Why I stopped caring about Player Contracts

[Established1971]

The Cowboys have proven that they can keep who they want to keep by restructuring deals, and extending contracts. Then, if a player stops playing to his contract, they have enough flexibility to cut him (see Zeke Elliott) and absorb the CAP hit. I used to keep a huge spread sheet tracking each player salary, and CAP hits by year. But the money has gotten crazy with the new TV contracts, so it doesn't really matter anymore. Is Jalen Hurts worth 2-1/2 times Peyton Manning when he joined Denver in 2013? Just 10 years ago? Of course not. But it doesn't matter.

The Cowboys pay a staff of accountants to strategize on CAP management. So, since the money is ridiculous, and since the Cowboys can keep whomever they want to keep, why do fans need to care at all? Of course Dak isn't worth $40M/ year. But Diggs isn't worth $20M/year either. It's not my money. And the salaries are ridiculous. I've stopped caring. It's all click bait to me, and I'm not going to bite.

As an old timer who goes back before free agency and used to just enjoy the games (football, baseball, basketball) in a more pure way that dealt with just the game, I never cared much about contracts and salaries. I get enough math at work or when I am doing my taxes. Sports is supposed to be diversionary. I have always been surprised at the time and energy younger fans spend on contracts. The biggest pet peeve of mine is when a season has begun and people begin talking about players salries the next year or next 2 or 3 years, while a season is being played. For people like this, when will you just stop and enjoy the entertainment you seem to care so much for. Balance your lives, stop being so anxious. Youre not a gm, and you dont know what the future will bring.

 

[jazzcat22]

Much different. I shouldnt have to explain this to you.

Dak plays the most important position in football and there was no better QB on the roster. Dak does his job better than Zeke does.

Zeke on the other hand sucks at what he does and plays one of the least important positions in football. Not to mention we had a better RB on the roster to play.

Dak throws 2 costly INT's costing us a chance to go the the NFFCG. And he does his job better.
Ok then.

 

[jazzcat22]

Is that before or after they resign him???

Not sure what or who you are asking about.

 

[CowboyRoy]

There are many hardcore fans that do not give a crap about the pay. So if one doesn't care, they are less of a fan?
Before the salary cap how did you distinguish a hardcore fan vs. a casual fan?

Same before the explosion of the internet, and now social media, to find out any thing one could that was going on. All we had was a local newspaper, or the USA Today.
Hard to get good info if not in the area. At least they had The Dallas Cowboys weekly, which I subscribed to.
So if a fan subscribed to it, they were hardcore but if not they were casual?

Not less, just different. Casual.

And yah if you dont care that the Cowboys are paying someone like Zeke 19 million, then your a casual fan.

I would rather be casual. If I was casual I probably wouldnt waste my time on here every day of my life.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Must be.

Are you still confused? Wait, do you still think that Zeke is a better RB than Pollard right now?

I haven't mentioned Zeke I'm discussing Pollard you seem to be the one stuck on Zeke. You've talked about him more than anyone on this site since he's been released. Its weird lol. My point was the reason eh got those carries is because that's Pollard's role. They don't consider him a 20+ a carry back. If they did they would've signed him long term.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Dak throws 2 costly INT's costing us a chance to go the the NFFCG. And he does his job better.
Ok then.

True, but what did Zeke do in that game? 30 yards?

And what did Dak do the game before in in Tampa? 300 yards and 5 TD's. And what did Zeke do that game? 35 yards? See the difference? And what did Pollard do in Tampa? 75 yards?

I shouldnt have to explain these things to you.

 

[Flamma]

I agree with this. I felt the same. I wonder how sports discussions would go if you didn't have the crutch of talking about how much a guy makes. Just judging the guy strictly on his play on the field.

Like it did before the cap. If you're old enough to remember. You can't avoid it any longer. It's a game separate from the actual game. Teams don't make decisions solely based on their play on the field. So it's unavoidable.

 

[jazzcat22]

Not less, just different. Casual.

And yah if you dont care that the Cowboys are paying someone like Zeke 19 million, then your a casual fan.

I would rather be casual. If I was casual I probably wouldnt waste my time on here every day of my life.

I never seen any fan agreeing or liking how much Zeke was getting paid. No one should have been ok with that.
However, some fans feel it is a moot point to whine about it or any other players pay constantly. What good does it do.

We fans can't do a thing about it except to stop watching if if really bothers that fan. Do I like the high pay for Zeke (who is gone now) or of Dak, or heck even DLaw.
Fans are now compiling how much Gallup is getting as well.
Wait until Lamb, Parsons, Diggs get paid. All of a sudden they all will be bums.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I haven't mentioned Zeke I'm discussing Pollard you seem to be the one stuck on Zeke. You've talked about him more than anyone on this site since he's been released. Its weird lol. My point was the reason eh got those carries is because that's Pollard's role. They don't consider him a 20+ a carry back. If they did they would've signed him long term.

Cant talk about Pollard without talking about Zeke.

Buddy Zeke was featured for 3 years over Pollard. It was only until last year that Pollard got close to 50/50. Pollard got those carries because he was so amazing they couldnt keep him off the field.

And why shouldnt I talk about Zeke? The guy was finally released after 4 years of not wanting him on this team. Fans telling me I didnt know what I was talking about. Saying Pollard sucks and Zeke was a top 5 RB. LOL

He finally got cut a month ago. This is celebration time. Why should I not rub it in to those people that got it all wrong and insulted me every day for my stance?

 

[jazzcat22]

True, but what did Zeke do in that game? 30 yards?

