Of course, this (or any other reason) gives the teams the right to cut the player and cancel the contract, forcing them to look for work elsewhere. Of course, as a “courtesy” they’ll offer the player a bargain basement contract. The player, OTOH, doesn’t have the right (outside of retirement) to cancel the contract and force the team to look for labor elsewhere.
If TO had suffered an injury that hampered his performance, the team could cut him loose and that big old contract vanishes.
If this is all true, it doesn’t seem like NFL contracts should be called “contracts” at all.
Not at all; they’re just contracts that one side has the right to terminate at will.
And his low salary is a red herring; it’s low because he’s in year 2 of 7, and because he just got a huge signing bonus a year ago.
Not so much that his contract specifically states it but under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players union all contracts except those that explicitly state otherwise are not guaranteed. The only money that is guaranteed are signing bonuses which is why players push so hard for them.
Nightime you are right NFL contracts are incredibly lopsided towards the owners. A player signing the contract is giving all the guarantees while the owner is only bound by the signing bonus and any clauses specific to that contract.
And you know what? The NFL Players Union agreed to the system as it is. Nobody held a gun to their collective head. They agreed to the system, and they should live with it. Owens should shut up, play ball, and be grateful for what he has. Of course, the chances of that are nil.
shrug
You can just as easily say that the Eagles should pay him what he deserves, shut up and be grateful for being able to make a ridiculous amount of money off of his skills. Owens’ agent screwed up and put Terrell in a shitty situation. Owens is using what leverage he can to bring his salary in line with what he should be making. As far as I know there isn’t anything in the CBA that says he can’t hold out or retire if he wants to.
Nonsense. There’s nothing in the CBA or in TO’s contract that states he can’t hold out for more money. TO isn’t complaining that he’s not going to get his fifth and sixth year. He’s just holding out for more money now - which the owners have implicitly agreed that players are allowed to do in the CBA.
In other words, if a club wishes to hold a cut over a player’s head in order to get him to lower his salary, they can do that under the CBA. If a player wishes to hold out for more money than what he’s given under his current contract, then the player can do that under the CBA.
People see that Owens has a forty six million dollar contract and they just assume that it’s impossible for him not to be getting paid what he’s worth, because he’s not going to starve. It’s bullshit. NFL owners are making money hand over fist over these guys, but for some reason, you never see Sportscenter opening with a story attacking the franchises for cutting five to ten veterans every year because the team had already signed a contract agreeing to pay them X dollars, and X was now too much. Why is that, exactly? Why does an NFL player who knows damn well his ability is worth more than what he’s making have to “shut up and play”, or get ripped to pieces by the fans and media, when everybody in the world knows that if his ability declines he’s taking a pay cut or he’s out the door? I bet Ralph Wiley would’ve had an answer to that one.
Since we’re talking about the Eagles here, and we’re talking about honoring contracts, let’s look at an example. The Packers cut Nate Wayne in 2003 in the middle of a multi-year deal because his cap number was too high, so the Eagles signed him to a four year deal. Two years into that deal, the Eagles cut him because his performance declined. That’s twice in three seasons that this guy’s team has voided his contract and sent him out onto the street. Now you’re telling me that if the best Nate Wayne can get this offseason is a two year deal worth three million dollars, and he has 250 tackles next season, he should just keep his mouth shut and play for peanuts? Fuck that, bitch, pay me now. The team has the right to drop the player if he doesn’t perform, and the player has the right not to perform if the team doesn’t pay.
Here’s a list of “salary-cap casualties” thus far this offseason. For those following along at home, every player on that list was under contract for at least next season, and now isn’t getting a dime more of the money that was due him per that contract. This is just from February to today; certainly there are more to come as teams try to sign draft picks and free agents.
