Sorry Drew Brees, just like I wrote 6 weeks earlier, Ladainian Tomlinson will remain a Charger for the next three years, and likely for the rest of his career. It was announced tonight that Tomlinson reached an agreement with the Chargers on a restructured contract where he will make the same salary he is due for the upcoming season and will take a pay cut for the next two years. In exchange, he is likely to receive more guaranteed money for the final two years of his contract. Full details of the contract have yet to be released. It has been an emotional process for Dean Spanos, AJ Smith, and Ladainian Tomlinson, just like discussing the future of any player that has been the face of a franchise for such a long period of time. In the end, a compromise was reached.
It is refreshing to see a player that will sacrifice money for the greater good of the team. A lot of people thought LT shouldnt take a pay cut and that he was being disrespected. Sure, LT could have gone elsewhere and tried to get a bigger contract. He instead decided that staying with the Chargers is his best chance to win a championship. The new contract will help this cause by allowing San Diego the financial flexibility to resign all of the players necessary to make another run at a Super Bowl. Twenty-five players, 10 this year and 15 next year, will be eligible for free agency over the next two seasons. This includes such players as Philip Rivers, Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Shawne Merriman, Antonio Gates, Jamal Williams. These are just a handful of the players that make up the nucleus of the Chargers and represent their future.
This will give LT his best chance to win a Super Bowl as a Charger. On top of that, it also gives the organization the opportunity to sign their future stars so that they may remain competitive when Ladainian Tomlinson's brilliant career is over. You stay classy, LT.
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