San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Manny Lawson said on Thursday he wants a new contract from the team, feeling that his rate of pay - the league minimum $630,000 - isn’t fair. Lawson showed up at the team’s mini camp on Thursday and spoke to reporters after wards, talking about his desire to earn more money in the last year of his five-season contract.
"I would like a new contract," Lawson said. "I want to be here. I want to be a San Francisco 49er. But everybody wants a new contract, and I'm about everybody getting what they deserve." Lawson will become a free agent in 2011, when he will undoubtedly get a much more lucrative contract, but for now the 49er thinks he deserves more.
Lawson working in the off-season
Lawson had no choice but to attend the team’s warm up camp on Thursday, it having been made mandatory by the 49ers. But he’d missed the voluntary workouts prior to that, choosing instead to train at private facilities elsewhere to attempt to improve his game. Many had speculated he would make a statement by missing even the mandatory minicamp in order to send a message of protest to his team. But Lawson duly showed up, and framed his decision to miss the voluntary workouts as having been a move to help improve his game.
“I've been here all of my offseason for four straight years, and I wanted to kind of step offside and get a new look. When you step away and come back, it's almost like you're on a new team, like it's brand new. So now I'm feeling more excitement," said Lawson, adding that he was “proud of the results I’ve been getting [during off-season training].” Lawson noted that despite missing the team’s voluntary workouts, he was in the best shape of his life, the time away having done him good.
A Career Year for Lawson
Lawson is currently considered to be one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL, having had his best-ever year in 2009, making 78 tackles, a career best, and also having forced four fumbles. Lawson is known for his brilliant coverage of the opposing team’s tight ends, virtually nullifying all offense from that position.
Lawson also finished fourth in sacks last year throughout the league, with 6.5, making him currently the most underpaid player in his position. The star outside linebacker even earns less than both of his teammates in the same position, Travis LaBoy and Ahmad Brooks.
With that said, Lawson’s play last year was uncharacteristically good. He missed much of 2007 with knee injuries, and never showed the flashes of brilliance he displayed last year in his first years with the team. The 49ers may be reluctant to increase his pay because he has not shown he can play at a high-level consistently.
The 49ers will be looking to improve on their last season. They achieved an 8-8 record, the first time the team hadn’t posted more losses than wins since 2002. The team has a solid core of young players who will continue to improve, setting them up as a potential contender in the future. If they wish to continue their strong play, they’ll need the help of players like Lawson, who is central to their 3-4 defensive strategy.
Lawson may be motivated by Willis
Lawson’s bid for more money may be at least in part inspired by the decision of the 49ers to give his teammate, linebacker Patrick Willis a five-year, $50 million contact, making him the highest paid linebacker in the NFL.
For now though the team has not revealed either way what their decision on Lawson will be.
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