Why are the players "helping" by redoing deals?

[GolfFreak]

Just curious why these negotiations are so much different that say the NBA or "real" unions. The players are actually helping management become compliant with the cap by restructuring deals. I would've thought the players would stick tight to their demands by making the owners sweat it out to get under the cap.

Just thought that was odd.

Am I missing something?

[redskin_rich]

Just curious why these negotiations are so much different that say the NBA or "real" unions. The players are actually helping management become compliant with the cap by restructuring deals. I would've thought the players would stick tight to their demands by making the owners sweat it out to get under the cap.

Just thought that was odd.

Am I missing something?
Because they don't want a bunch of minimum wage castoffs as their teammates or worse, be cut.

[akhhorus]

The best examples is the Skins' restructures. For the most part these restructures don't effect the player's salary at all. It guarantees money that they were going to see anyways. So its semantics for the cap. The other group of restructures are players who are overpaid and if they don't restructure things to give back some money in various bonuses, they will be cut and they will not see these bonuses and none of the salary either.

[GolfFreak]

That's all fine and dandy, but in the "real" world you would see strikes and the like to make management sweat a little. Just seems to me like the NFLPA is not that tight of a group. Remember when the NBA was in negotiations, you would see Shak, Kobe, KG all in suits going to meetings ... does the NFL have players reps involved?

[smoak]

That's all fine and dandy, but in the "real" world you would see strikes and the like to make management sweat a little. Just seems to me like the NFLPA is not that tight of a group. Remember when the NBA was in negotiations, you would see Shak, Kobe, KG all in suits going to meetings ... does the NFL have players reps involved?

Yes, Renaldo Wynn is a Redskins player rep I believe. The players man not be as intensely behind this b/c they will come out worse (just speculation).

[redskin_rich]

That's all fine and dandy, but in the "real" world you would see strikes and the like to make management sweat a little. Just seems to me like the NFLPA is not that tight of a group. Remember when the NBA was in negotiations, you would see Shak, Kobe, KG all in suits going to meetings ... does the NFL have players reps involved?
In the real world and even in other sports, your career is longer. Not so in Football, by the time you're 32, if you're lucky enough to have lasted that long, you are considered old and replaceable for cheaper, unless you are an All Pro superstar, then you may squeeze another year or so at top salary.

[Booser]

two words - guaranteed money. the NBA and MLB have guaranteed contracts, which is not true of the NFL. a little known fact is that most players (all except the highest paid players) play for the league minimum for their year group each season. the millions that you see in contracts are often signing bonuses, which is where the real money is made. dont forget that the players can be cut at any time - the rest of their contract is not guaranteed.

the bonus is guaranteed, but anything past that is not. any time a player restructures, he will get more money up front, and most players want that.

an example: rookie is drafted, gets a $1 million contract of which $500,000 is signing bonus. he can get cut after camp starts, and all he sees is that $500,000 bonus. the players are paid by the game (16 paydays a year), as well as small amounts for mandatory workouts and camps.

funny santana moss story: my roommate was a WR for the jets from 2001-2003... moss played out his rookie year and got used to collecting a paycheck every week. after the season was over, he couldn't figure out why the paychecks stopped coming - he was not budgeting for the entire year and was unprepared for the next few months. even worse, when april rolled around, a pretty sizable tax bill from his signing bonus (a bonus in the millions) came to him, and caught him by surprise. he had no idea he would have to pay taxes! his finances were a mess. some of the vets like Kevin Swayne and Chrebet had to talk to him about fiscal responsibility.

[GolfFreak]

Yeah yeah yeah, I hear everything you guys are saying. My point though is that you would never see "employees" doing deals with management during a heated negotiation. Most likely the labor reps would tell the members NOT to cooperate. I just think it's interesting that it's not working like this with the NFL.

[Booser]

i think it is simply because, in the NFL, with no certain future and never an assured payday, you take the money when you can get it... upfront.

[dj_stouty]

two words - guaranteed money.

Bingo.

Look at Michael Vick. He "generously" restructured for the Falcons, yet received a 7 million dollar check to do so.

[chrisbcbu]

Yeah yeah yeah, I hear everything you guys are saying. My point though is that you would never see "employees" doing deals with management during a heated negotiation. Most likely the labor reps would tell the members NOT to cooperate. I just think it's interesting that it's not working like this with the NFL.

I believe it is also written in their contracts that if there is a lockout/strike the players have to return all of their bonuses.

Im sorry but i would rather restructure my contract get my millions guarnteed!

[Redskinfan28]

That's all fine and dandy, but in the "real" world you would see strikes and the like to make management sweat a little. Just seems to me like the NFLPA is not that tight of a group. Remember when the NBA was in negotiations, you would see Shak, Kobe, KG all in suits going to meetings ... does the NFL have players reps involved?

Yes, they have reps.