In Which I Defend the Jets Front Office
I’m on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, with limited access to the Internet, so I’ll try and expound on this more upon my return next week. In the meantime, please let this logically shoddy post pass for a quick defense of the New York Jets. While we posted one on Darrelle the other day, Bent and I had talked about doing something to be fair to both sides.
I get that the contract mess on #24 is frustrating fans, but you have to imagine that it’s pretty frustrating for the team too. Ryan loves Revis, he’s a workout warrior and embodies what the Jets are all about. Tough, athletically gifted players with a swagger, quiet or otherwise. For all the reasons to get on Darrelle’s side, there’s reasons to see things from Florham Park’s perspective.
They HAD TO Address This Issue – With the type of season that Revis just had, the Jets knew that they were going to have to make some sort of deal. There’s no way that the Jets were going to skate on paying Revis one million dollars for the 2010 season, people would have been killing the Jets for not respecting the guy who might be their best player. The team wanted to get something done quietly, and it’s turned into anything but.
Crazy Loot for a CB – Although Revis called reports that he was seeking $20 million per year “insane”, he is rumored to be seeking a long term deal which averages $16.2m over six years. Considering the Jets effectively have Revis under contract for $21 million for the next three years, the cost of extending his deal by 3 years would therefore be over $75 million – $25 million a year! Although Asomugha signed a 3 year, $45.3m deal, the last year of that deal ($17 million) is not guaranteed and could fall during a lockout. No CB in NFL history has ever earned anything close to what Revis is reportedly seeking over a six year period, as Asomugha played out his rookie deal and was franchised for a year before his big money extension, so even if he earns the $17 million in 2011, his earnings will only amount to approximately $60 million over six years. No other CB in the league earns $10 million a year and once Asomugha’s deal ends, he is unlikely to get that kind of money either.
According to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, $20 million is currently Brady Money. To give that amount of money to a corner is unheard of, and Revis shouldn’t treat it as a slight, by any stretch of the imagination.
There’s Still No Guarantee of Football in 2011 – Unless there’s some major ground made, we’re heading for a lockout in 2011. Going back to Jason Cole’s article that Peyton Manning deal, it stands to reason even HE won’t get a deal done with his team because of the CBA, then don’t think that Revis is a special snowflake.
Unfortunately, the Jets cannot guarantee anything beyond the first three years of the contract under the current rules and guaranteeing money upfront will make it more problematic to sign everybody else that needs a new deal by 2011. Pressuring the team to give Revis gobs of guaranteed money up front with no guarantee that the league will even be playing football in 2011 would be financially irresponsible, and one that even the Colts aren’t willing to do with the looming problems with Peyton Manning.
He’s Not Replaceable, But They’re Not Exactly Hurting for Talent – No one is going to even use the word ‘replace’ here, but with Cro, Wilson and Lowery, the team is still better off from #2, #3, #4 than most teams are #1, #2, #3 … that has to count for something in terms of perspective.
Revis’ Team Knows How This Works and Are Playing Both Sides – Revis’ agents have done enough negotiating with the team, that they know Tannenbaum’s M.O. and they are using it against him, effectively playing both sides in the press. The agents have for a long time had an adverse relationship in dealing with the team, so they’ll know what buttons to push and you can’t just blame the Jets for the ugliness, as these sort of tactics only seem to bubble up to the surface when Schwartz and Feinsod are working to settle someone’s contract with the Jets … coincidence? Maybe not.
49 Responses to In Which I Defend the Jets Front Office
-
Bent says: Hopefully not, HHH. At that stage of the draft, you’re pretty much locked into what the guys drafted around you sign for.
We aren’t talking big money either. 2-3m per year.
-
Organized Chaos says:
This Revis situation will drraaaggggggggggg on for sometime. Neither the player nor the team wants to give in by any means.
I still blame Al Davis for all this $**t.
Let’s hope they reach a middle ground – sooner rather than later. -
juunit says:
It isn’t like any other team would sign him in free agency and give him that kind of ridiculous contract. Just give him $12m a year, which is still nuts, and tell him to quit crying.
