Trap's proposed cowher contract to make both sides happy

[trapezeus]

I put this in a different thread and i think it may have gotten lost in there as no one responded. I realize cowher is a huge outside shot, but hte bills, according to Joe Logan(berry) there is still life in this.

I think this is the contract that gets cowher and aligns the bills interest. Cowher has made it clear that he isn't in it just for the money. But money talks. These are the main points that i think the bills brass can live with and gives cowher flexibility to go all out and reign in spending.

I realize i've never seen what a coaching contract looks like in structure, so maybe these are totally not things that happen.



-The bills offer a lump sum payment of $30MM for 5 years.

-Upon making the playoffs, an accelerator kicks in for cowher for $3MM. this makes his salary on a good year $10MM

-If he doesn't make the playoffs in 3 years, he has a buyout clause for the $14MM and can leave on his choosing.

-If the team in the 5 years wins a superbowl, he gets him 2-5% of the ownership of the team.

-He is free to spend as he sees fit for player personnel, however, what ever the savings of being under the cap, he takes 10% in that year. So if the cap is $120MM and the bills are running at $85MM. he takes 10% on the 35MM, or $3.5Mm. This should allign the bills to get good players at right prices vs Cowher's desire to have complete control. He can spend big, or he can play it conservatively. Perhaps in year 1 and 2, he goes for the big names to get to the playoffs quickly, then he finds value players with modrak and nix to fill in the gaps and make some money.

This obviously isn't ideal for buffalo, but years of taking taking taking and giving nothing to players, coaches and the fans has created this situation.

What do we think?

[ddaryl]

I think it has everything to do with spending money on players and getting the players Cowher want's and need's and then keeping players here he want's and need's, and nothing to do with how much money is involved in his paycheck at this point.

Personally I would want Ralph to give Cowher 25% of the team if that is what it takes. It would be nice to have a football guy like Cowher permanently fixed to this organization going forward.

Cowher and Kelly as top football guys working with local owners would be sweet, and much better situation then we have now. One can dream

[Iehoshua]

"The Bills are prepared to offer..."
http://coto2.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/dr-evil2.jpg
"... ONE HUNDRED.... BILLION DOLLARS!"

[elltrain22]

I put this in a different thread and i think it may have gotten lost in there as no one responded. I realize cowher is a huge outside shot, but hte bills, according to Joe Logan(berry) there is still life in this.

I think this is the contract that gets cowher and aligns the bills interest. Cowher has made it clear that he isn't in it just for the money. But money talks. These are the main points that i think the bills brass can live with and gives cowher flexibility to go all out and reign in spending.

I realize i've never seen what a coaching contract looks like in structure, so maybe these are totally not things that happen.



-The bills offer a lump sum payment of $30MM for 5 years.

-Upon making the playoffs, an accelerator kicks in for cowher for $3MM. this makes his salary on a good year $10MM

-If he doesn't make the playoffs in 3 years, he has a buyout clause for the $14MM and can leave on his choosing.

-If the team in the 5 years wins a superbowl, he gets him 2-5% of the ownership of the team.

-He is free to spend as he sees fit for player personnel, however, what ever the savings of being under the cap, he takes 10% in that year. So if the cap is $120MM and the bills are running at $85MM. he takes 10% on the 35MM, or $3.5Mm. This should allign the bills to get good players at right prices vs Cowher's desire to have complete control. He can spend big, or he can play it conservatively. Perhaps in year 1 and 2, he goes for the big names to get to the playoffs quickly, then he finds value players with modrak and nix to fill in the gaps and make some money.

This obviously isn't ideal for buffalo, but years of taking taking taking and giving nothing to players, coaches and the fans has created this situation.

What do we think?

I wish you could email that to Ralph, b/c apparently those idiots just can't get it right. Very well done.

[trapezeus]

i realize cowher's sticking point isn't money.

i think if you say, "go ahead and get who you want, when you want it. but we'll give you a financial reason to want to make sure spending money on players is an absolute need." that removes the possible shanahan effect where the guy just asked for big name after big name with little due diligence and little worry of whether he was right or not.

I think if the bills want to win next season with a cowher, i think you got to let him make the decisions on who great people are. but as a small market team, you have to make him cognisent that money doesn't grow on trees.

Let him get some expensive talent that he sees fit and then let him be financially motivated to get the middle level players playing outside their contracts.

also, you make that ownership from superbowl win attractive enough that he knows if he's close and he feels that going for the SB win will pay more than being content without the missing piece.


conceivably cowher is asking for everything with no strings. the bills have to put some strings on it, but they got to make it interesting for cowher.