And what did Dak do the game before in in Tampa? 300 yards and 5 TD's. And what did Zeke do that game? 35 yards? See the difference? And what did Pollard do in Tampa? 75 yards?

I shouldnt have to explain these things to you.

again.

I already know these things.
Yes Zeke did not play well and Dak played 1 great game and a bad game. But he still should have played better, in a huge game if he wants to be considered truly elite.
Like I said, I hope, and believe he will do better with the changes. If they address the OL.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I never seen any fan agreeing or liking how much Zeke was getting paid. No one should have been ok with that.
However, some fans feel it is a moot point to whine about it or any other players pay constantly. What good does it do.

We fans can't do a thing about it except to stop watching if if really bothers that fan. Do I like the high pay for Zeke (who is gone now) or of Dak, or heck even DLaw.
Fans are now compiling how much Gallup is getting as well.
Wait until Lamb, Parsons, Diggs get paid. All of a sudden they all will be bums.

So then why do you whine about what Dak gets paid?

 

[jazzcat22]

So then why do you whine about what Dak gets paid?

I don't. I may have mentioned a few times he has not lived up to this contract yet. But I also said the same about Allen, nd Hebert has not shown to be better to be paid like an elite QB either.
I do not whine nor constantly whine about Dak's pay.
And yes I have joked about it, just as I have with others also.

 

[CowboyRoy]

again.

I already know these things.
Yes Zeke did not play well and Dak played 1 great game and a bad game. But he still should have played better, in a huge game if he wants to be considered truly elite.
Like I said, I hope, and believe he will do better with the changes. If they address the OL.

So Dak should have played better but Zeke shouldnt have? What an odd statement.

Dak isnt elite. LOL

Even elite QB's rarely tear up the Niners D. You would need a great Oline and a great run game like what Hurts had. And with Zeke and our Oline that was never happening.

Again, I shouldnt have to explain this to you.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I don't. I may have mentioned a few times he has not lived up to this contract yet. But I also said the same about Allen, nd Hebert has not shown to be better to be paid like an elite QB either.
I do not whine nor constantly whine about Dak's pay.
And yes I have joked about it, just as I have with others also.

So you dont, but you did? And when you did it was a joke? Isnt that convenient?

You mean you were baiting Dak fans and trolling them?

So when you said that you wanted Dak gone was that you joking around or just baiting?

 

[Diehardblues]

Discussing players contracts is a negative subject. When was the last time we said, it’s great a player signed for 200 million, etc. They are so deserving.

While managing the Salary Cap is an integral part of building a team, the salaries these athletes earn takes the fun out for many fans who want to ignore or look the other way this is more of a business than game.

 

[Flamma]

How many carries should Pollard have gotten? How many carries would you have given him?

One thing he's right about, Pollard has been the better back for the last 4 years. No one expected him to be in 2019, but it turned out that way. What team gives the 2nd best back more carries?

 

[DallasEast]

Contracts should be scaled by the union like rookie deals are. A player who has 5 years service and has met certain markers (playing time, yards, tackles, etc.) should have a standard pay across the league, for example. Maybe the player can make a little more by signing with his current team but a Deshaun Watson type deal should not have been allowed by the union.

Owners and the players union are a tedious partnership. One side does not dictate total terms.

At one time, rookie contracts skyrocketed. Veterans balked. They made up the bulk of the union and emphasized the change. The owners agreed to the stipulation as a cap-savings measure.

Their collective bargaining agreement employs a vested minimum salary structure. That serves as the base of the salary cap mechanism, which has a hard annual ceiling. All team player contractual values remain fluid within that range, which mandates constantly adjusting individual contracts to fit within the union/league agreed upon restriction.

A scalable standard pay structure (which I agree with in principle by the way) would force a re-negotiation of the current CBA framework that has been continually re-ratified since 1993. It would be necessary for the players to agree upon positional pay scales dependent upon various factors.

I think the proposal is doable but would hinge upon (in my opinion) the union obtaining a +50% share of all revenues. The owners would likely fight that modification harder than what has been witnessed in owner/union negotiations in the past, including what was seen during the strike-ridden 1980's. However, an agreement would make player contracts more manageable from top-to-bottom within any team's salary cap year-to-year.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Discussing players contracts is a negative subject. When was the last time we said, it’s great a player signed for 200 million, etc. They are so deserving.

While managing the Salary Cap is an integral part of building a team, the salaries these athletes earn takes the fun out for many fans who want to ignore or look the other way this is more of a business than game.

But how can a devoted fan ignore who they pay and what they pay when it directly affect your enjoyment as a fan? Success or lack thereof? I dont see how you dont care about it. To me its like you dont care about winning.

 

[Flamma]

Discussing players contracts is a negative subject. When was the last time we said, it’s great a player signed for 200 million, etc. They are so deserving.

While managing the Salary Cap is an integral part of building a team, the salaries these athletes earn takes the fun out for many fans who want to ignore or look the other way this is more of a business than game.

Because it's not possible to ignore it. Think of a casual Titans fan that doesn't bother himself with contracts and cap. He's going to want to know why AJ Brown was traded. It had nothing to do with him lacking talent.

 

[jazzcat22]

So you dont, but you did? And when you did it was a joke? Isnt that convenient?

You mean you were baiting Dak fans and trolling them?

So when you said that you wanted Dak gone was that you joking around or just baiting?

I was not baiting anyone, was just posting comments. I can't help some have different takes on any posts and interpret them differently. Mostly if one agrees or want to disagree according to their own Frame of mind an thoughts. ........ To MAY To .. or ..To MAH To .....

Just like you are trying to bait me now.