-
Green Goblin says:
I’m 100% on the side of the front office. Revis is a greedy baby. Tanny should NEVER offer more than 12m a year. A penny more would be insane! I think 11m a year is very fair.
-
TJBfan (twitter @infresco4) says:
100% agree with this article and great point on Aso having played out his entire rookie contract + a franchised year before getting this big contract.
-
JUSTWIN says:
I hate to say it but I’d rather sign Mangold, Harris and Brick and let the last two yrs of Revis contract play out than pay him too much and lose one or two of the other.
-
Rex- Revis everyone gets a nickname, you need a new one. From now on your: “find a new agent” got it? (slaps him hard on the a$$)
Revis-Ouch! Yes coach I’m fine with “find a new agent”
Rex- alright,now send in…Mangold
‘
-
jetsfan0906 says:
Bassett, Menemsha has the best fishing….Just in case u didnt know haha.
revis will get signed within the next 6 weeks im confident
-
miketaliaferro says:
Thanks for trying, guys, but it just doesn’t hold up.
a) Tanny says new deal. Fine. But to then come in with no guarantee in it was just flat stupid.
b) You’re not paying him for ‘being a CB,’ and funneling him into whatever folks imagine ‘a CB’ should be paid. Revis is now, officially, one of the Best Players in the League. Period. Regardless of position. That is the money we’re talking about here. To do otherwise is silly. Signing him now may be a steal as he’s on the cusp of becoming one of the Best Players of All Time, if he continues on the arc he soared on last season.
c) Beware — Silliness walks the media earth. The Basic Statement: ‘We can’t pay you because we’re gonna have a Lockout next year. So don’t ask for anything.’ The Logic: None. The Answer: ‘Not my problem, dude!!’ The impending catastrophe of next year is of no concern to any particular player vis-a-vis his contract. That’s a League matter, or a League/NFLPA matter. A strike would be a different issue, as I’d be withholding my services. I can’t very well ask for a bundle then withhold my services — What do you think I am? An Albert Haynesworth???? But a Lockout? Let’s not be silly: You’re gonna close down your business because you want to make a grandstand statement over not having to spend too much of your billion-dollar paydays??? Sorry, not my concern. What you do with your team is your business. You wanna shoot yourself in the foot, go right ahead. Doesn’t concern me in the least. All I care about is my contract. How you end up figuring how to pay for it is all I care about. I’m certainly not going to take responsibility for your ‘misfortunes’ in any way, shape or form.
The players are not beholden to the owners to help them out of their suicidal tendencies for any reason.
The owners are bringing this on themselves. The players have no reason to bail them out.
d) Yes, the Jets have deep talent at CB. Yes, our 2,3,4 do match up well with other teams’ 1,2,3 CBs. That’s the point. None of these players — ours or theirs — is the game changer Revis is. None of these players rise to the level of being 50% of an entire defense. None of these players, ours or other teams’, take away half of an entire football field from the opposition. THAT’S what this is all about. He’s one of the Best Players in the League, and heading towards becoming one of the Best Players in the History of the Game, barring injury. Slightly different animal.
e) No human being, other than D. Revis, can tell what kind of job these agents are doing on Revis’ behalf. They’re obviously a pain in the tush to Tanny; and won’t roll over easily for Woody. Revis is smart and loves the Jets — I doubt he’d let his agents bloody the water for him, since he needs to stay and live here, while they’ll move on to some new contract talks.
Nope, Bassett, I appreciate your efforts in being fair to both sides. You and Bent are very good men who have our respect. But the F.O. just doesn’t have the weight of logic behind their moves. ‘Illogical,’ actually, seems more like it.
Tanny needs to know that he’s going to have to pay for a Top League Player. So, pay it. But do it quietly, behind closed doors, in good faith. In a manner that makes the player actually feel respected and wanted for a change.
Now that would be novel.
-
Bent says:
Mike -
Allow me to expand further on your points to put across the FO side of the story. This might not change your mind, but perhaps will contain some information you weren’t aware of, so you can begin to see things from both sides.
