April 29, 2010

No Talk Yet On Restructuring Collins' Contract

Kerry Collins said Thursday he expected to enter training camp as the team's backup quarterback behind Vince Young despite having a contract that is currently set to pay him starting money.

Collins earned a two-year deal paying him $14 million after leading the team to a 13-3 season in 2008. The 0-6 start to 2009, however, allowed Vince Young the opening he needed to regain the starting spot. Collins is scheduled to be paid $5.5 million in 2010, a salary much higher than the average NFL backup.

Collins said the contract hasn't been a factor in his offseason preparation for the upcoming season and added he didn't expect it to play a factor in determining if he's on the 53-man roster in September.

''Every indication I have gotten from them is that I am going to be here and I am going off of what Jeff has said publicly - money is not a problem. I trust him and I am going to move forward from there,'' Collins said.

Last season the 37-year-old Collins said he had no plans of retiring, but would rather return to the Titans and play another season. Collins said if his offseason conditioning program is any indication, he felt he had more than one year left in his career.

''I feel like I am turning back the clock, so to speak,'' Collins said. “I would love to be a starter at this point, but that is the way things are right now. But listen, it’s not a bad spot to be in. I am still here where I want to be, in Tennessee, and it is an opportunity to be on this football field for one more year, which I really enjoy doing.''

The Titans signed Chris Simms to a one-year deal earlier this month, a move that made many around the team believe Collins would have to restructure his current contract in order to stay on the roster. Tennessee also used a sixth round pick to draft Rusty Smith from Florida Atlantic last weekend.

posted by Jonathan Hutton on 4/29/2010 4:22:55 PM