Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Bobby Engram says he's skipping Seattle's voluntary minicamp because his $1.7 million salary isn't befitting a player coming off a 94-catch season. There are a few ways we can look at this thing. I'll run through them as I see them and provide some balance:
- Engram should honor the contract he signed. This line of thinking appeals on a basic level, but it's tougher to defend given that teams routinely break contracts. The Seahawks recently released Shaun Alexander two years after his MVP season, for example. They won't have to pay Alexander the $4.475 million salary they agreed to pay him as part of the deal. That is the reality of the NFL, and it works both ways.
- Engram has outplayed his deal, so pay him. This one appeals because Engram has meant so much to the Seahawks over the years, and particularly last season. The team has never treated him as a No. 1 receiver, and that has been reflected in his pay, but he has been the most reliable receiver on the team during the Mike Holmgren era.
- The team stood by Engram when he was ill, so he should be grateful. Engram missed much of the 2006 season after suffering from a thyroid condition. The team stood by him and re-signed him in March 2007, handing him an $880,000 signing bonus even though Engram had just turned 34 and he was coming off a 24-catch season.
Engram participated in the mandatory postdraft camp. His decision to skip only the voluntary camp sends a message without escalating the situation unnecessarily or prematurely. Teams can't get in the habit of re-working contracts every time a player enjoys a strong season. Then again, if anyone in Seattle deserves consideration as an exception to that general rule, Engram would have to rank high on the list.