(a) All sources indicate that the deal DID have guarantees in it. $20m of them (the maximum they could guarantee under the current rules without bringing money forward). There just isn’t any upfront guaranteed money, so Revis is calling this “not fully guaranteed”, which is splitting hairs and can easily be rectified. His argument for this has been “what if I get injured?” but that’s a pretty good argument for not giving him upfront guarantees too.
(b) If he wants more than $16m a year and in a year’s time nobody at his position is earning $10m (which is what will happen), then that’s insane. Sorry. He deserves to get paid as well as Asomugha did over a three year period, but to expect that much for the rest of his career doesn’t stack up, especially without playing out the remainder of his rookie deal first (like Asomugha had to).
c) It IS his problem because he is under contract for the next three years at 21m. If there is no give and take from him, that’s all he’ll earn and to protest further will only hurt his repuation around the league.
d) I agree with D, that’s a huge drop-off but Jim Sorgi and Bryan Hoyer aren’t as good as Manning and Peyton either, but that doesn’t mean they should pay up if those guys ask for $50m a year.
e) His agents are doing a pretty good job of making the front office look bad, but they have little leverage and their demands are apparently ridiculous.
What we’re trying to achieve here, to try and get behind the logic of their actions. Tannenbaum said from the start he’d try and get a deal done “within reason”. Clearly he considers the demands so far to not be within reason. Based on what’s been reported, I agree, although I would be happy to see them push the envelope to get a deal done.
“Tanny needs to know that he’s going to have to pay for a Top League Player. So, pay it. But do it quietly, behind closed doors, in good faith. In a manner that makes the player actually feel respected and wanted for a change.”
The Jets have categorically denied leaking anything about these contract negotiations (officially, they do not comment on contract negotiations) and every leak that does come out is immediately trashed in the press by Team Revis. We don’t know who said what, but I don’t think they could have achieved the situation described above even if they wanted to.
-
NamVetJet says:
Don’t know who is doing the leaking—however negotiating these contracts should be done in private not in the media. Kind of glad that nothing has been heard for a few days from either side—-that is progress.
-
Mad Dog Mo says:
Everybody knows what Asomugha makes…who’s #2 and how much does he make?
You can’t base anything on what the Raiders do…they are lead by a Mad Man.
Anyone know?
-
Bent says:
Mo – as it says in the article, nobody else earns $10m a year. Clements got 8/80 but really that’s 7/64 because he won’t get the 16m he’s due in the final year. Dunta got 6/57 but they overpaid for him because he was the best FA available by some margin.
I’m actually of the school of thought that Asomugha’s deal wasn’t that bad when you consider they made him play out his rookie deal and franchised him for a year before giving him that money. Over that 6 year period, his average salary was on about $11m, which is the same as what the Jets initially offered Revis (and have subsequently improved upon that offer).
-
hanknaples says:
Bent;
Bottom line is these contracts in the NFl are not worth the paper they are written on.
-On the one hand you have the clubs srewing the players on the back end of (most if not all) the contracts because the club just doesn’t see the players as worth it.
-On the other, you have players like Haynesworth screwing the Redskins out of what, $21 million?
So, seeing the NFL contractual landscape, specifically Tannenbaum’s history with his core, loyal players….. can any one HONESTLY blame Revis&Co for trying to MAXIMIZE his earnings( $$$$ ) from his boss in the limited playing time a football player has!!!!!!
To say otherwise, I belive, is hypocritical !!
-
Hank,
I agree with your point, but only to a certain degree. Your demands can’t be unreasonable (and Mr. Revis asking to be paid more than Manning and as much as Brady is unreasonable). If his demands were only a little bit outlandish, we’ll say $14-15 million, than I wouldn’t be so annoyed by him. But his demands to be the highest paid CB (over $16.2 million), when there’s a mountain of evidence pointing towards him being able to do that while still getting $13 or so million a year are just ridiculous.
-
Bent says:
hank – I agree 100%. As long as he is ultimately prepared to accept a reasonable deal, you can’t fault him for trying to get as much as he can.
