The Drew Henson "Sweepstakes"

[Ksyrup]

Yankees: It's official: Henson wants out

Monday, February 02, 2004

BY LAWRENCE ROCCA

Star-Ledger Staff

Perhaps the sight of his former understudy in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years was just too much for Drew Henson. Or maybe he has only now come to realize he has no future with the Yankees.

Whatever the cause, Henson's return to football -- seemingly inevitable but incorrectly reported to have been initiated numerous times in the past year -- is finally on the verge of taking place.

Henson's agent, Casey Close, recently informed Yankees GM Brian Cashman that he's interested in reaching a settlement that would allow Henson, a former star quarterback at the University of Michigan, out of the final three years of his Yankees contract so he can pursue a career in the NFL, as first reported Saturday by The Record of Hackensack.

When reached at home yesterday, Cashman would not say much more than "it's possible" Henson, a bust as a third base prospect, would leave baseball to try his hand at playing quarterback in the NFL.

"Casey Close told me last week that Drew Henson was considering pursuing a career in football more than he has in the past," Cashman said. "Obviously, if he does that, he will officially inform us."

Asked if Close had "officially informed" him of that plan, Cashman said: "I'm just going to leave it at that."

The Yankees owe Henson $12 million over the next three years and would be pleased to be rid of the obligation, although it's not clear how much money -- if any -- they'd be willing to give Henson to simply go away.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we have to cross it," Cashman said.

This development has been coming for a long time. Club officials gave up hope that Henson would develop into a frontline big-league third baseman more than a year ago, after he struggled mightily at Triple-A Columbus in 2002 and then had a terrible, and abbreviated, stint at the Arizona Fall League.

Henson had another awful season at Columbus this past year, and when the Yankees traded for Aaron Boone at the July 31 non-waiver deadline and spoke about having him at third for the next few years, it was a clear signal to Henson that they did not believe he had a future with the club.

When Boone hurt his knee playing basketball Jan. 16, an injury that could force him to miss the entire season, the Yankees didn't mention Henson among the lower-tier replacement candidates, such as Enrique Wilson, Miguel Cairo and Tyler Houston -- yet another signal Henson's chances with the Yankees are nonexistent.

Henson, who has just one hit in nine career big league at-bats, once was one of the most promising baseball prospects in the country and was drafted by the Yankees in the third round in 1998. The Yankees gave him a bigger signing bonus than they were offering their first-round pick that year, high school pitcher Mark Prior, who declined to sign with the Yankees and attended college at USC. Prior now 23, has emerged as a star with the Chicago Cubs.

After the Yankees traded Henson to the Reds in a package for Denny Neagle in 1998, they reacquired him in 2001 and gave him a five-year, $17 million contract, one which they began to regret almost immediately.

Part of that contract stipulates that Henson cannot play football, the other sport in which he excelled in high school and later at Michigan, where in his sophomore season he wrested the majority of playing time away from Tom Brady, who led the Patriots against the Panthers in last night's Super Bowl.

Henson might have been the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft had he played four years at Michigan, but even after three years away from the gridiron, he was an inviting enough talent that Houston Texans GM Charley Casserly drafted him in the sixth round last year.

The Texans have a young quarterback in David Carr and Henson has no interest in playing for them, but he would presumably be willing to sign a contract with the stipulation Houston trades him to a team of his choosing, which is precisely why Casserly drafted him in what has turned out to be a shrewd move.

Henson would presumably want to sign with Houston because it will give him some control over where he plays in the NFL; if he doesn't sign with the Texans before this April's draft, the Texans would lose his rights and he would re-enter the draft pool, where he could be selected by anyone. The Bills, Chiefs, Dolphins, Packers and Steelers have reportedly expressed interest in him.

Copyright 2004 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.

[Ksyrup]

Edit: I figured it out.

[Noop]

Nope but Drew is threw with sports

[General Mike]

Why is the text so big?

Edit: Nevermind

[stevew]

Hrm, while Id like the Steelers to possibly develop him as our "QB of the future," I just cant see paying the Texans all that much before the draft for him.

