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Dolphins News: Bundren Agrees To Contract
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Dolphins News: Bundren Agrees To Contract
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*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Jul 15, 1998: -- Bundren Agrees To Contract --

** Jim Bundren Agrees to Deal

The Miami Herald is reporting this morning that 7th round draft pick Jim Bundren has agreed to a 3 year contract for the rookie minimum salary plus a $36,000 signing bonus. That works out to $146,000 in '98, $182,000 in '99 and $216,000 in 2000.

Bundren is the third draft choice to agreed to a deal. Lorenzo Bromell and Nathan Strikwerda have already signed contracts with the team. The deal with Bundren leaves 7 draft picks unsigned, although Brad Jackson is reportedly close to a deal.

** Raymont Harris Info

The current word on the Raymont Harris negotiations is that the Dolphins are offering less than the $1.3 million per year deal that the Packers are offering, but JJ is said to be telling Harris that he will have a chance to start in Miami and that may make a difference with Harris. If Harris signs with the Packers, he will spend most of his time as a backup to Dorsey Levens.

Harris worked out with the Packers in June and is reportedly asking for about $2.5 million per year.

** Franchise Signing Period Starts

As of today (July 15th), the Dolphins can re-sign franchise player Tim Bowens to a contract and remove the franchise tag from him next year to re-use on another player. This has been the date that the Dolphins have been waiting for to begin serious negotiations with Bowens for a long-term contract.

** Dolphins Hold Fan-Fest

The Dolphins are planning to hold their first ever "Fan-Fest" on Saturday, July 18th, at at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale from 10 AM to 6 PM. There will be all kinds of activities available for fans of all ages, including (but not limited to) autographs by current and former Dolphin players, performances by the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders, youth clinics, a sports card and memorabilia show, interactive games, prize giveaways, and "Question & Answer" sessions where fans can talk directly with members of the team.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under and can be purchased from Ticketmaster, from the Dolphins' box office at Pro Player Stadium or from the Broward County Convention Center on the day of the event.

My Comments:

Bundren was specifically mentioned by director of college scouting Tom Braatz in a recent interview as one of the draftees that he expected to make an impact on the team this year. Certainly, getting him signed before training camp improves his chances to compete.

With full training camp starting next week, you would expect a flurry of signings to be happening in the next few days. It does seem like the Dolphins are slower in signing their draft picks this year than they have been in the past and I hope that this trend doesn't continue, but they seem to have set some standards for the lower round draft picks, so that should continue to progress.

The big concern is John Avery, but with the dedication he's shown so far, I would not expect him to be a problem for very long. The current sticking point seems to be the length of this contract. The Dolphins want him to sign for 5 or 6 years and Avery's agent is asking for 4 years. The reason for that is that after 4 years, Avery can become an unrestricted free agent.

After reading about Raymont Harris a little more, I feel better about the Dolphins signing him - if they can get him. The question remains at to whether or not he's serious about playing for the Dolphins and whether money or starting is more important to him. Hopefully, we'll find out something before Training Camp starts next week.

And maybe they can finally get something worked out with Tim Bowens. Of course, Rosenhaus and the Dolphins are "far apart" in terms of a contract, but that's to be expected at this point. At worst, you figure that Bowens will sign for the Franchise player minimum for a year and then try again next year.

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Curt Fennell, curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
     
   

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DOLFAN in New England