All we’re putting across here, is the front office side of things. You can’t fault them for setting a limit on what they’re prepared to pay and keeping their own outlay to a minimum.
Essentially, I’m not saying “how dare he ask for that much money”, I’m just trying to explain why the Jets might be reluctant to pay him that much or a large sum upfront for the “just pay him” crowd.
-
neauone says:
Revis will get paid. Who cares when. End of Story.
-
Bent;
I understand completely, but the operative word here is….not reasonable………..but maximize.
And your point, as mediator, is well taken, but most of the “fans” here are trying to run him out of town!!!
It is hypocritical Bent because Jet fans become judge and Jury with their own players $$$$ but when it comes to own income, or other athletes/ entertainers ,I’m sure they have no problem understanding the ridiculous money they are making !!!
-
Bent says:
Yeah, I don’t agree with trying to run him out of town and I guess that could be construed as hypocritical. I think that’s a very small minority that feels that way, though, not “most fans”. At the open practice last week, there was almost universal support for Revis.
-
Bent – yes
mike – nohank – Tanny has not screwed any of the Jets core players, he has chosen not to resign some marginal ones, some aging ones and one whose core status was very much in doubt after a devastating injury.
I don’t blame Revis & co for trying to get all they can, but their demands are outlandish and much of what they say (no guaranteed money, for example) can be refuted, as Bent did above.
Bottom line, if Revis wants crazy money up front because he might get injured, he has to see that the team doesn’t want to do that for exactly the same reason. He certainly needs to make more than $1 mil guaranteed this year and it seems that Tanny & co are willing to address that. I’m really surprised that Revis is playing this “I have to make more than Aso” card. Makes him seem like a spoiled baby and even Aso made fun of him about it a few days ago.
-
sal says:
Revis is one of the best players in the NFL. He should be paid as such.
-
Bent:
“I think that’s a very small minority that feels that way, though, not “most fans”.
I know, I’m well aware of the chants and “Pay the Man” signs at practices, however, my statement was directed at “most of the fans (HERE) ”
NYCPE:
My argument is indicative of the “contractual landscape in the NFL” and tannenbaum in particular.
And it is NOT my opinion only. The skuttlebutt comming from the Revis fiasco is that he fears the same treatment Jones and washington got from Tannenbaum.`
What I think is funny is that if a player leaves the Jets, he is expected tby Jet fans to perform at the same level with their new team. If not, he is considered washed up !!!
What we have tu understand that A) It is difficult regardless of age to start under a new system and B) that period of adjustment may take a year or so for chemistry to form.
That does NOT MEAN, by any stretch of the imagination, that the player released by Tannenbaum had lost his CONTRIBUTING value to the team.
On the contrary, the team misses the Bond, the chemistry, the good will,, Leadership etc, etc, etc, once a core player gets released !!!
Tannenbaum, as much a suck-up as he is,is MOSTLY concerned about the boss $$$$$ than the teams welfare.
Tannenbaum actually believes that a “TEAM” can be made at will with “PLug ‘n Play” players !!!
-
“It is hypocritical Bent because Jet fans become judge and Jury with their own players $$$$ but when it comes to own income, or other athletes/ entertainers ,I’m sure they have no problem understanding the ridiculous money they are making !!!”
I hate arguments like this. Something that seem to always go unsaid during these conversations and screams of “PAY THE MAN” is that the NFL has a salary cap. Last I checked entertainers have no salary cap and the market dictates what they make.
In the NFL you can act like Steinbrenner (sic) and have a higher salary structure than other teams. If you pay Revis 10% of your salary cap, you are going to have to live without players like Mangord Harris and Brick.
Woody is not ‘being cheap’ as many keep claiming, or that he can’t sell PSLs so he cant afford to pay players. That is a ridiculous argument. I guarantees we will be right against the salary cap next year when it returns as we are every year. I personally could care less how much money woody has or how hew spends it as long as he pays out the full cap every year. It is tannenbaum’s job to get the best set of players possible for that amount of money.