[QUOTE=treis]
Not so much that his contract specifically states it but under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players union all contracts except those that explicitly state otherwise are not guaranteed.QUOTE]
Thanks for the info. I confess a shocking ignorance. I’m sure I’m among many who consider a contract to oblige all who sign it. I’m amazed that the players would agree to a blanket arrangement whereby management can unilaterally back out of what they’ve agreed to. “We agree to pay you $7M/year for seven years (or until we can find someone better/cheaper).”
And I’m amazed that an NFL agent would sell his client out in this fashion. Does the agent somehow get his money up front, so he doesn’t care what happens down the road?
There was a strike. The union lost, big time. It turns out that, high salaries aside, playing football isn’t that valuable a job skill: within a couple of weeks, people were cheering the replacement players just as much as the regulars.
Got nothing to do with the agent. He could demand a guarantee … but very few players are worth it, and the teams will tell them to take a hike. The way it works is that players get a huge signing bonus up front –that is their guarantee. A typical contract might be $5 million up front, then $2 million a year for 5 years. Sure, they can release him after one year and he’s out the $2m a year; but the fat bonus is his to keep, and he’s now free to go elsewhere.
Nate Wayne got released twice in three years; he also got two signing bonuses in three years.
Actually, he got one signing bonus in three years. He’ll get a second only if he’s valuable enough to another team to get yet another contract which includes a bonus.
This is a riot! You want guaranteed money? Then don’t sign any contract that doesn’t provide it. If you sign a contract that permits the owner to void it at will, when the owner does so, well, gee, could it be because you agreed to the circumstance?
Why doesn’t virtually no one get guaranteed money? Could it be that careers are so fragile, that enormous talent is no guarantee of performance over injury? Could it be that this is simply what the market will bear? No? OK, then guys like T.O. have a solution. Don’t sign any contract that doesn’t give you the proper, guaranteed amount of money. Go ahead. Let’s see how that works out.
If you’re an NFL owner, and you agree to a CBA that allows a player to hold out when he wants more money, and the player does it, well gee…
What’s the difference?
I like to think that Owens is paying an unofficial Obnoxious Personality Tax on his contract.
Just for the edification of those who are unfamiliar with NFL contracts, I’d add that the overwhelming majority of “long-term” contracts (5-7 years, say) are in fact 2-3 year deals. A “typical” contract would actually be a $5M bonus, with base salaries of $1.2M, $1.6M, $3M, $6M, and $7M, respectively. Unless the player far exceeds the team’s expectations, his contract will either be restructured or cut before the third season, the fourth at the latest. So, in reality, this would be a 2-year, $7.8M contract, or a 3-year, $10.8M contract. In the press, though, it gets reported as a 5-year, $23.8M contract.
Generally, the fictional years on the back-end of the contract exist to ameliorate the effect of the signing bonus upon the salary cap. With a 5-year contract, that $5M singing bonus counts against the cap at a rate of $1M per year; if it were a 2-year contract, it would count $2.5M per year.
Notice that means that Owen’s complaint about his compensation not being in the top 10 over his contract’s first two years is therefore a valid one, as though are the only years on his contract that are certain to be realized.
Because players are greedy, that’s the difference! Those poor owners, they just want to give us a good product and entertain us. Completely benevolent. But they have to pay those greedy players, otherwise, they’d probably hold the games for free.
If a team is consistently writing long contracts that they rip up early, do they every get called on the fact that they’re flouting the salary cap?
No, because every single team in the NFL does it.
Ih addition to what Raygun said, there is also a consequence of those long term contracts when a player is cut. The salary the player would have received is still counted towards the cap, that’s why most teams seek to restructure first, rather than outright cut a player. (See SF 49ers; Jerry Rice still counted towards last years cap) There is also another feature of contracts not mentioned, that is, after the guaranteed portion of the contract, the player is a restricted free agent, this gives the player a chace to shop themselves out, but the original team reserves the right to match any offer given. Terrell Owens should have been a restricted free agent the year almost went to Baltimore had his agent done what he was susposed to do.