Ugh, dear Lord - sorry I was overly vague. Fans are happy to see players get cut who go out and play hard. Is that better? See, for example, the recent posts on cutting Bobby McCain.
If a player is cut, the contract isn't honoured. If its a contract for 3 years and they're cut after 2, its not honoured. I don't really get how you're arguing about that. The teams dont want fully guaranteed contracts for the players, this is pretty much inevitable under that system - and I doubt anyone at the organisation is overly upset about Howard asking for more money.
I don’t think the average fan is happy when any player is cut. Yet just like the front office and coaching staff, it comes down to available cap money and whether the team can upgrade the position with a player who is either cheaper or a better player. Even if paying the better player means paying him more money.
I think the reason a lot of people constantly bring up McCain is many fans see him as an average to below average player who is scheduled to be paid more than they feel he is worth. I think if he was making half what he is scheduled to make next year, there would not be that many people looking to cut him.
Fans in that way are similar to the FO and coaching staff. They look at what they perceive to be the value of the player in relationship to his cost against the cap. This might not seem fair but basically that is how every business views the relationship between ownership and worker. If you are a worker who isn’t worth what the company is paying you, you won’t be working for that company very long.
As far as you statement that the team is not honoring a players contract when they cut him before his contract ends. As I pointed out earlier, the only money a player is
assured of when he signs a contract is the money guaranteed in the contract and the money he earns in incentives each year which is spelled out in his contract.
Every player who signs a contract in the NFL is fully aware of the fact their contract can be terminated at the discretion of the team. Therefore they sign a contract knowing that the organization owes them nothing but the guaranteed money in their contract if they are cut from the team before their contract ends. The organization is only responsible for paying the guaranteed part of the contract and any injury related cost once the player is no longer a member f the team.
Because the contracts are written in this way under terms of the CBA between the owners and the players. I disagree with you when you state that contracts are not honored if a player is cut prior to the end of his contract. Because once the guaranteed money is paid, the organization has basically paid the
player everything they agreed to pay him if they decide to release him from his contract and he is then free to sign with any other team that wants to sign him.