Why Blockbuster Trades Are Suddenly a Thing in the NFL (Cowboys featured)

[superonyx]

Ramsey is two years younger than Jones.

Op said Patrick Ramsey, he’s a 40 year old man who spends most of his time playing with his kids.

 

[xwalker]

Teams generally honor the rookie deal because it is set up to be one sided in favor of the teams and not the player. The older player in the last collective bargaining agreement sold out the youth for their own personal gain. I get it because rookie contracts were getting so expensive teams would be sunk for a decade if they missed on a early first round pick.
But the flip side is some players outperform the rookie deal or in the case of a RB they realize they may be considered used up by the time the team has to give them their next contract.

I wish the league would give teams a salary cap exemption for resigning players they drafted. This would reward teams who draft well and develop their players.

Without even getting into the concept of cap exemptions, teams are losing their rewards for drafting well with players holding out prior to the completion of their contracts.

The NFL really needs to insist on something in the CBA to get away from holdouts.

When they changed the rules with regards to rookie contracts, the rookie holdouts almost completely vanished.

In the current CBA teams can't give players new contracts until after the player's 3rd season.

In the new CBA they should change that to after the player's 4th season.

 

[xwalker]

Teams generally honor the rookie deal because it is set up to be one sided in favor of the teams and not the player. The older player in the last collective bargaining agreement sold out the youth for their own personal gain. I get it because rookie contracts were getting so expensive teams would be sunk for a decade if they missed on a early first round pick.
But the flip side is some players outperform the rookie deal or in the case of a RB they realize they may be considered used up by the time the team has to give them their next contract.

I wish the league would give teams a salary cap exemption for resigning players they drafted. This would reward teams who draft well and develop their players.

There will never be a true salary cap exemption for players. That defeats the purpose of the cap.

There are methods they could implement to reward teams for developing players.

Currently:
Player's Total Share of Revenue divided by 32 equals the NFL cap.

Example of how they could get the same effect as a cap exemption:

• They could do something like divide the total by 33 and have the NFL manage that 33rd pool of money.
• Let's call that pool of money NFL33.
• If the NFL cap is 200M, then there is 200M in the NFL33 "account".
• They could make it such that QBs drafted by the team get half of their big contract paid from the NFL33 account.
• That would basically exempt half of a QB's contract from a team's cap if the team drafted that QB.
• Note 1: The NFL33 money is just salary cap accounting. The real dollar cost to teams for players would not change.
• Note 2: The method of allocating cap money to the NFL33 account would be more complicated than in my simple example.

If the NFL just setup the salary cap rules themselves, then they might eventually implement something like this; however, having to do this in the CBA negotiations makes it much more complicated and unlikely to happen, IMO.

 

[superonyx]

Without even getting into the concept of cap exemptions, teams are losing their rewards for drafting well with players holding out prior to the completion of their contracts.

The NFL really needs to insist on something in the CBA to get away from holdouts.

When they changed the rules with regards to rookie contracts, the rookie holdouts almost completely vanished.

In the current CBA teams can't give players new contracts until after the player's 3rd season.

In the new CBA they should change that to after the player's 4th season.

I’m sure the owner would like that. But why should the players agree to that?
I’m sure the players would ask to eliminate the franchise tag being placed on guys coming out of their rookie contract then. Or something similar.

Most should agree that the current rules are stacked against first round RBs in a way that isn’t fair to the players playing this position.

 

[BigTimeBlues]

Thats easy. Jones is much younger. Plus we already have a QB in Dak.
I don't want anything to do with a 40 year old former Commanders QB.

Ramsey is 24, Byron is 26

Edit:

Just kidding, I saw the typo on the post you were quoting. My apologies.

 

[xwalker]

I’m sure the owner would like that. But why should the players agree to that?
I’m sure the players would ask to eliminate the franchise tag being placed on guys coming out of their rookie contract then. Or something similar.

Most should agree that the current rules are stacked against first round RBs in a way that isn’t fair to the players playing this position.

It's a negotiation.

Also veteran players are past the point of the 3rd/4th year and have no incentive to vote against the NFL on the issue. The longer players stay on rookie contracts, the more money for veteran players that are already past their rookie contracts.

The Franchise Tag is different in that it can affect all players, not just players coming off their rookie contracts.

I think the NFLPA will make and issue of tagging players a 2nd time (consecutively). The NFL is not likely to fight too hard to keep the 2nd tag option because it does not happen that often and players are likely to hold out anyway.

In exchange for giving up the ability to do a 2nd (and even a 3rd) consecutive Franchise Tag, the NFL can insist on a rule that prevents teams from giving Franchise Players a new contract after the April or May time frame. This would minimize holdouts by Franchise players into the preseason because there would be no point holding out unless the were going to holdout the entire season.

Another thing the NFL might want in return for giving up consecutive tags is the ability to use the transition tag AND franchise tags in the same season. Teams will be able to do that in 2020 because it is in the CBA that the final season under the CBA teams have that option. The reason that the transition tag is rarely used is because team just use the franchise tag.

The 5th year option on rookie 1st round pick contracts might go away or somehow be modified. If they keep it, they should change it from an option to just being a 5 year contract. The option concept makes players feel like they've been Franchise Tagged.

