that would more than ensure he will not simply be training-camp fodder. Some 12 NFL teams have shown varying degrees of interest, with the Tennessee Titans believed to be the club discussing the biggest offer.
The signing bonus might represent the amount the Lions have to spend under the CFL’s salary management system in order to extend current contracts, sign all their remaining free agents and make upgrades for the coming season by plucking players off the open market.
But it won’t all be spent on one player, even if Wake might deserve to become the highest-paid defender in league history after recording 39 sacks in 38 games.
Coach Wally Buono said after meeting with Wake and his parents during Grey Cup week in Montreal that he would not make an offer to the
26-year-old, because there was no way the club could be competitive. In addition to a signing bonus, Wake would make $310,000 US as rookie in the NFL. By the end of the month, when it is expected Wake will formally plot his future career path, the Lions almost certainly will be proven correct.
“Obviously we’re never going to say we’re not interested in re-signing him,” Lions personnel co-ordinator Neil McEvoy said Thursday, “but they’ve got some firm offers that they are weighing against each other that I don’t think we’re going to able to [compete].
