Talks With Manning To Heat Up Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS (July 19, 1998) -- With the opening of training camp looming, negotiations between the Indianapolis Colts and Tom Condon, the agent for top draft pick Peyton Manning, will soon heat up.

Condon will travel to Indianapolis for a Tuesday meeting with Colts president Bill Polian that could go a long way toward determining whether Manning will be on hand when the team reports Thursday to Anderson University. Unsigned draft picks are not allowed at camp.

Condon and Polian already have met three times. "I think we have at least identified the issues," Condon said Sunday afternoon.

The pre-eminent issue is how much money Manning will command. The dynamics surrounding the situation indicate the former University of Tennessee standout will receive the richest rookie contract in NFL history. His package might include an $11 million signing bonus.

Factors pointing to a staggering deal include:

• Manning being a quarterback and the first pick in the draft. He is the first quarterback to be the No. 1 overall pick since New England's Drew Bledsoe in 1993 and only the ninth since 1970.

• The league's new TV contract that produced an enormous increase in the salary cap. A rookie salary pool is supposed to limit what a team can funnel to a draft pick, but long-term contracts and creative clauses can circumvent the spirit of the rookie pool.

• The Colts' already naming Manning their starter and using his presence to hype marketing for the regular season. A prolonged holdout could do serious damage.

Polian could not be reached for comment Sunday, but Condon said he's hopeful Manning will be able to report to training camp with little, if any, missed time.

"I am going to work diligently to have that occur and will avail myself to Bill so that we can get it done," Condon said. "But I don't have the ability to culminate a deal by myself. All I can do is press on."

The Colts-Condon negotiations might have received some direction recently when Buffalo signed quarterback Rob Johnson to a contract extension. Due to earn approximately $400,000 in base salary in 1998, Johnson signed a four-year extension worth $24.6 million that included an $8.3 million signing bonus.