For years, we’ve been arguing that the very best paid gamers ought to search contracts that tie their earnings to a share of the cap. This might be certain that a long-term deal by no means turns into out of date — as a result of the cap consistently goes up.
The league (particularly the NFL Administration Council) has resisted that, constantly. (Gamers who’ve tried previously to get a share of the cap as their compensation embody Kirk Cousins and Darrelle Revis. It’s attainable others have tried to do it extra lately. Joe Burrow would have been an ideal candidate for it.)
However the league is all for one other type of cap-based system in the case of quarterback contracts. Tom Pelissero of NFL Community (who works for the league and thus should tread frivolously right here) lately talked about it on Wealthy Eisen’s present.
“There has actually been dialogue throughout the league amongst sure house owners about even the concept of a quarterback cap, that sooner or later you don’t need quarterback numbers to go over a sure share of your wage cap,” Pelissero mentioned Tuesday, by way of BleacherReport.com. “To my information, that hasn’t actually gained traction, partly as a result of so many groups have paid their quarterbacks.”
As we’ve heard it, it wouldn’t be an official, separate cap. It might be an unofficial, off-the-books (and, extra importantly, off the CBA) association pursuant to which groups would refuse to go above a sure stage. All groups. Which might make it pointless for, say, Dak Prescott to drive his approach to the open market. One of the best deal he’d get from the Cowboys could be the identical as one of the best deal he’d get from another person. (It might be like a max contract within the NBA.)
It’s the pure response to the dismay expressed by a number of house owners when the Browns gave Deshaun Watson a five-year, fully-guaranteed contract. The house owners, who meet no less than 4 groups a yr and (because the union has lengthy believed) collude their asses off about issues which might be in any other case the topic of individualized negotiation between gamers and groups, could be violating the Collective Bargaining Settlement by establishing a secret, wink-nod association amongst themselves to cap quarterback pay.
Pelissero, by acknowledging that the house owners have talked about it, might need inadvertently opened Pandora’s Field. Transferring ahead, will probably be helpful to watch intently the offers which might be carried out, the cap prices which might be related to them, and whether or not quarterbacks who go to the open market discover one thing higher from one other workforce.
The one approach to correctly organize for a league-wide cap on quarterback pay could be to barter it with the NFL Gamers Affiliation. And such efforts would shortly spotlight the truth that there ought to be completely different bargaining items for every place, like working again. For that motive alone, the union could be inclined to not conform to such an method.
For that motive alone, any conversations amongst house owners a few quarterback cap (coupled with the proof-in-the-pudding from the offers to come back) might lay the inspiration for a collusion case towards the NFL.
There’s already a collusion case pending towards the league, relating to the refusal of groups to provide fully-guaranteed contracts to sure veteran quarterbacks. This one could be a a lot larger deal. If/when the league secretly implements a cap on quarterback pay and if/when the union can show it, that will make for fairly a compelling authorized battle between administration and labor.
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