NFL has a shrinking middle class

[MidnightVoice]

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."

[Miami_Vice]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

Dallas Clark can suck it. His last quote is so arrogant and out of touch imo. These aholes are all overpaid to begin with. If they dont like it...quit and go do something else

[gr8slayer]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

I don't feel sorry for him or any of his players.

[DraftBoy]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

The market bared what it determined the worth was. It wasn't an incredible FA class to begin with.

[MidnightVoice]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

Given this situation I wondered if it had any bearing of the situation of a certain avian.

[Mace]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

I really think this is what they all negotiated themselves into. You can get bigger contracts, but won't see the end of them so they aren't really bigger. Then you are wicked happy to get anything at all.

The owners don't escape. Pay monster bonuses and hope the guy keeps trying and doesn't get hurt. Hope your state antes up that stadium work.

I'm surprised the NFL has a middle class at all. It's not a sport that promotes longevity or humility on either end of the scale.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

I hope J. Byrd reads this article.

[better days]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

So the NFL is the same as the rest of the Country. Shrinking middle class.

[BillsFever21]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

I don't hold a grudge for any NFL player looking to get paid. If a player doesn't get an extra million a year then that money will only go in the billionaire owners pockets anyway. Most of these guys only have one chance of getting paid and they have short careers that take a toll on their body.

I don't care if you're in the NFL or working a regular job you are going to try and maximize your earnings. If another company will pay you 20% more a year then most everyone will be switching companies. It doesn't matter if the difference is another million a year or another 10k a year.

These guys don't have guaranteed contracts like the rest of the sport. Most players won't even get a 2nd contract and the ones that do mostly have the one shot at a big payday before their career is done or they're too old for the sport. Anybody here would do the same thing if we had the opportunity.

When they got the rookie pay reduced for the top drafted players many players thought it would all trickle down to them. What they're finding out is the owners are going to use that money to keep their best players and the guys on the wrong side of 30 isn't going to get the money they used to. They can now replace them with a rookie for a much lower salary. That's what we saw this year and the way it will be for a while.

Now that the rookie contracts are also shorter that's just going to leave more and more players available for free agency sooner. The great ones will benefit from it but most of your marginal starters and especially backup level players will be lucky to see much or anything after their rookie contract is up. If they're not a top player then the team can easily fill their spot with a cheap rookie or find someone else of their level at a cheaper price.

[Typ0]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

I don't hold a grudge for any NFL player looking to get paid. If a player doesn't get an extra million a year then that money will only go in the billionaire owners pockets anyway. Most of these guys only have one chance of getting paid and they have short careers that take a toll on their body.

I don't care if you're in the NFL or working a regular job you are going to try and maximize your earnings. If another company will pay you 20% more a year then most everyone will be switching companies. It doesn't matter if the difference is another million a year or another 10k a year.

These guys don't have guaranteed contracts like the rest of the sport. Most players won't even get a 2nd contract and the ones that do mostly have the one shot at a big payday before their career is done or they're too old for the sport. Anybody here would do the same thing if we had the opportunity.

When they got the rookie pay reduced for the top drafted players many players thought it would all trickle down to them. What they're finding out is the owners are going to use that money to keep their best players and the guys on the wrong side of 30 isn't going to get the money they used to. They can now replace them with a rookie for a much lower salary. That's what we saw this year and the way it will be for a while.

Now that the rookie contracts are also shorter that's just going to leave more and more players available for free agency sooner. The great ones will benefit from it but most of your marginal starters and especially backup level players will be lucky to see much or anything after their rookie contract is up. If they're not a top player then the team can easily fill their spot with a cheap rookie or find someone else of their level at a cheaper price.

Thanks for saying that! The guys playing the games are the workers ... let them get paid for all the people who work for money grubbing hogs.

[BillsFever21]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

Thanks for saying that! The guys playing the games are the workers ... let them get paid for all the people who work for money grubbing hogs.

So many people act like their contracts are being divided up between all of our paychecks to pay them. They are being paid by billionaires who are making millions a year from the team and who's franchise is worth billions of dollars. It's not like these guys are being paid by your local mom and pops restaurant owner.

They are getting paid determined by the amount of money the NFL is bringing in from TV contracts, etc. Sure it affects the ticket prices some but they would still charge a bundle either way. They will charge as much as people are willing to pay regardless of how much the players are making.

[JoeMama]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

No one attends games because they're excited about Ralph Wilson.

They do it because they like the guys that put butts in the seats. The players.

If the players want their fair share of the pie, so be it. I'd rather see Jairus Byrd get paid for his efforts, no matter how petulant and awful he sounds, than see a 94 year old throw a couple more tens of millions into his Scrooge McDuck pool of money.

[BillsFever21]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

Some act like these guys should make 100k a year or something. They are doing something that only 100-200 guys at their position are able to do in the world. It's a big business and they should get paid whatever owners are willing to pay.

The money in their pocket is put to better use then the owners who are already billionaires. The money they spend help create/sustain jobs and some of the smart ones will open up businesses and create jobs with their money. Not to mention the extra tax money to the federal, state and local governments that are paid to the governments when they get their payday.

I can see people feeling the players are overpaid because they are. To hate on them for getting their payday is a different story though. It's not like the owners are going bankrupt because of player salaries.

[wozrob11]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

waaahhhh i retired from my job at age 30 with millions of dollers wahhhhh

[DynaPaul]

Re: NFL has a shrinking middle class

Dallas Clark can suck it. His last quote is so arrogant and out of touch imo. These aholes are all overpaid to begin with. If they dont like it...quit and go do something else

Wow, you sound just like those people who say the same thing about the working middle class.