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Although there's an emerging belief that the ssslow pace of rookie signings can be traced directly to agents, the issue is far more complicated than that.
The root cause here is that the rookie salary pool is flat. Every player and agent wants to get more than the rookies taken in the same space got last year, but with the total first-year dollars the same in 2003 as they were in 2002, a greater degree of creativity is needed in order to make it happen.
And there are other factors. Tom Condon of IMG has more than a dozen players (including four first-rounders), and he's notorious for waiting until the last minute to get deals done. Also, Condon's delayed negotiations with the Colts on a contract extension for Peyton Manning is preventing the Colts from signing any of their rookies, since they won't have cap room until Manning has his new contract.
The fact that the Cardinals have two first-rounders likewise will add to the delays in getting all of them signed. Because the Cards refuse to do anything exotic when it comes to contract negotiations, their two first-rounders most likely will hold out deep into camp (if not into the season), like Wendell Bryant did in 2002.
In fact, one league source told us that, when the Cards traded down on draft day for two first-rounders, his first thought was that two agents will get screwed this year by the Cards' narrow-minded ways, instead of only one.
And it appears that another big factor here is foot-dragging by management, especially in the lower rounds.
Per another league source, some teams simply aren't returning calls from agents regarding low-rounders.
Said the source, "The reason given is that teams want to take time off for vacation. That's a bunch of sh-t. Do your job. Get off your ass and get the deal done if you're the contract guy.
"They act like the agents are a bunch of idiots who don't realize that all the silence is a way of freezing the agent out, so there's little time left to do the deal. Meanwhile, the agent hears 'You better get him into camp or he will hurt his chances.'"
In our view, the delays this year also might be attributable to the desire of some teams to sign mid-to-low-rounders to four-year deals, in order to avoid the restricted free agent tender conundrum (see our June archives for more on this). As the date for reporting to training camp approaches, the mid-to-low-rounders will be more likely to tell their agents to get the deal done -- especially if the team if offering more coin up front as part of a four-year deal.
Under those circumstances, we expect few players and agents to have a full opportunity to ensure that the player will be getting fair value for sacrificing the opportunity to become a restricted free agent after year three.
Another source explained to us that, in the end, the whole thing is a simple game of chicken. Both sides want to look like they got a good deal, and neither side wants to look like an idiot.
So the dance will continue, until enough guys have the balls to start getting the deals done.
The root cause here is that the rookie salary pool is flat. Every player and agent wants to get more than the rookies taken in the same space got last year, but with the total first-year dollars the same in 2003 as they were in 2002, a greater degree of creativity is needed in order to make it happen.
And there are other factors. Tom Condon of IMG has more than a dozen players (including four first-rounders), and he's notorious for waiting until the last minute to get deals done. Also, Condon's delayed negotiations with the Colts on a contract extension for Peyton Manning is preventing the Colts from signing any of their rookies, since they won't have cap room until Manning has his new contract.
The fact that the Cardinals have two first-rounders likewise will add to the delays in getting all of them signed. Because the Cards refuse to do anything exotic when it comes to contract negotiations, their two first-rounders most likely will hold out deep into camp (if not into the season), like Wendell Bryant did in 2002.
In fact, one league source told us that, when the Cards traded down on draft day for two first-rounders, his first thought was that two agents will get screwed this year by the Cards' narrow-minded ways, instead of only one.
And it appears that another big factor here is foot-dragging by management, especially in the lower rounds.
Per another league source, some teams simply aren't returning calls from agents regarding low-rounders.
Said the source, "The reason given is that teams want to take time off for vacation. That's a bunch of sh-t. Do your job. Get off your ass and get the deal done if you're the contract guy.
"They act like the agents are a bunch of idiots who don't realize that all the silence is a way of freezing the agent out, so there's little time left to do the deal. Meanwhile, the agent hears 'You better get him into camp or he will hurt his chances.'"
In our view, the delays this year also might be attributable to the desire of some teams to sign mid-to-low-rounders to four-year deals, in order to avoid the restricted free agent tender conundrum (see our June archives for more on this). As the date for reporting to training camp approaches, the mid-to-low-rounders will be more likely to tell their agents to get the deal done -- especially if the team if offering more coin up front as part of a four-year deal.
Under those circumstances, we expect few players and agents to have a full opportunity to ensure that the player will be getting fair value for sacrificing the opportunity to become a restricted free agent after year three.
Another source explained to us that, in the end, the whole thing is a simple game of chicken. Both sides want to look like they got a good deal, and neither side wants to look like an idiot.
So the dance will continue, until enough guys have the balls to start getting the deals done.