Revis may be the best CB in the league, but he is not worth 16mil a year. Our 2, 3, and 4 CBs will be fine and we will be able to sign TWO Mangold quality players with the savings. It is not about what you are willing to pay for someone…it is about what you can afford under the cap.
-
Bent says:
I did notice that and I agree that there are more people who feel that way than you might expect, but I still see it as a minority. I have nothing to back that up, that’s just how I perceive the situation, so you may be right.
-
“Tannenbaum, as much a suck-up as he is,is MOSTLY concerned about the boss $$$$$ than the teams welfare.”
And you are basing this on what? As I just said, we will be against he cap next year like we are every year. It is not about his bosses money, he spends the max every year. It is about getting the best set of players available within the cap.
-
Hank,
just don’t get your infinite dislike of Tanny. He’s done a good job.
Not sure what you mean about the “treatment that Jones and Washington received”.
As I mentioned above, Leon suffered a devastating injury and his future is much in doubt. As far as how he was treated last year, it was fair. If he didn’t get inured and had a great season (which he wasn’t having up to the injury), he would’ve made out like a bandit. Didn’t work out that way. I like Leon a lot and wish it worked out different for him. Them’s the brakes. It is, always was and always will be a business. The teams that don’t run a good business almost always lose. We’ve had good (not great) overall results since Tanny took over for bradway the trainwreck.
As for Jones, I was against releasing him at the time, but as more and more analysis of his stats (ypc, etc) have come to light and with the signing of LT (and with analysis of his stats and his Oline’s production being examined) I also see that as a decent business move. Foolproof? Of course not. Could TJ have a better season with KC than LT does here? Anything is possible. But I see these moves as logical and as probably (time will tell) good moves for the team. There are a lot of guys on the team that need to be paid and he is doing a good job of bringing it all together. Pete kendall, chris baker, lav coles all got sent packing at the right time. He’s not perfect, but I see many more good moves than bad.
-
NYCPE:
I like you definition of a player getting his due as “making out like a bandit” Is that a subliminal message?
The fact is NYC that is exactly what happens when you play like a good boy and are a good company man and you do as you’re told ( by Tannenbaum)!!!
If he would have played the game (contractually) like Revis and had Schwartz for an agent, he would’ve been extended and his future covered in case of injury !!!
And this is exactly what revis is trying to avoid !!!
As for Jones, what I said about new players on nerws teams goes. However, I will wager that jones out performs ( even with no JETS OL) LDT this year and the jets rushing will suffer this year !!!
The team WILL MISS TJ this year !!!
-
NYCPE:
And one more thing. The jury is still out on Tannenbaums’ draft sans Mangini, so we’ll see.
-
Hank,
you’re certainly entitled to your opinion, as obviously non-fact related and biased by your hatred of Tanny and love of Mangini as it is.
it’s not about playing like a good boy, it’s about recognizing that it’s a business more than it is a game and not being a baby. As I said, I have no problem with Revis trying to get all he can, just so long as he wises up at some point and is willing to compromise so that the deal is fair to both sides and not just him.
I’ll take that wager (TJ vs LT, given their respective Olines) with you any day of the week! The team probably won’t (barring injury) miss TJ this year, but we’ll find out pretty soon.
-
ranger Bob:
I’ll give you one exaple but I know you are going to try and slice more ways than a ” Veg O Matic.”
It’s two weeks befor the start of ’08 season, and incredible, maybe the most promisiong season in two decades.
Suddenly out goes Pennington under the bus, in come Farve with a bunch fo PSL’ s to sell in his hand.
If this wasn’t done to protect the Boss’s $$$$. then there is nothing more I can say !!
-
NYCPE:
C’mon, how can you say it’s a business more than a game?
There must be 500 million, maybe more, football fans world wide that don’t give to hoots about the bottom line !!!
They only care, cry, fight, bleed for their team TO WIN !!
And if they are lucky to be in the Super Bowl they don’t care what their teams payroll is. it does not taint their Championship experience !!!
And also, when was the last time you saw a baby wrestle Million$ away from his boss.
