NFL Offseason and Contracts

Now that we’ve watched another great Super Bowl it is time to find something else to do on Sunday’s.  Basketball ratings are sure to go up.  With the end of the football season also brings the offseason; a part of football that is very interesting to many fans.  

The offseason is a place for middle of the road teams to gain ground.  Its often how 8-8 teams improve to the point that they could compete for a Super Bowl.  It could also be a detriment to a team that can’t afford to keep their star players.  Trades, rookies, signings, the identity of a team could change very quickly in an offseason.  

This is all very exciting but what happens when players aren’t happy with their current situation?  We see players request trades like Carson Palmer did last season.  Trade requests are across sports as well; for example Dwight Howard for the Magic.  This can often cause a cancer in a locker room, yet often times, trading that individual removes the infection.  

This isn’t your dad’s National Football League anymore.  Most players don’t stick with teams for their whole careers.  Sure the Peytons (maybe not much longer), the Bradys, the Fitzgeralds might stay loyal, but commitment may be a thing of the past.  Even Super Bowl champ Eli Manning was originally drafted by the Chargers only to be traded to New York because he was reluctant to play in San Diego.  I’m sure Giant’s fans are happy that Eli stuck around in New York however.

What about players who hold out for better contracts?  Those are the ones that bother me the most.  Players will often outplay their contracts and then ask for a better one.  The player that comes to mind recently was Chris Johnson, who after holding out and receiving record money, flat out sucked on the field.  These players only interest are their bank accounts.  They don’t appreciate the team’s goals, the fans or ownership.  

I even recall Anquan Boldin complaining when he was in Arizona that he thought he deserved to be paid more than Fitzgerald.  Fitz, the class act that he is, offered to take money off of his contract and give it to Boldin; management didn’t like that idea and soon Boldin was off to Baltimore.  

So since players have the right to request a new deal to match their performance, shouldn’t owners have that same right?  If a player is getting paid way more than they are worth, why can’t the owner request to rework that players contract?  The player would argue, no its my contract we agreed upon, I’m getting paid!  This doesn’t seem equal.  

Luckily there are some good eggs in sports though.  It’s refreshing to see an emerging star play through his crappy contract and then get rewarded with a big deal on that same team.  This goes across all sports.  E.g., Clayton Kershaw and Derrick Rose.  

I’m sure things aren’t changing anytime soon.  So that’s sports: from the fans perspective.