http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...class/2769467/
Drew Rosenhaus has negotiated NFL contracts since 1988, and he can't remember many free agent markets worse than the one that developed — or didn't develop — this year.
Only one player, wide receiver Mike Wallace, signed a contract worth more than $9 million annually. The average per year on deals for unrestricted free agents fell overall. Many established players waited weeks or months before taking one-year, minimum-salary pacts.
But Rosenhaus doesn't blame a salary cap that hasn't risen much in the last three years nor the NFL Players Association leaders who agreed to a collective bargaining agreement owners negotiated under the shadow of a threat to cancel the entire 2011 season.
"I don't think it's the CBA's fault or the union's fault or the negotiations," Rosenhaus, who has nearly 100 clients on NFL rosters, told USA TODAY Sports. "I think it's that teams have the ability to control the market. And they've done that."...........
"We're in a tough landscape," said agent Mike McCartney, who previously worked in personnel for two NFL teams, "because even in the last week of August a lot of teams (were) looking around their roster and saying, 'How can we save a few bucks off our cap?' I'm not sure that's where we should be in this league."
Trouble is, it's a buyer's market.
The rules of the uncapped year kept four- and five-year veterans from becoming unrestricted free agents in 2010. Many played under one-year tenders. So, a year later, the number of unrestricted free agents skyrocketed to 487. Many of those players again took one-year deals in hopes the market would improve. But that only kept the market oversaturated in 2012, when 431 players became unrestricted free agents.
"I'm at the point where I'm happy with what I got," said veteran tight end Dallas Clark, who signed a minimum deal with the Baltimore Ravens in August that included no guarantees. "But it's scary as a player to see that some of these players aren't getting paid what they deserve."
Drew Rosenhaus has negotiated NFL contracts since 1988, and he can't remember many free agent markets worse than the one that developed — or didn't develop — this year.
Only one player, wide receiver Mike Wallace, signed a contract worth more than $9 million annually. The average per year on deals for unrestricted free agents fell overall. Many established players waited weeks or months before taking one-year, minimum-salary pacts.
But Rosenhaus doesn't blame a salary cap that hasn't risen much in the last three years nor the NFL Players Association leaders who agreed to a collective bargaining agreement owners negotiated under the shadow of a threat to cancel the entire 2011 season.
"I don't think it's the CBA's fault or the union's fault or the negotiations," Rosenhaus, who has nearly 100 clients on NFL rosters, told USA TODAY Sports. "I think it's that teams have the ability to control the market. And they've done that."...........
"We're in a tough landscape," said agent Mike McCartney, who previously worked in personnel for two NFL teams, "because even in the last week of August a lot of teams (were) looking around their roster and saying, 'How can we save a few bucks off our cap?' I'm not sure that's where we should be in this league."
Trouble is, it's a buyer's market.
The rules of the uncapped year kept four- and five-year veterans from becoming unrestricted free agents in 2010. Many played under one-year tenders. So, a year later, the number of unrestricted free agents skyrocketed to 487. Many of those players again took one-year deals in hopes the market would improve. But that only kept the market oversaturated in 2012, when 431 players became unrestricted free agents.
"I'm at the point where I'm happy with what I got," said veteran tight end Dallas Clark, who signed a minimum deal with the Baltimore Ravens in August that included no guarantees. "But it's scary as a player to see that some of these players aren't getting paid what they deserve."
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