Why I stopped caring about Player Contracts

[JBS]

I'm talking about people that hated zeke because of the contract.


It sorta has something to do with "contracts" like the title says.

That’s fine. I didn’t mention anything about anyone hating him

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

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.

Naw I grew up in salary cap era. Dave Campo era lol.

Its always been a topic of conversation. In everything. From sports to music to politics....money gets brought back into the conversation.

Fans can't accurately gauge a player or position without discussing their salary. Salary is irrelevant. At the end of the day can you win with this player yes or no?

Like for me one of the most silly talking points was the whole "You can't win a SB with a QB taking up 22% of your salary cap" or a "RB taking 14%" or whatever the hell people were saying. Just because hadn't been done.

 

[sunalsorises]

Why would the NFLPA want to restrict the amount of $$$ their members can make?

To spread it out among the “lower ranks” who they also support.

 

[xwalker]

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.

Hurts: 2023: 22.6% of the salary cap

Aikman: 1994: 20.4% of the salary cap.
- 1st year of the cap.
- He signed the contract in 1993.
- If there had been a cap in 1993, it would have been approximately 22.5% of the cap.

Aikman: 1999: 19% of the cap on his new contract.

Peyton Manning: 2012: 16% of the cap (Contract signed in 2012).

 

[sunalsorises]

What do you think the unions job is? I'm just curious....because why would they not allow the Watson deal? They deal they shouldn't have allowed was the Mahomes deal if we're being honest about what's in the best interest of the union and its players.

The union is supposed to protect everyone from the practice squad players to the superstars. As these contracts get more slanted toward the superstars there is less for the rank and file players.

 

[xwalker]

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.

The Cowboys cannot keep whomever they want. The salary cap is real.

A team can go "all in" in any given year and appear to sign any and all players that they want, however...
- Within 2 years they'll have to cut players that they would like to keep and be unable to re-sign some young "star" players.

 

[jazzcat22]

Like for me one of the most silly talking points was the whole "You can't win a SB with a QB taking up 22% of your salary cap" or a "RB taking 14%" or whatever the hell people were saying. Just because hadn't been done.

It was like no rushing champion, their team never won a SB before...until Emmitt....
No team ever started 0-2 and went to the SB, let alone win it...until Dallas ....
No team won 3 SB's in 4 years ...until Dallas ..though I still believe it could very well been 4 in. a row ... the refs seen to it that a great Dallas comeback was thwarted.....

 

[blueblood70]

Interesting take.
Seems to be an issue for the Rams.

they traded a title for it. so its bit different.. eagles made mistake with chip kelley but rose to finally get a SB win fire a coach 3 years later retool and back to a sb with trades and cap maneuvers and a lot of luck.

but lie the OP i dont give flip about the cap and contracts its no concern of mine.. we watch the games ,debate the outcomes , argue over stats and what not and move on.. SM has allowed fans to be up in all the business side far too deep and it doesn't matter when Daniel jones gets 42mil it shows it doesn't matter and not worth the effort discussing whose worth the money and who's not. its team game.

 

[CowboyRoy]

You got all that from a hypothetical response to another member?

Thats my comment.

 

[Flamma]

He's been the better back for the last 4 years? Yeah I disagree there. I'l concede the past two seasons....

And we can complain about who got more carries and who didn't but at the end of the day the past two years they are coming off 24 wins. So the share was working and it was keeping Pollard fresh.

It seems this team ran Demarco into the ground, ran Zeke into the ground....and the move is to do it again? To a guy who has been a part time back since high school?

Yeah, all 4 years. Zeke was a beast for 3 years. I thought he was the best RB in the league. But in 2019 he lost his burst. But Pollard was better back in 2019 and 2020 than he is now. RBs decline. They don't get better as the years go on. We saw flashes of what Pollard could do when he got the chance. He just got more chances in the last two years. The bottom line is CowboyRoy was spot on about this. And he can tell you this himself, we don't always agree in here, and often are at odds. But on this, he's right. The Zeke contract kept Pollard on the bench.

 

[blueblood70]

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.

i never cared about salaries. Sports are about watching games, wins and losses, discussing players production etc etc arguing and debating coaches but money, business etc etc not a fan issue to worry about. they will field team and we can discus the season. to me each season is a one off.. lots of player turnover and reset each year and hope for the best,

 

[Jipper]

Do I care? YES

Do I worry? No- no sense in worrying about what you can't control

 

[ThatJerryKid]

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.

I listen to Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM all the time and he described it very well. You would not look at the contract dollar amount you should look at percentage of the cap. So as the cap goes up each year the contracts obviously go up as well. For instance, a team may allocate 18%-20% of their cap for a starting QB. Not $30 million or $40 million or $50 million. Same thing with a #1 CB or All-Pro DE.

 

[DallasEast]

Thats my comment.

Okay.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

The union is supposed to protect everyone from the practice squad players to the superstars. As these contracts get more slanted toward the superstars there is less for the rank and file players.

That's not how it works though lol. The more money the superstars make the more money the practice squad guys make which means more money or the union and its players. What you're saying doesn't make sense...you want superstars to make less and practice squad to make more?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yeah, all 4 years. Zeke was a beast for 3 years. I thought he was the best RB in the league. But in 2019 he lost his burst. But Pollard was better back in 2019 and 2020 than he is now. RBs decline. They don't get better as the years go on. We saw flashes of what Pollard could do when he got the chance. He just got more chances in the last two years. The bottom line is CowboyRoy was spot on about this. And he can tell you this himself, we don't always agree in here, and often are at odds. But on this, he's right. The Zeke contract kept Pollard on the bench.

This team valued Zeke more than you or he does. We can't erase that fact. Whether they were right or wrong? They did. There is nothing factual to say Pollard was better nor that he was on the bench because of Zeke's deal. Now did Zeke get carries because he was under payroll? Of course he did. He also was our best back in pass protection and being that the Cowboys threw the football more than they passed? Yes, Zeke was on the field more.

Let's talk the facts. The facts are they've won 25 games the past 2 years....That's with Zeke and Pollard sharing. They give Pollard more carries last season...gets hurt against the 49ers.

Two of our losses last season came when Pollard got 18 and 22 carries.

We will know though how "right" CowboysRoy was because they have Pollard, Ronald Jones, Dowdle and Davis. So we should not see any running backs drafted. Especially in the 1st round. We shouldn't see any until the 5th round if at all. Then I will say you guys were spot on for sure.

 

[Chuck 54]

Well it matters much more than you are suggesting. Imagine not having zekes contract on the books last year and being able to use that money on other players. That’s just one example.

No doubt Zeke had a bad contract, but most of the other guys, though overpaid in our eyes, are not on bad contracts because the contracts are better so designed for constant restructures and outs. Another point is that in recent years, Dallas has been rolling saved cap money into the next season. If they wanted someone, they can sign them. They simply often miscalculate the talent or need for talent on the roster. I find it disturbing that we made the same mistake with our wr group twice in a short period, first the season we had to save by trading for Cooper, and again last season when it became obvious we miscalculated the impact of trading Cooper.

 

[Acceptablename]

What many fans should realize there's nothing much to be done about it. It's a nice talking point, sure. But I don't think we should draw lines in the sand about it.

Well I’m all about talk I’m not drawing no damn lines in the sand. I don’t need no stinking badges

 

[DallasEast]

Well I’m all about talk I’m not drawing no damn lines in the sand. I don’t need no stinking badges

 

[Acceptablename]