Joe Banner’s Super Bowl has come early this year.
For all of the questions fans have raised about Banner’s football knowledge during his tenure with the Eagles, there is little doubt that he is one of the best in the league at working the cap.
That is why I was not surprised at all to see Banner walking down the streets of Washington, right behind NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the negotiations last week. Banner is a businessman working in a football world. The labor negotiations that have gone on, and are sure to continue soon, are Banner’s chance to shine. It is Banner’s Super Bowl, the moment he has been waiting for.
I interviewed Banner a few months back, and while his love of sports (he originally planned to be a sports reporter) was evident, it was also clear that he has a mind made for business.
It is no secret that Banner is a tough negotiator when it comes to player contracts. Turn down what he views as a fair offer, and prepare to pay the consequences.
David Akers will vouch for that.
With that being said, it is surprising to hear all of the concessions the owners have made during the negotiations. In a recent interview with Pro Football Talk, Banner talked about the owners attempt to strike a deal.
“There are things I’ve mentioned around the off season schedule, life-long health benefits, a legitimate way to try to address the players that retired before 1993 that we all recognize are an important part of where we are today,” said Banner. “Improved work 
conditions, health insurance, the issue of 16 games vs 18 games. On those positions, the specific proposals that the union made on almost all of those issues were adopted or virtually adopted in the league’s final proposal.”
Banner later broke a little bit of news in the interview, saying that the owners offered to pay the players over 2 billion dollars more over the next four years than they were being paid.
While each side is sure to give their own spin, as more and more news comes out regarding the owners final proposal to the players, it appears that Banner and the owners made a lot of effort to meet the players half way. The general public sided with the players when this first began, but that is starting to change. It appears that the union had no intention of making a deal in Washington, and was set all along on bringing this case to the courtroom of Judge Doty.
Where this labor dispute takes us is yet to been seen. It is hard to imagine that games will be missed, with the season more then 6 months away.
But Joe Banner’s season is going on right now, and it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t feel right at home.
decent cap guy… Makes me wanna vomit when I see him…. Weasel is the word that comes to mind….
hey, thats just me tho…
Eliot:
Who determined that Banner is “one of the best?” Wait! Here’s a better question: Who’s the worst? Still better yet. Who’s bad at the cap? The Redskins have signed more high-priced free agents than any team in the league, yet they’ve never had any cap problems. Again, who has?
Perhaps Banner is best at signing people to as little money as possible. Could that be what you meant?
when you say “meet half way”, you mean , “ask for only half the money they wanted back” Listen, If you don’t owe someone any money and they ask for $10, then they lower it to $5, are you supposed to “meet them halfway?” I believe the owners were willing to negotiate because they knew they were wrong for claiming financial difficulties from the beginning. Any improvement in their behalf as compared to the previous agreement is a win because they didn’t need or deserve any change in their favor. I love the arrogance ” meet us halfway!” I think I’ll ask my employer for a 50% raise, and when they say no, I’ll claim their inappropriate if they don’t “meet me halfway” without me proving why I deserve it!!
drummer, are you saying the skins never had cap trouble, or you don’t remember hearing that they did? What’s your source there. And also, which good players did they develop in their own system that they had to resign hence leading to cap troubles – probably nobody cause they were terrible at drafting and developing their own players….
We have been hearing this for years now. Joe Banner’s expertise lies in maximizing Jeffrey Lurie’s profits and not the ability to sign players capable of winning Championships. Teams like the Steelers, Patriots and now the Packers prove how inept Banner is. I don’t care how much the Franchise is now worth to someone from Boston. I only care about getting something back on my investment, even if it is only the emotional kind.