-
Hank,
Does Chad Pennington bring the Jets to the Superbowl? No.
If Favre doesn’t get hurt, does he bring the Jets to the Superbowl? We don’t know, which is better than a flat ‘no’.
-
USA and England move on.
-
He’s one of the best players in the league NOW. But in six years, he will not be worth $16m+. He had an absolutely ridiculous season, we all know this. But to expect him to be able to repeat that even this year is ludicrous. A year of studying film by other teams will find some weakness they can exploit. That doesn’t mean they’ll run all over him, but he isn’t going to shut down every receiver he faces for the next six years. Pay him a frontloaded contract. Give him his $16m now then bring the number down progressively. That way he still is the highest paid CB and has nothing to b*tch about. I don’t think they should actually do that, but it’s a possibility.
-
Brendan:
This point will be argued forever.
What is undenieable is that Farve DID not want to play for the Jets.
He only took the Jets because Chucky dropped out
-
Juunit;
I agree completely on your contract structure.
Only problem is the Revis will get better (believe it or not) with experience, not worse. So if his value drops soo much then hiscamp will demand to renegotiate, then it will be much higher buck$.
-
Hank,
If you as the educated football fan that I know you are don’t know that it’s more a business than a game, I feel sorry for you.
Does the game matter more than the business to the 500 million (I love how you create fun figures that have no basis in reality) fans – sure. But we’re not talking about that, we’re talking about Tanny and Revis. I doubt either of them care much about the 500 million !??! fans, except that they want them on their side so that they come off better in the media, which is transient anyway.
And now onto your next fun fact: “It’s two weeks before the start of ‘08 season, and incredible, maybe the most promisiong season in two decades.”
Were you a jet fan in the offseason of 99? How about in the offseason of ’05? These kinds of silly statements of yours make you seem clueless and ill-informed. I’ve read enough of your posts to know that this isn’t the case.
-
Brendan;
“And that has to do with your point…..how, exactly?”
It’s simple, really.
-Farve knew he did not want to stop adding to his “Iron Man” consecutive game record. He knew that the warm weather would be best for his stressed shoulder.
-When Farve found out that Tampa dropped out and that Tannenbaum was willing to give up anything for him, reluctantly and through his wifes urging, he accepted the Jets offer.
-Once in NY, there were no guarantees for a second year. During the fall and early winter he was able to play through the “discomfort” You could see it in his body language, his comments, his practces (or lack of)his famous pre game speeches and every thing else that he realized early on that he had made a mistake.
-During the last four-five game Farve realized that there was nothing more he could give and had run out of will, desire to play, but could not quit because he would ruin his consecutive game record.
Once the season ended and Tannenbaum gave him his release, he knew that he could fulfill his he wanted: to play for Minny.
This was his one wish all along. His desire to stick it to GB and its FO !!
By playing for the Jets, he was perfectly accomodated to accomplish his one wish. He did that !!!
Woody got his Boy Toy–Farve got his wish. The rest is history.
-
Hank,
I like the way you completely ignored the content of my post to make this statement:
“Suddenly out goes Pennington under the bus, in come Farve with a bunch fo PSL’ s to sell in his hand.
If this wasn’t done to protect the Boss’s $$$$. then there is nothing more I can say !!”
I’ll respond to that first…
Ask 100 Jet fans the day after that transaction if they were happy with it and almost all would say yes. You can’t judge it now with the benefit of hindsight and knowledge of Favre’s injury. I wasn’t hugely in favor of it, but I also don’t automatically associate it with PSLs like you do. If trying to put a winning team together sells more PSLs then I am all for selling PSLs…
Now respond to my point….If the Jets spend the whole cap every year how are Woody and Tanny cheap?
-
just pay revis he is being a little greedy but if the jets lose him to someone in the afc east man theyre screwed
-
Tyller – and if we “just pay him” and end up losing mangold and harris or brick in the process, will we still be screwed?
How about: just pay him a fair amount and not whatever the man wants just because he had one incredible season?
