The real fact is that NFL players are vastly underpaid for the beating they take, and the shortened careers they have as a result. As if the physical punishment was heir own doing - they're made to take the blame for the violence that the owners have encouraged as part of the "entertainment", like hockey. But even putting that aside, look at the money the owners rake in - what is the percentage of that that goes to player compensation? It's far less than baseball, basketball, soccer. If I had a son who was excellent at all sports, I would never allow him to play football, I would be making him into a baseball, basketball, or soccer player, not only for the lessened risk of life altering injury, but for the huge amount of difference in earnings. I get that the structure is the way it is at this point, and deciding who to pay what is a big part of building a good team, but I find it hard to begrudge the players - even Bell - who want more money. The blame lies with the owners who have built the system this way.
No no no--let's just trade for difference makers making little money with lower round draft picks? Maybe throw in Tarell Bashim to sweeten the deal.
The player agreed to the revenue split in the CBA. There isn't nearly the difference in percentage that people think between leagues. The NFL is currently giving 48.5 % of revenue to the players, the NBA varies according to team expenses but avg is 49 -50% . The NFL had nearly 4 times the number of players , which is what reduces their individual share. MLB which doesn't have a mandate in the CBA actually has the highest % at an avg of 55.5-57.5% going to players
If the deal over the first three years is worth $20M, then it's decent value - assuming Enunwa stays healthy going forward. Of course, a one year "prove it" deal would be the best for the Jets, but with unrestricted free agency approaching, what would be Enunwa's incentive in signing such as deal? I imagine that the fourth year doesn't account for all of the $16M difference - assuming the reports are true. Therefore, it would be interesting to see what other incentives (Pro Bowl, Super Bowl , etc.) are included. Like others have mentioned, it will also be interesting to see how this affects Anderson's negotiations. Realistically, Anderson (although a restricted free agent) can argue that he has been at least as productive as Enunwa. Even given the off-field issues, Anderson is no more a risk than Enunwa. If the Jets want to sign Anderson to a long term deal this year then it will likely take serious dollars after the Enunwa deal. If they decide to just sign him to a first or second round tender this yearn then they risk Anderson "killing it" in 2019 (theoretically a good problem) and costing even more money for a long term deal next off-season.
A prove it deal is only advantageous if Enunwa doesn't prove it. If he does we either lose him or pay him a ton to keep him.
Yes, the players agreed, but like all worker vs. owner negotiations the owners hold most of the leverage. Maybe the raw percentage of revenue split is close with NBA, but career length is much shorter in the NFL so an NBA player makes way more over his career. The NFL players need to account for that when they negotiate. If the owners implemented rule changes that promoted less violence and more safety, they wouldn't need to carry as many players on the roster. One radical change that would reduce injuries IMO would be to return to playing two-ways. This would mean that defensive players who now look to mete out career-ending punishment would have to face the same when they played on offense. Along with this I would eliminate most of the "safety" padding and protection used today that allows players to use their bodies like armored weapons. Having to play offense and defense would change the types of physical attributes players would need, becoming less like giants, and more agile, which would be healthier for them over their lifetime. And of course, players that play two-way football means you need less players on a team, so they can get a larger share of the profits potentially. Of course these changes will never happen. The days of two-way players is long gone, but there are still lots of things the owners could do to make the game safer and still enjoyable. Isn't it much more enjoyable when your favorite players are healthy and playing instead of on the bench - or their career ended - by injury? Bottom line: the players should be better taken care of.
And a “prove it” deal is only good if he accepts it. He’s an unfettered free agent. Why would he accept a “prove it” deal? He’s not a Jet fan.
You were correct in your first post that you would push your son to Baseball, Basketball or Soccer. Football is a violent game and lifelong injury is pretty much guaranteed. The players are fully aware of the risk. The majority of the players would be working minimum wage jobs, they take the risk for the financial gain. I'm not sure playing both ways is the answer. More play more injury. The equipment has definitely led to more injury, pads and helmets make players feel invincible but let's be honest, the violence, collisions, big hits are one of the most appealing aspects of the game. Remove them and you completely change the game. Same would be true for smaller players. Kids today are much bigger and faster then a generation or two ago. That also makes for more violent collisions. The league needs to invest more money into equipment research, better Helmets, etc. The players also need to fight for better retirement benefits , but they seem more concerned about getting paid today than what tomorrow holds for them. Of course the game is more enjoyable if a fan favorite is playing than if he's injured, but it's an unfortunate part of the game. However, eliminating those players as you suggest due to their size or particular skill set isn't the answer.
Your comparing a malcontent unperforming player to someone who has played hard and never taken a play off...except for injury. he is part of the core. The mistake we all made was we thought Wilk would be better then he was/is (still underperforming) rather then signing snacks. Next up Andersen who BTW folks has been making a lot of nice catches and has expanded his route tree,,,, he is no longer a one trick pony.
Because he may not get much more on the open market with his injury history. The Jets had plenty of leverage to attempt to try to sign him to a prove it deal but they wanted to keep one of their home grown players happy and by doing that, they take a risk and hope he doesn’t get inured yet again and throw millions down the drain.
What would be Enunwa's impetus be to accept a "prove it" deal before he hits free agency? He could get that kind of a deal from multiple teams come March. Why sign a one-year deal deal with the Jets when you might have 4-6 teams looking for your services in a few months? Is it a risk on the Jets part? Certainly. I hope they did their due diligence on the medical front.
Most likely because the career of these players is so short. Why would an average Joe in the NFL who makes $2.1/year on average for 3.3 years want to miss out on that for one year? They don't care about the guy 10-12 years down the road. Like you said, it's all about whats in front of them and that won't change because the average guy isn't going to strike for a year and miss out on that $2.1 million
Yeah, that's how free agency works. So he'll take a "prove it" deal with a home town discount rather than see what he can get on the open market. You know. Because he's a Jet fan. The only "leverage" the Jet had was doing a preemptive deal to lock up the player at a reasonable contract with some guaranteed money. If he hit FA the Jets lose all leverage.
You don't understand-- Quincy is a Jet fan and wants to do what's best for the Jets. He doesn't give a shit about himself, his family, his financial future. I'm surprised most pending free agents don't do more "prove it" deals. Makes so much sense for the player. You know, because they think like us--fans.
I think the most foolish thing to do is assume Quincy couldn’t do better than a one year prove it deal. Paul Richardson got $9 mil a year (which Quincy didn’t get but some people are hung up on it) and he ain’t the picture of perfect health, nor did he already have a proven track record when healthy.
