Eagles star wide receiver DeSean Jackson could be making a huge mistake by not pressing the Eagles for a new contract.  If he were to suffer a career-ending injury, it could leave him out in the cold.
I know about the 30% rule which prevents teams from giving players who are still playing under their rookie contract, a salary increase of more than 30%.  But the teams are free to give those players whatever level of signing bonus that they deemed sufficient.
Remember that this is the same organization which guaranteed $12 million dollars to Kevin Kolb for merely being named the starter at quarterback.¬† They also handed out millions to Donovan McNabb last year when they didn’t even have any contractual reason to do so.
Why couldn’t¬† they write Jackson a check for at least $10 million as an act of good faith before they redo his contract?¬† Last year Jackson became the first player to be voted a starter in the Pro Bowl as a wide receiver and punt returner.
Tennessee’s record-setting running back Chris Johnson is in the same situation and he has refused to workout for the Titans during the offseason and I don’t blame him.
The next time Jackson or Johnson steps on the field could be their last time.  If they suffer career-ending injuries during this off-season or the upcoming regular season, are the teams going to give them millions of dollars in signing bonuses anyway.
Don’t hold you breath waiting for them to do that.
This is business and will and should be treated as business by all parties.
Jackson and Johnson carry the football and players who carry the ball in the NFL get hurt.¬† They don’t run the risk of getting hurt.¬† They get hurt.
Nobody is shocked by injuries in the NFL because they’re as much a part of the league as the two-minute drill, kickoffs or short-yardage plays.
Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch believes that the risk of injury is one of the reasons why the Eagles and Titans don’t want to give these two Pro Bowlers big signing bonuses.
He writes, “There are two reasons the Eagles and Titans aren’t going to do that.¬† One is the increased injury risk involved because of the small size of the two players.¬† The other is the language in the current CBA restricting forfeiture of signing bonuses if a player gets into a Michael Vick-like mess”.
I can understand the teams not wanting to take all the risk of the players getting hurt but they should be willing to take some of that risk.  Why should the players who have been nothing but spectacular in their play carry all the risk.
The teams don’t have to give them a $30 million dollar signing bonus but they could give them one for $15 or $10 million.
There’s no reason that these two players should take all of the risk because the league and the players union are negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement.
I’ve seen great players get suffer career-ending injuries in offseason workouts just like the ones which the Eagles and¬† the Titans are involved in at the moment.
Old Head Proverb:¬†¬† Get your money when you have the leverage and can force the team to give it to you because they won’t give it you,¬† when you don’t have the leverage.
NFL teams are businesses and not charities.¬† They don’t pay people because the people are in need they pay because they’re contractually obligated to do so.
i agree but not so much for the injury part i mean yes ur rite injury is very probable but also djax out performing or even duplicating what he did last yr wont be easy. i like djax but im not on the djax wagon like alot of others he is a speedy wr who will have yrs like he did last yr and will have some down yrs as well. most of djax big games come against horrible teams so if i were djax id try my best 2 get paid now just in case he doesnt produce like the expectations now placed over him
Would be a gutsy move on his and his agents part to hold out like it appears TItans RB Johnson will be doing, I think in this tough econmoic climate that most teams and the NFL in general face, thats teams are not going to hand-out big bonus $$$ with all the uncertainty of not having a CBA in place..
With a pending strike coming for 2011 (which I think is a very strong possibility) I think most teams and their FO are going to worry about their 2010 roster and Jackson is under contract so the eagles are not obligated to pay him any more $$$.. If theres a strike in 2011 or if D-Jax were to get hurt,
then whose out the bonus $$$..
I agree G, they should give those guys a few million at least. They were both huge parts of their teams success and deserve to get some more $$$.
i dont think chris johnson is worth it to be honest. the amount of carries he received last year and how small he is will eventually take its toll. don’t get me wrong he is an unbelievable talent but when his rookie deal is up he will demand a huge contract which would require the titans or any team for that matter to pay him into his 30s, and we all know how that plays out. the titans were also 8-8 with CJ as the feature back, 13-3 when he split carries…
I agreet with KTDawk,
RB’s are a dime a dozen anymore.. look at some of the top Rushers from last season who rushed for
ove 900 yards ..(Rickie WIlliams, Jamaal Charles, Fred Jackson,Cedric Benson,Ryan Grant,Ray Rice, Panthers had 2 RB over 1,000 yard in D Williams and J Stewart, heck even Thomas Jones and Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for over 1300 yards…)
Is it because of these talented RB’s, their solid Offensive Lines or their Coaches “committment” to the Running Game…. Most likely a combination of all 3 .. but it starts with a committment to rushing the ball, if you run it enough times, you eventually where a defense down and then have the opportunity to break some long runs and pile up the yardage
The Eagles need to step up it’s as simple as that. Jackson is clearly worth more than 7-9 million to this team they need to start acting like it, because since he has Rosenhaus as his agent don’t expect him to stay quiet for long and don’t think that if he does make it through the next couple of years he won’t flinch at digging deeper into the FOs pocket than he would have otherwise or take his ball and roll. However the CBA agreement goes down I can pretty much guarantee that that 6 years till free agency stipulation is getting tossed out the window.