-
96DEBACLE says:
lets not just throw money at Revis and cripple the team when it comes down to contracts for Harris, mangold, D’Brick…
Lets start with Guaranteed Money, with salary over that plus incentives.Averaging 16.2 mill a year he’s looking for would put him near $100 million.
Thats worked out great for the Skins. Lets do the same thing!
I for one rather spend that money on a pass rusher.Jets have to keep this in perspective and Revis will have to understand that.
-
Bent,
Thanks! Great analysis, as always.
As I’ve said, I long worked in mgt. and dealt with these same issues, albeit on a smaller scale. I’m coming at this from that perspective. Balancing company concerns with nurturing talented staff doesn’t vary–it’s always tough. Every business has star personalities — those readily seen as levels above their peers; folks you base your planning on, and groom for leadership. You know at the outset they’ll cost you more. Often much more. In business, you weigh the extra that person means to your bottom line versus Susie in the corner, pushing paper. Your cost/benefit tells you how much that star is worth to you. I assume Tanny has made these calculations.
a) First: I trust your sources, Bent, so I’m mostly upset at the shoddy reporting on this that touted two offers with no guarantees. I’m assuming you didn’t lose sleep finding the correct info, so other media should have their facts straight without relying on leaks as well.
Second: Bent: “splitting hairs and can easily be rectified.” That’s my point. This is where the dancing skills come in. Raising the question: Why, in the 2nd offer, wouldn’t Tanny make the easy tweaks needed to make it publicly palatable to Revis? Then it’s done. As you’ve made clear, under CBA realities, the dollars are what they are, and take a back seat to the language, allowing both sides to look OK. That’s the area that Tanny made his reputation in with Tuna — creativity when there was ‘no solution.’ That’s my main frustration w/Tanny — making it hard when easier paths are at hand.
Teams know injury sits behind every contract they sign. It’s the ‘risk’ in the football biz. That’s why all the hedging and fighting guarantees, etc. But injury impact rises with the player’s impact. Team and player are aware of this. More’s at stake when an elite player goes down than when a PSer does. Not only careers, but whole team programs can crash when their ace stud gets carted off — Vinnie’s heel in ’98. Season over, opening day. The team rightly wants a hedge of some type. But each player knows all too well the level they play on, what their future earning capabilities should be, and what they need to do to protect themselves while still playing at their expected level, whether elite or pedestrian — especially for those few who clearly outplay their paycheck.
b) Who’s the man who designed what monies ‘a position’ is paid? I’d like to meet him. It’s nonsense. Pure rubbish. In every sport you have your ‘elite,’ of from a few to a dozen players, then you have everyone else. Has always been so, will always be so. Not only are they more gifted, they are the league’s marquee product, the ones the league uses to sell the tickets and the advertising. If person A brings more to my firm than person B, I pay A more than B. Why? He/she’s worth more to me. Simple math. Either Manning has been on a higher plane than James Dearth over the last years, there’s no way around it. So Peyton got paid much more than James could ever dream of. That is life in the big city. Revis is that kind of NFL elite. Ad revenue goes up when the Jets play, due largely to people wanting to see the elite Revis. Same with the Colts and the Pats. And Aso is the ONLY reason anyone watches the Raiders — so, yes, he has earned his money. Elites need to be paid as elites, since they are your meal-ticket. No one asks what position they play — just that they’re on the field. Comparing Revis to the other CBs of the NFL is simply ludicrous.
c) The only impact I’d let an impending lock-out (NEXT YEAR, so there’s no being coy about it on the teams’ part) have on my contract talks is to opt for the LO yr. paying me next to nothing, with the remainder paid as much up front in ’10, and in the years following the shutdown. On the bizarre chance they actually settle, then ‘my bad,’ I have to hope I don’t get hurt in ’11. But I’m not doing anything to help them in their madness. If that doesn’t fly, then I get a good size number for ’11 and insist it be fully guaranteed during the lockout year. If I remember correctly, individual contract language supersedes group or standard contracts, and since there’ll be no binding CBA in place in ’11, I assume regular contract law would hold forth. I also assume you and Jason will correct me if I’m wrong on that. If nothing else, I leave a hole in my NFL contract for ’11, and draw up a separate Personal Services Contract outside of the CBA for ’11. If they don’t bite for that, I don’t sign anything, sit out, and let them redraw their entire 2010 PR campaign, not to mention their defensive scheme.
