Charles Woodson supports Donald Penn’s holdout

No Bullshit. Just Real Raiders Talk!

Charles Woodson supports Donald Penn’s holdout

Postby 790thSFS » Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:39 am

NAPA — Having had conversations with former Raider and current ESPN analyst Charles Woodson in the past about how the NFL deals with veteran players, I got on the phone with him Tuesday morning to get his opinion on the holdout of left tackle Donald Penn.

Woodson said he hasn’t spoken with Penn, but was typically blunt and direct with his thoughts. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: How do you think Donald Penn’s holdout will play out and do you think he’s doing the right thing?

Woodson: I think he’ll end up getting a new deal. I’m a firm believer that you’ve got to strike the iron while it’s hot. You only have a short amount of time to play this game, he is getting up there in age as it relates to the NFL. I’m pretty sure how he’s thinking is it’s probably his last shot at another deal before his time in the NFL runs out.

For him, I think this is something that he feels he has to do. And why not? Otherwise, you’ll continue to play, you’ll continue to be one of the best in the NFL and if you don’t get a new deal, then all of a sudden, you can have one hiccup here or there and then all of a sudden you’re out. You’re out of the upper echelon and they won’t pay you as one of the best. If some freak injury comes about they’ll say, `Oh, he’s injury prone, he’s too old’, and that would probably be farthest from the case, but that’s the way it will play out if he doesn’t get it now.

Q: Why is it OK for teams to release players with years remaining on their contracts yet players are expected to honor the deals they signed?

Woodson: It’s a double-standard. It’s funny, because you talk about a team being loyal to the player and you want that player to be loyal to the team, but it doesn’t work both ways. That’s why a player in Donald’s position, when you have this opportunity late in your career to to go at another deal, you’ve got to do it. You can’t allow people to play on your emotions, like `Oh, this is a team game, you should be about the team.’ It doesn’t work like that.

You look at Derek Carr’s situation, I read early on that he wasn’t happy with the negotiations. I don’t know any of that to be true, but those were some of the reports that were coming out. Now nobody is going to say anything about that, about the quarterback wanting more money because they know how important he is to his team. But Donald Penn is just as important to their success as anybody else and he wants to be paid that way and he should be.

Q: The Raiders tore up Jack Del Rio’s contract and gave him a new deal because he produced a 12-4 season. Why should it be any different with Penn?

Woodson: It’s a different story. You can go in there saying that, but that’s not necessarily how it happens. You look at Donald Penn, and his performance on the field, it’s up to par. His feelings are exactly right. He knows how they’re looking at his age. He understands that. This is an opportunity for him to get one more deal before they say, ‘Hey, you can’t do it any more.’ Once they make that decision, it’s hard to maneuver around that.

Q: You had three separate negotiations with Reggie McKenzie when you came back to the Raiders. What was that like and how do you think he’ll respond?

Woodson: You know what, you try to have a little patience with the situation, trying to understand that it is a business and you’re not the only person that has a deal to be made. Reggie, as a GM, he’s got a lot of different things he’s got to think about. He’s got a lot of things he’s working on. For the player, it can get a little frustrating, because he’s not returning calls as fast as you would like and you feel a certain way about it. But I firmly believe it will get done. I think they understand Donald Penn’s value. When you look at the offense, what they have, they have a great shot at being a great team, and this is just one thing they want to get done on the way to being the team they want to be.
  • 0


User avatar
790thSFS
The Mercs
The Mercs
Reputation: 665
Posts: 1161
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:00 pm
Highscores: 0
Medals: 1

Re: Charles Woodson supports Donald Penn’s holdout

Postby FreddieB25 » Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:58 pm

Penn signed a really nice deal last year that he should be happy with...Howard gets cut and he takes advantage knowing we're down a vet tackle...his value went up...fuck the spook...honor your contract!!! 5.8 mill per isn't chump change asshole...he'd make about 3 to 3.5 mill per if that anywhere else.
  • 0


FreddieB25
Hall of Famer
Hall of Famer
Reputation: 332
Posts: 4393
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:02 am
Highscores: 0

Re: Charles Woodson supports Donald Penn’s holdout

Postby DeadRinger » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:24 pm

I support Penn getting released outright.
  • 0

BETTER be a playoff win in 2022.

User avatar
DeadRinger
BR Scourge
BR Scourge
Reputation: 1161
Posts: 5665
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 2:41 pm
Highscores: 0
Medals: 1


Return to Las Vegas Raiders Forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 31 guests

cron