[Draft Dodger]

I hope he doesn't get a dime for not playing baseball

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I hope he doesn't get a dime for not playing baseball

No kidding. I don't get what there is to negotiate - the Yankees have the upper hand here. If he wants out bad enough, then he can forgo all of the money he has left. Otherwise, he can continue to play. It's not like he's able to play hard ball with a team like Minnesota, where $7-10M really means something. If I was the Yankees, I'd tell him that he gets nothing, take it or leave it, and if he tries to ride it out, I'd stick his ass in Single A.

[FBPro]

My only question is, does the "winner" of the "sweepstakes" get Henson or the "loser"?

[Tasan]

No kidding. See Hutchinson, Chad for possible results of not playing football for a while. He's off to NFL Europe this year, where he should have gone last season.

[Passacaglia]

Since when was Tom Brady his 'understudy'?

[Fritz]

the muppets were never the same after he died

[Ryan S]

According to ESPN

Henson and the Yankees have reached a resolution that frees him from the final three seasons of the six-year, $17 million contract he signed with New York in 2001, sources close to Henson confirmed Monday for ESPN.com. Henson will receive none of the $12 million he had been contractually guaranteed between this season and 2006, and the Yankees will not seek any of the money already paid to him.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No kidding. I don't get what there is to negotiate - the Yankees have the upper hand here. If he wants out bad enough, then he can forgo all of the money he has left. Otherwise, he can continue to play. It's not like he's able to play hard ball with a team like Minnesota, where $7-10M really means something. If I was the Yankees, I'd tell him that he gets nothing, take it or leave it, and if he tries to ride it out, I'd stick his ass in Single A.

So you're gonna pay a guy 12M over the next 3 years to do nothing for you and take up one of the spots on the 40 man roster, when you can buy him out for 6M and be done with it all?

EDIT: OK. Forget what I said.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Since when was Tom Brady his 'understudy'?

He was actually more of Brady's understudy. That is until the evil Steinbrenner traded to get him back into the yankee system and gave him an outrageous contract with the stipulation of leaving football. Steinbrenner is an avid/rabid Ohio State fan. Henson already had failed once in the Yankee system and was traded when he refused a baseball only contract. With Henson returning for a senior season he would have been a seroius Heisman cantidate. Michigan would have been a serious national champion contender. Ohio State likely would have lost to Michigan (they almost did with Navarre, clearly an inferior QB to Henson) and Michigan likely would have faced Miami.

Were Steinbrenner's actions in signing Henson really cuz he thought he would be the future at 3rd? Or was it to really stick it to Michigan, whose season fell apart without Henson. Who could have resisted that contract?

[tucker342]

I don't believe that the Yankees drafted Prior and then let him get away.... I bet they're kicking themselves about that one....

[kcchief19]

Man, the Texans hold all the cards here. At the least they lose nothing. There are people saying he might go as high as the third QB if he is in the draft, so if you want him the safe thing is to make a trade, otherwise you're playing the lottery he'll slide to you. If his workouts go well, I can see the Texans getting a 2nd rounder for him.

Not that he's worth it, but if you want him and think he might go late first/early second and won't get him, it's a fair price to pay.

[JHandley]

Originally Posted by BigJohn&TheLions

Were Steinbrenner's actions in signing Henson really cuz he thought he would be the future at 3rd? Or was it to really stick it to Michigan, whose season fell apart without Henson. Who could have resisted that contract?

If Steinbrenner was gonna spend that kind of money, wouldn't it have been easier to just pay Henson to go to OSU in the first place?

[Anthony]

i can see him going to the Cowboys or Buffalo.

[The_herd]

I really think this is Green Bay's chance to get a guy in to replace Farve in about 2 years. If not, K.C. has expressed interest and is probably willing to give up a 1st round pick.

[FBPro]

Originally Posted by tucker342

I don't believe that the Yankees drafted Prior and then let him get away.... I bet they're kicking themselves about that one....

Couldn't have happened to a better team.

[The_herd]

Word is he reached an agreement to forfeit all money owed to him by the Yankees. Looks like he wants to get this NFL thing going as soon as possible

[Blade6119]

the yankees and henson are officially seperated...and apparently hes been training for several months in florida(with some famous QB coach) for football again...

[Craptacular]

So where is the MLBPA bitching about how a team and player can't mutually agree to change a guaranteed contract that decreases the value of it???

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by BigJohn&TheLions

He was actually more of Brady's understudy.