d) The ‘Elite’ issue again. Elites are a league-wide issue. There is generally an agreed-upon level that elites will get paid in any given year, league-wide, in any sport. Forget positions here, these are your meal-tickets, the guys to whom it makes sense to pay top dollar.
e) I’ve said for over a year, that the ramifications from the TJ and Leon debacles would not show last year, but would surface down the line because other players were watching and were not happy, and were now fearful of what it would feel like when it’s their turn. We’re seeing that now. All the new-deal players remember too well how things went down and, as I feared, are not about to trust Tanny at face value. Revis has decided to have his agents fight fire with fire. OK, that’s his choice. They’re getting paid to be a-holes. That’s their job, to soften up mgt. to get the best deal for their client. They are to have no concern whatsoever for anyone else on the team, in the league or among the fan base. Their job is to get the best deal for their client. Period. I agree they have little leverage, but they’ve done OK so far, having nothing to work with but public opinion, just by painting Tanny as far into a corner as they have to this point. I tip my hat to them. They’re good. I don’t like them, but I see they’re good. As long as Darrelle is happy, they’re good to go.
I agree. There’s a small window in these things where people can do the honorable thing. But once toxicity is out of the bottle, no, it can’t be stopped up again. From that point on, it’s simply ‘mitigate the damage.’ But one can always hope and dream.
Yes, Revis will get paid. Now, it’s up to Tanny to be as creative (and complimentary) in this process as he can possibly be. It will come down to not just What he does, but How he does it. Soon, it will be over and they’ll begin to rework the PR machinery to tout Revis’ profile as high as possible to maximize tkt. and ad revenue to offset the contract.
Trust me: Everyone will get paid. Just biz’ness…
-
Here’s a great piece interviewing Jason, who really should be the mediator in all this.
http://www.jetnation.com/?p=4390
Very sensible, and fair to both sides. Again, the numbers can be easily done — it’s the optics of the whole thing that will determine the good will that can be salvaged.
-
NFL players have very short shelf lives though, especially at positions where speed is necessary. RB’s don’t last long and most CB’s don’t either. Once they hit 30 the majority of their careers are completely over. I think the problem here is Revis has way too much pride. He IS the best CB so he sees absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t be paid like one. And I can see where he’s coming from with that, but he’s being a baby. I think any deal that would pay him the most of any CB would be OK with him. They could even include a clause saying the contract cannot be renegotiated after signed. Besides, it isn’t possible for him to perform better than last year. Unless he allowed 0 yards to every guy up against him.
-
Mike – nice post. But a few things I don’t agree on;
You act like Revis is THE Jets elite player, their meal ticket. I would argue that they have a few of these and that Sanchez, for one, is probably already more of a draw regarding the team’s PR campaign than is Revis. Similar arguments could be made about LT, Santonio, etc. I’m not saying that they are better players at their positions than Revis, just that when you talk about who fans want to see, who needs to be on the field, I’m not so sure Revis has that class to himself (though his agents surely want to paint it that way). He deserves more money, but not Aso money just because Aso got some idiot to give him that money.
I’m not so sure that Revis sitting out would be wise for him at all, if you really want to play the PR game. Not only does he lose his guaranteed money, but he hurts his overall value. Would he still get a lot from another team? Absolutely, but it wouldn’t serve to get him the astronomical amount he’s supposedly trying to get now. The market will bear what the market will bear, which is why Peyton Manning can make $20 million and not $50 million a year. He may be the colt’s (and one of the league’s) elite player(s), but he can’t just demand whatever he wants because he knows he is a marquee guy. Revis is asking for too much.
o0o.. and i bet they are going to sign wilson last.. and he’s gonna hold out.. any takers??