The NFL could insist on 5 year contracts for all draft picks. Before the current CBA some draft picks got 6 year contracts (Eli Manning's rookie contract was for 6 years).

RBs should push for something that gives them a huge bonus on the rookie contract if they have over 250 carries in a season or something like that. It probably won't happen but that would be their best chance to get any accommodations in the CBA specific to the RB position. In the studies of RBs and their decline, total carries per season was big factor in the age at which RBs historically had a big decline in ability.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

There will never be a true salary cap exemption for players. That defeats the purpose of the cap.

There are methods they could implement to reward teams for developing players.

Currently:
Player's Total Share of Revenue divided by 32 equals the NFL cap.

Example of how they could get the same effect as a cap exemption:

• They could do something like divide the total by 33 and have the NFL manage that 33rd pool of money.
• Let's call that pool of money NFL33.
• If the NFL cap is 200M, then there is 200M in the NFL33 "account".
• They could make it such that QBs drafted by the team get half of their big contract paid from the NFL33 account.
• That would basically exempt half of a QB's contract from a team's cap if the team drafted that QB.
• Note 1: The NFL33 money is just salary cap accounting. The real dollar cost to teams for players would not change.
• Note 2: The method of allocating cap money to the NFL33 account would be more complicated than in my simple example.

If the NFL just setup the salary cap rules themselves, then they might eventually implement something like this; however, having to do this in the CBA negotiations makes it much more complicated and unlikely to happen, IMO.

Interesting idea X. Problem with that thou, IMO, is that the NFLPA/Union will never go for the NFL managing any of the player money IMO. They will want some kind of control because then, that shows something that they can point to and say, "We did this". JMO though.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's a negotiation.

Also veteran players are past the point of the 3rd/4th year and have no incentive to vote against the NFL on the issue. The longer players stay on rookie contracts, the more money for veteran players that are already past their rookie contracts.

The Franchise Tag is different in that it can affect all players, not just players coming off their rookie contracts.

I think the NFLPA will make and issue of tagging players a 2nd time (consecutively). The NFL is not likely to fight too hard to keep the 2nd tag option because it does not happen that often and players are likely to hold out anyway.

In exchange for giving up the ability to do a 2nd (and even a 3rd) consecutive Franchise Tag, the NFL can insist on a rule that prevents teams from giving Franchise Players a new contract after the April or May time frame. This would minimize holdouts by Franchise players into the preseason because there would be no point holding out unless the were going to holdout the entire season.

Another thing the NFL might want in return for giving up consecutive tags is the ability to use the transition tag AND franchise tags in the same season. Teams will be able to do that in 2020 because it is in the CBA that the final season under the CBA teams have that option. The reason that the transition tag is rarely used is because team just use the franchise tag.

The 5th year option on rookie 1st round pick contracts might go away or somehow be modified. If they keep it, they should change it from an option to just being a 5 year contract. The option concept makes players feel like they've been Franchise Tagged.

The NFL could insist on 5 year contracts for all draft picks. Before the current CBA some draft picks got 6 year contracts (Eli Manning's rookie contract was for 6 years).

RBs should push for something that gives them a huge bonus on the rookie contract if they have over 250 carries in a season or something like that. It probably won't happen but that would be their best chance to get any accommodations in the CBA specific to the RB position. In the studies of RBs and their decline, total carries per season was big factor in the age at which RBs historically had a big decline in ability.

On the money. The problem is the decline and when it happens. I mean, if you look at the numbers of players who actually make the NFL as "successful" players, even in the first round, it's less then 50%. Essentially, the NFL is guaranteeing a lot of money to players who don't make the cut. But, all of those players are going to get their money on a rookie deal. That's actually a really good deal for Rookies coming into the league. I mean, everybody looks at the Zeke situation and comes to the conclusion that Rookies have it bad under the current CBA but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of them don't. They actually have it really good, in comparison to what it used to be like for Rookies.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

This is true but it's hard to beat any mid-top tier QB w/o pressure. Read a post-draft tweet from a GM explaining decision to use a high on CB........as he put it, his coach counted 6-7 sacks his DE left on the field if his CB could have covered receivers another 1.5 seconds. So yea pressure is good but CBs ability to cover receivers matters also.

Yes I absolutely agree - the reason I would take a chance and not resign Jones is because imho we can get by with Chido, Jenkins and Brown - IF we have a better pass rush.

Put it this way - I bet the average fan can name the front four the the giants used to beat Brady not once but twice...and probably not name one of the CBs or maybe even the LBs for that matter.

Its a shame that Gregory and Irving have issues cause with those 2 this D could have been that much better.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

Who are you going to pay "in the trenches"?


I'm not disagreeing with your premise out of hand, I'm just asking for details?

I got a day job... but generally speaking there are guys that become available by trade or free agency almost every year - two names that come to mind are DT Leonard Williams - maybe not lived up to very high expectations but is still a solid player, getting him out of NY and that losing Jet team could do him wonders... and DE Yannick Ngakoue both will be 25 years old and UFAs.

I know YN will be demanding big bucks but cutting Craw and not signing Jones could maybe get us some money for the D.