That was my point. Henson was the understudy, not the other way around. Brady's last year at Michigan was also my last year at Michigan, and you can't help but think what would have been, if he had been the main guy his entire senior year. As it is, I'm surprised he's still on good enough terms with the school that he showed up at the Rose Bowl.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

So where is the MLBPA bitching about how a team and player can't mutually agree to change a guaranteed contract that decreases the value of it???

That's what I was thinking as well.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

That was my point. Henson was the understudy, not the other way around. Brady's last year at Michigan was also my last year at Michigan, and you can't help but think what would have been, if he had been the main guy his entire senior year. As it is, I'm surprised he's still on good enough terms with the school that he showed up at the Rose Bowl.

Brady was great during his time at Michigan. He played similar to how he does now. He is an accurate passer, very calm, very cool. He had some great games and always came up clutch in the big ones. Even though Henson was all that, he still could never really unseat Brady.

Hmmm... As for Henson. I have mixed feelings. I was pissed as hell when he left for the Yankees. It was all some evil New York Yankee/Ohio-based conspiracy to make the Wolverines suffer from 4 years of John Navarre. I really believe this. There is a ton of evidence supporting this theory. At this point the bitterness has gone, I think. I hope Henson does well in the NFL. This last view is subject to change.

[cthomer5000]

I was really angry when Henson left for two reasons:

It was a top NFL prospect going to the shitty sport of baseball
He was going to the most evil of all evil franchises, the Yankees

It's nice to see the NFL can bring him back into the fold.

[rkmsuf]

by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com
Wednesday, February 4, 2004

News
Despite being portrayed as one of Drew Henson's more ardent pursuers, as well as a club the quarterback has privately mentioned he'd like to play for, the Steelers are not that interested in the former Michigan star. Sources within the Steeler organization told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Henson's name has not been mentioned during player personnel discussions and no serious talks have been held with the Texans about a trade. One Pittsburgh front-office executive told the Post-Gazette the team's interest waned because Henson hasn't played football since 2000, the Texans are asking a high draft pick in exchange, and Henson would want too much money. The Steelers still plan to send a scout to Henson's workout in Houston, as they would with any prospect. "We are going to look at all our options at this point," Steeler coach Bill Cowher said at his news conference Tuesday. "We will sit down and talk about it. There is still some logistics involved with this. It is not just a guy getting ready for the draft. They have the rights to him, so we are certainly going to explore all our options."

Views
At some point the Steelers will need to address their quarterback-of-the-future issue, but it doesn't appear as if Henson is the way they should be expected to go. North Carolina State's Philip Rivers has been mentioned as a possible use of Pittsburgh's 11th pick in the upcoming draft.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Henson could have been the first or second QB drafted. He would have easily been better than Harrington (who I have never been thrilled with.)

With the third pick in the 2002 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select: Drew Henson, QB Michigan

Mel Kiper, Jr. "A tremendous pick for the Lions. This is the guy they needed to build their franchise. A local kid, Heisman winner..."

...ahh, what could have been!

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

So where is the MLBPA bitching about how a team and player can't mutually agree to change a guaranteed contract that decreases the value of it???

Are you serious? Do you not see the difference?

[Craptacular]

I'm partially serious. If a player and a team both agree to "change" a guaranteed contract (whether that be to end it or change the value of it), what's the problem?

[lynchjm24]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

I'm partially serious. If a player and a team both agree to "change" a guaranteed contract (whether that be to end it or change the value of it), what's the problem?

Changing the value of it is very different then the player retiring or quiting. The union has to protect the interests of all it's members, not the richest or the most famous. There is a CBA in place and the owners AND the players need to abide by it. Once A-Rod hands back 40 million, how long before some owner is pressuring another highly compensated player to do the same? You want out of Detroit? Sure, just hand back $15 million and you are on your way. Just because the decision is unpopular doesn't mean its wrong.

How is a renegotiation downward based on 'actual benefits' that can't be measured the same as a player who is retiring and leaving the game?

I'm guessing you wanted the trade to go through. Why wouldn't you be upset with the Red Sox themselves. They can afford A-Rod contract exactly the way it is now. Hell, they could afford A-Rod and keep Ramirez with no difficulty whatsoever.

[Craptacular]

Actually, I don't give a hoot about pay-rod, the Sox, the Rangers, or pretty much anything related to MLB. My post was simply a half-joke, half chance-to-bash-MLB-again.