Why our players seem to decline once receiving a new deal

[buybuydandavis]

We know that the Jones family loves to pay their own players. When giving these players new lucrative deals, it seems as if these players no longer play at the level they played at before signing the deal. .

Part of it is the basic contract year dynamic. They play hard when they know they'll be negotiating soon. And play not so hard when they have a contract set for a few years.

Players also go up and down. If Jerry is too sensitive to that up and down, he'll be paying guys on an up year too high, and then they revert to the mean the following years.

 

[gimmesix]

We know that the Jones family loves to pay their own players. When giving these players new lucrative deals, it seems as if these players no longer play at the level they played at before signing the deal. Guys who recently signed deals such as Steele, Wilson, Hooker, Diggs, Dak, Lamb etc haven't lived up to what they're being paid. Things can change, but for right now, it's upsetting to see the decline in their play after getting so much money. This money could have been used elsewhere to better this team. Please give your thoughts on this......

The problem is twofold. One, you can't predict injuries. Steele is in his second year removed from an ACL tear. Diggs is in his first year back. It simply takes time to recover and you can't predict how long it will take. Two, football is a team game. Individual players can elevate the team to an extent, but they can also be brought down by the players around them not being as good as needed. Any QB with protection problems has struggles. Any No. 1 receiver with poor support from the rest of the receiving corps has problems getting open because teams are going to double and even triple him. Detroit has said that Lamb was the only player they were worried about. You can eliminate one player.

Scheme is a third thing to bring up. Some players are scheme players. They just fit better in a certain role. That may be the case for the safeties. Quinn had Wilson doing a lot of attacking. His scheme even made Kearse look like an All-Pro his first year here.

The problem we have IMO is that the Joneses pay their own players but then claim they don't have room to add any quality players around them. That's not a winning formula.

 

[Coogiguy03]

You listed 5 players with 2 that got injured and 2 that literally just signed???


I thought you retired from all the questions.

I thought you retired from being tired

 

[Coogiguy03]

He left off Zach Martin. Martin held out and got paid just a year ago, and now there's no comparison with his play prior to the payday. It's like he forgot how to play the position. He wasn't that bad before he got paid.

Hence I said etc!!!

 

[Chuck 54]

Let’s not pretend that Lamb missing all of Camp isn’t a factor. And frankly, I don’t blame Lamb. I blame Jerry who could have signed him months ago, even back last summer to the same contract he gave him. Lamb is great, but all these mistakes and chemistry and route issues would have been addressed then and in joint practices.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I dunno on the effort thing. It’s natural to be more hungry before getting paid but that’s on coaching to keep them motivated.

My problem is signing Gallup and Steele when they were both hurt late in their walk year…..and they didn’t even get much of a discount, if any at all.

My guess is they get too personal with players.

Steele wasn’t great to begin with but they wanted to pat themselves on the back for that UDFA “find,” and and grab a bedpost notch for being “football guys.” I don’t even think Gallup is in the league any longer.

These were absolutely NOT inconsequential mistakes. Gallups dead money for this year AND next are roughly the same as Henry’s entire deal, which we “couldn’t afford,” and Steele is already guaranteed 17 million for next season.

Don’t tell me they are any good at this. Fine, most aren’t or couldn’t be, but the refusal to even consider that someone just may be able to do a better job isn’t ever a consideration. They truly think no one could be better and Jerry just told everyone that. THATS the frustration part, not the actual losing.

Dak was hurt

 

[menolian]

Watson, burrow, aiyuk. It ain't just us

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Let’s not pretend that Lamb missing all of Camp isn’t a factor. And frankly, I don’t blame Lamb. I blame Jerry who could have signed him months ago, even back last summer to the same contract he gave him. Lamb is great, but all these mistakes and chemistry and route issues would have been addressed then and in joint practices.

If they can't address them 8 weeks into the season, would they ever have been able to?

 

[Buzzbait]

They're on a hunger strike. Got paid and are no longer that hungry player to prove themselves. They seem to think past performances should keep their ALL PRO status and a possible GOLD jacket on their backs....................

The key word is "INCENTIVE". Let's put it this way, if you needed a new roofing job on your house, and of course knowing how expensive roofing is, would you pay the contractor in full up front? Of course not! If you did, the first thing that contractor would do is leave town! Duh!
When an NFL team "guarantees" an enormous amount of money to a player, suddenly he knows he gets paid millions of dollars whether he performs up to the same level or not, whether he works as hard or not, whether he tries as hard or not.
It's human nature. Decrease the incentive and you decrease the results.

 

[Sheepherder]

It's part of Jerry's culture of money being more important than winning. A lot of these guys figure this out. They then get that bag, and mentally retire because they have won their just look back through all these years.

I'm certainly not defending this team, but I think this is something that happens across the league...and other sports too. Not always, obviously. But it does happen a lot.
Complacency is all I can come up with.

It's been this way for years.

With Dallas that is. No accountability.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Martin just played the game the way it was supposed to be played. He saw the decline and wanted more money.

Pretty smart of him

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Pretty smart of him

It is. I ain’t mad at him. I knew when he did it he sensed the end was near. It’s what Reddick is doing. He knows he knows he’s getting worse but try to get more money before anyone knows.

 

[MikeT22]

They decline because they are older.

Jerry/Stephen need to do a better job at roster management and who to resign.

 

[MojaveJT]

The culture that JJ creates and his knack for giving out contracts at the worst possible times, especially to injured or injury prone players.

Dak blew up his ankle and JJ gave him a monster contract. Dak has never moved the same since that injury.

Jaylon Smith comes to mind as well. It’s like JJ thinks he’s clever and assumes these guys will get better all of a sudden if you throw money at them.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

You listed 5 players with 2 that got injured and 2 that literally just signed???


I thought you retired from all the questions.

Leave him alone. The bloke is prolific.
I have hopes coogi will hire me as an intern so I and me fellow interns, under coogi's direction, will swamp this board. Then no one will need to post because we got you covered with questions.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Steele is counting 17 million against the cap next year? He's not even worth 3 million.

Dak isn't even worth 17 million and we're paying him over 60.

Is there really any point in following this team anymore?

I can a wait until Lance gets 160 million for 4 years.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

It's like JJ thinks he’s clever and assumes these (injured) guys will get better all of a sudden if you throw money at them.

So true.

 

[Chasing6]

Desperation for a new contract just might be a tell that a player knows his health/skills are declining.

And we drafted Schoonmisser when O'Cyrus was staring us in the face in the second round.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Because there is no accountability on this team ........ get paid ....... coast .....

Yep. Another big part is the organization is constantly paying for past performance and seem incapable of asking the question or calculating the likelihood of such performances continuing. They cave to hostile tactics and holdouts. A few years ago DLAW was refusing to get off-season shoulder surgery until Dallas gave him a new deal. Jerry caved. Zeke takes off training camp and Jerry caves. CD follows the same script and gets rewarded. Micah will do the same next off season. There is no organizational football philosophy or guiding principles. Its just whatever Jerry wants to do when he wants to do it.

 

[shabazz]

Because there is no accountability on this team ........ get paid ....... coast .....

.....and later put in some real effort in the next contract year......and then get paid and coast yet again.

The key component is to have an inept owner/GM to facilitate it