[Michael82]

Wow! That seems like something that would definitely attract Bill Cowher. But I think your first contract to him should be 5 years, $40 million.

[trapezeus]

5 years at 40 mm is $8mm a year which is already over what shanahan accepted.

so i think if you make it market rate and then give him kickers it's afair deal.

If you go over market and then put in over market accelerators, it doesn't really make sense to give those motivators. It's just excess cash.

In some ways if its down to staff costs and player costs, they need to say, "what do you want? a blank check is a little hard, but we're willing to follow up. We'll give you some incentives to keep it in a certain ballpark. afterall we're paying you a lot because we believe YOU are the key. not 10,000 person coaching staff and all stars at every position. give us your range for your staff salaries expected and the payroll you'd like to run. we'll give you where we are. If you can hit our target, we'll give you a percentage of the savings.

If you start winning, we'll make you money and give you ownership that no other coach has gotten. you'll be set to actually exit the game as a part owner. and for a team that could be sold, that's a real hard cash figure you'll get at somepoint. not some theoricatal at value figure.

[bflojohn]

In any attempt to lure Bill Cowher, it has to do with his ego first! That's the first designator in the never ending saga of Mr. Cowher. He is going to be VERY careful his "legacy" is NOT tarnished in any way, therefore, players are the key to any winning going on in Buffalo. Now, does Mr. Wilson sign off on that type of proposal? I certainly hope so, but 95% of all posters here and around the "football world" are of a like mind here.... they doubt it! Ralph said that he'd pay top dollar for the ressurection of this franchise, so, to me, it's NOW OR NEVER!! I hope he gets it right!

[Canadian'eh!]

1- 5 years 45 million.

2- Escape clause (his option) at any change in ownership with half the remaining value of the contract left to be paid out in settlement.

3- Total control over personnel and football operations.

4- The Bills vow to make available for player salary a minimum amount equal to the total of the league average roster salary/average cap number from the previous season.

[trapezeus]

but C'eh, that opens the bills to what i like to call shanahan risk. You get a guy mildly interested in the job, but likes the money. and as he fails, he keeps spending money.

The bills can't really afford that. they need to make it worth his while to know when to go all in and get big name players and when to live with 3-6 round talent and coach them up.

That isn't a unique buffalo cheapness thing. outside dallas and DC, other teams are fairly frugal. and the teams that weren't are starting to realize what it cost them.

Just giving cowher total control with no caps, means he'll be likely to spend to the top because he can. You make him think, "do i need the best FA de, or can we find a good DE in the middle rounds of the draft with talent people that i trust?" Thats good for the team and for the fans.

I just want to know what the hang up is/was. from sal's show, he said no to the team. So i don't know what it is, but i feel like there has to be stuff in the contract that can show the bills are ready to give him what he wants, but have their interests at stake.

[Canadian'eh!]

but C'eh, that opens the bills to what i like to call shanahan risk. You get a guy mildly interested in the job, but likes the money. and as he fails, he keeps spending money.

The bills can't really afford that. they need to make it worth his while to know when to go all in and get big name players and when to live with 3-6 round talent and coach them up.

That isn't a unique buffalo cheapness thing. outside dallas and DC, other teams are fairly frugal. and the teams that weren't are starting to realize what it cost them.

Just giving cowher total control with no caps, means he'll be likely to spend to the top because he can. You make him think, "do i need the best FA de, or can we find a good DE in the middle rounds of the draft with talent people that i trust?" Thats good for the team and for the fans.

I just want to know what the hang up is/was. from sal's show, he said no to the team. So i don't know what it is, but i feel like there has to be stuff in the contract that can show the bills are ready to give him what he wants, but have their interests at stake.

I didn't say they had to compete with Dallas and DC.

I said they had to promise to spend the LEAGUE Average. So they have to spend a minimum of an amount that would have ranked them 16th the year before. If Ralph wants to go higher he can, but Cowher wouldn't be able to complain since he knows they are at least in the middle.

He can't go over that without permission.

If the team isn't willing to even go to 16th in the league in salary, then they will never win **** without some incredible luck, and they deserve whatever bargain basement coach they get.

[trapezeus]

yeah. i agree with that C'eh.

i also think if cowher starts winning quickly, players who love playing the game take note of that.

this game is now broken down to incredible athletes who never tried at any level and just want the money. and there are warriors who love the game, study it to perfection and want to be crowned the very best.

The bills have been flirting and courting that first group for too long. we need to get the second type of player. They still expect to get paid, but they value what it means to be a winner.