Good post. I agree that the Fire should definitely should renegotiate his contract, Magee’s decision to hold out (if indeed that’s what he’s doing), but I disagree in the suggestion that “He deserves to be paid for what he did for the Fire last year.”
Franchises should never reward players on past performance — an organization will burn a lot of money by negotiating deals based on what they’ve already done. Successful front offices take good guesses on a player’s future performance, the cost-of-replacement, and then make offers accordingly.
Magee’s potential (as well as the Fire’s lack of attackers) makes Magee’s renegotiation a no-brainer, but his output last year was way WAY over his year-over-year averages, he lacks the size of a prototypical striker, and he’s also not getting any younger.
Phil Naegely
Magee’s wanting of a new contract led to the moves Chicago Fire made today.