Jaguars expect to sign Owens to 3-year deal
By Stephen Tsai deborah booker | The Honolulu Advertiser
Chad Owens, a former University of Hawai'i receiver/returner, is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars today.
"I'm excited to finally sign," said Owens, who was selected in the sixth round of the National Football League draft. "But I'm more excited to get started in camp, my first NFL training camp. I want to play."
Under terms of the agreement, Owens will receive a signing bonus of $78,000, according to his agent, Leo Goeas. The standard NFL contract guarantees only the signing bonus.
If Owens makes the 2005 opening-day roster, he will receive the NFL-minimum base salary of $230,000. The base increases to $310,000 for the second season and $380,000 for the third.
Most late-round picks receive four-year deals. The fourth-year minimum is $460,000.
In exchange for not requiring a fourth year, the Jaguars will not include performance incentives in Owens' contract. The move frees Owens to seek a bigger paycheck if he excels in his first three NFL seasons.
"It didn't make sense to do a fourth with him," Goeas said. "If he does well, he could make a whole lot more (in the fourth season). It's better for him to get a three-year deal, and then go in there and establish himself."
Goeas said Owens' deal will be finalized as soon as defensive end Eric Moore, who was selected with the pick after Owens, signs with the New York Giants today. The Jaguars have assured Goeas that Owens' signing bonus will be higher than Moore's.
Owens has been told he will compete as the returner during training camp, which opens Friday.
"That's what they drafted me for," he said. "That's what I'm ready to do."
But he said he also is working on his pass routes.
"If the opportunity comes to play receiver, that's better than what I expected," he said. "I'm working my butt off as a receiver."
The Jaguars drafted a receiver with their first pick — 6-foot-6 Matt Jones, a quarterback in college. Jones remains unsigned.
The 5-foot-9 Owens, who weighed between 170 and 175 pounds as a UH senior, said he now weighs 185.
"I put on some good weight," he said. "In the offseason, you always put on some weight. I'll lose some of that weight in training camp. I'll play between 178 and 180 this year. ... I'm anxious. I can't wait to get on the field."
Advertiser Staff Writer
"I'm excited to finally sign, but I'm more excited to get started in camp, my first NFL training camp," says former Hawai'i receiver/kick returner Chad Owens, who expects to receive a $78,000 signing bonus.
