Brett:
Why the fuss every year on rookie holdouts? It's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is bad for both the team and the player. The player misses too much TC and is WAY behind for the season which means that basically their rookie season is shot. (See Jason Allen) It is my understanding that picks 1-16 can sign for up to 6 years and picks 17-32 can sign for 5 years. I would imagine that most teams would want to maximize the length of the contract. It appears that the goals are fairly simple on both sides:
- The agent wants to get as much UP FRONT money as possible for his client.
- The team wants to get the best BARGAIN it can for the player.
So, it would seem that its in the best interest of both parties to reach an agreement quickly because we all know if the player is doing THAT well the team will give him an extension well before the contract is over.
So, why are SO many players holding out? Shouldn't it be simple.
"You're the #9 pick. Last year's #9 pick got X over 6 years, so you get X+Y% for 6 years on your deal" Sign the contract deposit cash, play football.
Obviously, this is SUPER simplistic, so naturally we are looking to you to educate us on the process a bit so we don't take such simplistic viewpoints.
Thanks!