http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/colum...n&id=2497649&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines snippet: "From the team's standpoint, if it has a good player, and he continues to be an ascending player, the longer the club waits to sign him (to an extension), the more expensive he becomes," said Domann, who became proactive last December pitching a long-term deal to Chargers officials and who finally got their attention this spring. "From the player's standpoint, if I've got a good young veteran who has outplayed his contract, it's smart to make a move. Once a player establishes himself, and a team is convinced that he is a good player, it's more prudent to do (an extension) early, rather than wait. Because if you wait, and a guy gets closer to free agency, he's less likely to extend. And then you lose the player and end up spending even more money to replace him." When a team is sold on a player, and has sufficient cap room, why risk losing him? As Domann noted, for such players, it is usually a case of paying now or paying considerably more later, as he nears free agency and his price tag spirals upward exponentially.
