The latest delay in Steve McNair's return to the Titans' facility after winning a grievance in order to return is that he has to take a physical.
McNair's agent, Bus Cook, said McNair was notified in a letter that McNair failed a team physical at the end of the 2005 season so he needed a physical before he could practice or work out with the Titans. Cook wondered why the failed physical wasn't even mentioned during the grievance hearing.
"They told Steve no one would be available to schedule a physical until Tuesday or Wednesday, so I don't know what is going to happen," Cook said.
Tennessee general manager Floyd Reese said McNair is welcome to
return, and he wants to arrange a meeting with the quarterback's
agent. Cook says he's busy this week, but the Titans can call.
For now, it's a stalemate.
Reese said Monday the ideal situation would be to at least make
some progress on a deal with McNair or establish that they can't.
He knows time is beginning to run out with training camp due to
start July 28.
"You would certainly like to get some sort of indication this
week as to the main focus of what you're going to do. I don't know
that we'll end up with that. ... It's time to see if we can't find
something solid out one way or another," Reese said.
The players' association filed a grievance on McNair's behalf after the quarterback was banned from team headquarters because the Titans didn't want him to get hurt while working out. McNair has a $23.4 million cap number and the Titans are worried about McNair getting hurt and still being liable for that cap number.
McNair is planning on returning to the Titans this week to find out what will happen with his future. The Titans have him under contract this season for $9 million, but he found out in trade discussion with the Ravens in April that he could make $12 million in Baltimore.
Titans general manager Floyd Reese wants to find a way to talk McNair into staying with the team. That might be difficult. In February, the Titans wanted McNair to take a paycut of more than $4 million to play his 11th season in Tennessee. McNair wanted some assurances for future years after the team opted not to exercise a $50 million option bonus, a move that will make McNair a free agent after this coming season.
Trade talks between the Ravens and Titans have been on hold for three weeks while the Titans awaited a ruling.
Reese said he hadn't talked with the Ravens in at least a week
and doubted he would hear from them within the next couple of days.
Baltimore's final minicamp starts Tuesday and concludes June 15.
The Titans' next on-field practice as a team is June 13.
McNair is welcome to return to the team's headquarters and work
out on his own, Reese said.
Numbers and welcome aside, the bigger problem may be whether
McNair even wants to return to the Titans again. McNair has
declined to discuss his feelings about being turned away, promising
to talk in the future.
"Would you want to return to work if your boss told you weren't
welcome? I don't know," Cook said. "I wouldn't if my boss told me
I wasn't welcome. I don't think I'd want to return to work. On the
other hand, he's under contract, and he's obligated to what he has
to do by virtue of the contract."
John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.