The only story of any trade actually growing legs and happening was Keyshawn to the Bucs. He talked to Warren Sapp and Gruden at the Pro Bowl, who then called Parcells and got the deal done.
You can't just flat out say "I want to leave Oakland and go to New York." He clearly doesn't want to stay with a team who wins no more than 5 games per year.
I'm sure Aso would love to get out of Oakland. I'm sure he'd love to be a Jet. But a lot of players wish they were elsewhere. Like hell the Raiders are getting rid of him right now.
1st round next year (to replace the one they gave to NE for Seymour), Rhodes & Ghost I honestly think Al might start thinking at that point BUT we'd still have to afford Revis and Aso which is borderline mathematically impossible, even with uncapped year salary magic... Hey, a man can dream!!!
I'd offer this in a second. Then I would renegotiate Asomugha's contract to get rid of that ridiculous "franchise tender for a QB" payment in the final year and tack on an extra 4 years.
The cap is the reason that the NFL is the best sport, by far, in the USA. The cap is also the primary bargaining chip the owners will use in negotiations with the demands of the players union. The cap is in the owners best interest, so it will happen. Ultimately, they have all the power here.
I'm not arguing the value of the cap. All I'm saying is that the players union has said they will never allow it back if it goes away.
Think of it this way, the TO to Philly thing started with him chatting up McNabb at the probowl. The Eagles CS were coaching the NFC that year I believe. No tampering charges ever came from that.
The players stand a shit ton more to lose in a lockout. There will be a cap. They know it, the owners know it. It's just lip service and posturing on their part. Not only will there be a very similar setup as we had this year and previous years, I would not be surprised to see fixed rookie salaries based on draft position as a percentage of the cap.
The owners have no league without the players, right? The rookie cap is about the only issue all parties have agreed on.
The owners still own the team and dont have to pay the players salaries (right?). In the long run their losses would be minimal (ticket sales offset by salaries to some degree), but the players would be pissing away tons of cash. It also extends the life of their contract by a year, which decreases the value of their signing bonus ultimately.
You would be surprised how much debt these teams have to carry before they become profitable. Many owners have to take out massive loans to be able to afford their purchases.
So, because I don't twist things around to make the quotes say what I want them to say like you, I don't grasp that you want the guy in NY so that means he wants to be there. OK You say Revis isn't going anywhere and you're probably right, but he's contractually closer to going somewhere than Aso, because Aso has already got a huge contract and is not going anywhere. I don't mind being criticized by someone who knows what the f*** he's talking about, but you don't qualify!
The thing that gives the owners the advantage at the end of the day, is NFL ownership is not their day jobs. Unlike hockey which was almost made obsolete by missing a year, the NFL could stand a 1-2 year hiatus and come back strong pretty quickly. I (almost) feel bad for the players in this regard. The bottom line is that whatever they come up with the players are going to make a rediculous amount of money, regardless of a cap. The cap is better for the fans and the owners. That's 2-1 for the cap. The 2 pay the 1's salary. I just hope they get it over with quick.
