

The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The Chargers -- meaning President Dean Spanos, GM A.J. Smith, VP Ed McGuire and HC Norv Turner -- will consider four options with regard to Tomlinson's future with the team. Within the next month, they will either keep him at his current salary level, approach him about a contract renegotiation, try to trade him or release him.
Diehards Line:As Union-Tribune staffer Kevin Acee notes, asking LT to rework his contract would leave the decision on whether to stay up to Tomlinson. Should the team offer Tomlinson a reworked contract – and taking the $8.791 million cap hit does not seem doable – he could reject the deal. That would essentially force the Chargers to release or trade him. The trade market, according to Acee, would likely bring the Chargers a mid-round draft pick. Out of respect for LT, Acee believes the team would release Tomlinson rather than put him through the indignity of being on the trade market. If the Chargers retain Tomlinson at his current salary, they will face the same dilemma next year; he's due to make $8 million in 2010. His 2011 salary would be $9.275 million.