A True Free Agent: Kidd Negotiates Deal

Charger punter John Kidd has something in common with Leigh Steinberg, Marvin Demoff and Steve Feldman.

“Yeah, I was arguing with Bobby Beathard, too,” Kidd said, “but I don’t make $5 million a year like those guys.”

While players such as Leslie O’Neal and John Friesz pay top-notch agents such as Demoff and Steinberg to negotiate with the Chargers, Kidd does his own haggling.

“My agent was a little shaky this time,” Kidd acknowledged Thursday after signing the one-year deal he negotiated for himself.

In professional sports, doing one’s own contract can be akin to financial suicide. Chester McGlockton, the 16th player selected in Round 1 of the draft, had his family help him in negotiations rather than hire an agent. McGlockton accepted a $1.925 million contract over five years, according to published reports.

Chris Mims, the 23rd player selected in Round 1, turned talks over to agent Harold Daniels, and Daniels convinced the Chargers to pay his client $3.01 million over four years.

“Almost every guy after McGlockton is now making considerably more money,” said Kidd, who has an engineering degree from Northwestern. “You can get ripped off, but I feel I know what’s fair. This is the fourth contract I’ve done.

“It’s different for me, too, because I’m a punter. It will never get to the point where people are going to stop buying tickets because I’m holding out, so there’s no reason for anyone to play hardball.”

Kidd earned $310,000 last season, but because of a below-par performance, he was in no position to talk tough with Beathard.

“I’m talking to the general manager and this is the guy who is going to make the decision if I am employed and how long I’m going to be employed,” Kidd said. “I don’t ever go in saying, ‘This is what I should make and I’m the greatest and here’s what I do good.’ Because it’s (Beathard’s) job as my boss to start making evaluations and start saying things like, ‘You hurt us in this game and did this poorly.’

“It’s not a good thing to get into a person-to-person fight between player and general manager.”

Kidd said he represents himself because, more than most agents, he understands what a punter should be paid. He’s also saving anywhere from 1% to 5% of his earnings in agent commissions.

Kidd left Buffalo in 1990 via Plan B free agency and worked out a deal with Beathard that at the time made him the highest-paid punter in the league.

“It depends on the level of confidence a guy has in himself whether he can do his own contract,” Beathard said. “John’s a smart guy, has done all his homework and it’s really not that difficult. . . . The players will never believe this, but some would be better off doing it themselves.”

Kidd met with Beathard a six times across the negotiating table in the past few months. They exchanged proposals. They compared figures and still didn’t agree.

When it came time for the veterans to report Wednesday, Kidd became a holdout.

“Bobby’s a great guy,” Kidd said, “but even when I got a great contract the last time around I thought then, as I do now, that this is a very shrewd man. He has a good head for numbers.

“If you underestimate him and think of him as a laid-back surfer, you’re making a huge mistake. He’ll bury you. He’s really good at his job.”

That explains why Kidd’s agent advised Kidd to end his holdout after meeting with Beathard Thursday morning.

“Some holdout,” Kidd said, “It lasted almost 10 hours.”

The Chargers’ defensive players began holding hands in their huddle before each play, but no one grabbed Burt Grossman’s hand.

“I don’t shower, you know that,” the defensive end said.

Grossman arrived in camp weighing 275 pounds, up 33 pounds from last year at this time.

“Lifting and eating,” he said. “I thought I was too small last year, and I was under the impression we were going to do a little different stuff than we did on defense. It kind of backfired on me, so now there’s no need to be light.”

The Chargers said they are delighted with Grossman’s bulk.

“I’m strong, real strong,” Grossman said. “I just toss people around. There’s only problem, after about two plays I can’t breathe. So you got to watch me on the first or second play, because after that I go downhill.”

Tackle Broderick Thompson continues to irritate Beathard. Thompson agreed to a contract several weeks ago, but later asked for some changes in the structure of the deal.

On Thursday he saw Beathard and told him he would return to UC San Diego in time to sign his contract and join the team’s afternoon practice. When practice started, Thompson was absent.

Beathard said he considered taking the team’s contract offer off the table, but was assured by the player’s agent that Thompson would report at 8 a.m. today.

Beathard’s advice for unsigned tackle Leo Goeas: “He can come in or sit out the season.”

Beathard said the team has also made its final offer to kicker John Carney. He said, “We’re a long ways apart, but we’re going as far as we’re going.”

Charger Notes

Backup offensive lineman Mike Zandofsky signed a one-year contract. . . . Free agent tight end Chris Verhulst called it quits after being unable to shake a chronic groin injury. . . . Linebacker Billy Ray Smith suffered a pulled calf muscle. . . . Safety Floyd Fields practiced for the first time since failing the team’s physical examination a week ago. . . . The team released linebacker Andy Katoa, the Chargers’ ninth-round pick in 1991, safety Kenny Jones and cornerback Wayne Williams. . . . Center Jarrod Johnson was waived after undergoing knee surgery.

Cornerback Gill Byrd intercepted a Bob Gagliano pass on the first play in a seven-on-seven drill in the afternoon practice. Linebacker Junior Seau later picked off a Jeff Graham pass. . . . Donald Frank lined up as the team’s starting left corner, which immediately improved the chances of every other team in the AFC West. . . . Ronnie Harmon picked up where he left off last year, breaking several long runs.