We’ll apologize in advance for this one (which is rarely a good way to start any article), because it deals with an issue about which most of our readers probably don’t care.

But since we need to maintain our street cred within team and agent circles, we needed to address this matter once more.

We recently posted that receiver Joe Horn’s $2.5 million base salary guarantee with the Falcons didn’t include offset language, and we expressed dismay at the absence of it.  As we now understand the situation, the Falcons intended the $2.5 million payment to be part of Horn’s up-front money, but the Falcons didn’t want to prorate a full $6.5 million in bonus money beyond two seasons.

So the Falcons paid Horn $3.5 million to sign, and pushed the other $2.5 million into the 2008 guaranteed salary.  The remaining $500,000 was paid out as a 2007 roster bonus.

As we also understand it, the Falcons felt compelled to put $6.5 million on the table because Horn was also drawing interest from the Packers.  However, as one source said in response to this reasoning, “So they should have let the Packers sign him.”

In the end, Horn got $7.5 million for one year of service to the Falcons, during which he played in 12 games and caught 27 passes.

Part of the problem, of course, is that Horn was acquired to provide veteran presence and performance in the early stages of the Bobby Petrino era, when players like Roddy White (who developed well in 2007) weren’t ready to lead the way.  The idea was that Horn would spend two years with the team; once Petrino bolted, that changed dramatically.

Still, $7.5 million for 12 games and 27 passes.