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When looking at the NFL today, there are players that have gameplay that absolutely merits appreciation from owners in the salary department. Then there are players who receive paydays for second-rate play. With the way these mediocre players are being rewarded, the position numbers are being driven through the roof, making it harder for GMs to stay under the salary cap. Because of the cap constraints, when solid players who actually deserve big contracts come banging the table for money, it’s not there. That is because some agent just got his injury-prone receiver a contract with a great deal of back-end money that has to be paid out in a year that a big player needs to be signed. Are NFL Player Agents destroying Football teams via guaranteed and back-end deals for undeserving players?
Take Earl Thomas’ 4-year, 40 million dollar contract for instance. Thomas played superior ball above the level of any active Safety in football today. He deserved the contract. The contract looks sound throughout the deal with the final year paying out 10.4 million. Both the player and the Seattle Seahawks come out good for the next four years without a load of back-end dollars to pay out and they get a great player. Now that we have viewed what a solid contract looks like, lets take a look at the same organization and see a terrible contract negotiation.
Percy Harvin, when healthy is one of the most captivating players in the NFL. The key word there is “when healthy”. His agent and the team went to the table and according to Spotrac.com hashed out a 6-yr, 64 million dollar deal upon acquiring him from the Minnesota Vikings. 25.5 million of the deal is guaranteed. Judging by his history of concussions, headaches and now a hip injury, it was not a smart decision by the Hawks’ front office. One game and a Super Bowl for 13.4 mil just does not add up. They acted as if he had an injury free past and they failed to calculate that into the contract. Instead they jumped on a “boom or bust” player and now the team will suffer cap-wise because of it.
This transaction had a domino effect on the contract of Richard Sherman who took a back-end deal and will have some effect on Russell Wilson when he comes to the table. My suggestion to all NFL teams is to pay them what you can realistically pay them, according to the cap. Don’t give into all the guaranteed money the Agents are fighting for. Giving a player a 6-year deal when you know that by the fourth year, both parties need to come back to the table for restructuring is ridiculous. 3 to 4-year deals help the player and the organization. Sure, the team will hurt initially but can rebuild via the draft in this mold. If one team sets the precedence for this, others will follow and maybe, just maybe we can see a few players actually finish their careers with one team.
Jermaine Lockett is a writer for CouchRiderReport.net. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