I’m posting my response to Schiller from earlier today:
Schill, my “slant” is that the players should get their fair share of the NFL money pie. There would be no game without the players, and the price they pay is incredible. These men are pushed to their absolute limits to ‚Äúplay the game.‚Äù Corey Stringer died of heat exhaustion during training camp. Certainly, his death is a rare occurrence, but each of his teammates was exposed to those same conditions, along with every player in an NFL camp. Mind you, this didn‚Äôt occur while ‚Äúplaying the game.‚Äù It took place while ‚Äúpreparing‚Äù to play the game.
If I made 100K and my co-workers earned $3 million to perform the same job, I would be unhappy, despite the fact that I could live on 100K. Jackson will earn $470,000 this year, while Larry Fitzgerald earned more than $17 million in 2008. Undoubtedly, Jeffrey Lurie will earn substantially more. I guess you could say that’s “less than idea.”
You spoke of America being in an economic crisis, and I can certainly relate, as I’m currently unemployed and unable to find a job. Conversely, the NFL suffers no such economic crisis. The NFL is thriving. Lurie has become a billionaire since taking over the franchise. Yet, just yesterday, he talked about wanting to host a Superbowl. I doubt that’s for the sake of prestige. It’s all about money. He’s a billionaire, yet he wants more money. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. Capitalism is the American way.
Doctors, lawyers, entertainers and other professions still command top dollar during this economic crisis, yet they aren’t exposed to the pain, suffering and injury of an NFL player. These other professions can last as long 50-60 years, but the average career of an NFL player is probably 5-6 years.
Football in the NFL is more than a “game.” It’s a business, and playing “the game” is a miniscule part of the work. In fact, it’s the payoff after the work. Preparation is a year-around commitment.
Michael Strahan was asked about how injuries affected his everyday life, post-retirement. He had only 30 seconds to respond, but off the top of his head, he spoke of the pain in his hands from having dislocated each fingers multiple times while grabbing Jerseys. He said that whenever a finger popped out of its joint, he popped it back in and kept playing. That’s a very painful injury, but he said his teammates would have laughed him out of the locker room had he come out of the game for “a finger.” My point is that what we often don’t have a real concept of an NFL injury. The sports hernia that McNabb suffered is excruciatingly painful. I can’t even begin to imagine playing on a broken ankle. This is no ordinary game, nor an ordinary job. That’s why so few people can play. Jackson excels, has a short shelf life, is grossly underpaid and could lose it all at any time. In my opinion, that’s not something to just grin and bear, especially while the owners continue to stack money.
The Reason Jackson doent push for a new contract is because of the 30 percent rule. he is only making 600 thousand or so this year and 30 percent would mean a small raise seeing the cba only allows for a 30 percent raise on existing contracts. i mean ya they could get a big signing bonus this year and only make 800 thousand a year, he would be unhappy again in 2 years and want a new deal like T.O did when he signed here. they dont think as to what their bonus was if the salary is low.
Like those that talked about the BWest situation from a few years back, i would like to see them be able to do something earlier in his career to keep him as a happy member of the birds, as opposed to working to the letter of the law and only paying him when they are obligated to pay him. I know that it isn’t my money, and it is easy to say, but you have to believe that they have identified him as one of their top performers of the future, why not do what you can to promote some good will (I know they are going to say that they do not want to set a president, but they already did when they gave McNabb his “financial apology” last year). I do not know the whole 30% rule entails, but I would like to see something done to demonstrate that the FO value what DJax is doing and we look for him to do for years to come. That being said, with his agent being Rosenhaus I have to believe this is going to be difficult no matter what they do.
this is getting ridiculous…now hes an idiot if he doesnt push for a deal..and if he does its all rosenhaus fault and DJ is the next T.O. this is some shitty articles and basically hipocracy…G ur a idiot…get new material…
Another thing is Djax only has played 2 years. One more year on his rookie contract wont kill him. when the CBA is taken care of next year he will be highly paid by the Eagles and will be very rich. If he has another big time year his position will be even more solidified.
The Eagles had no problem demanding that Stacy Andrew’s contract be adjusted downward. Playing another year at his old contract wouldn’t have killed the team. Why is it okay to adjust downward, but not upward?
drummer, really? The two situations couldn’t possibly be more different. Beyond the initial contracts, positions, performance, and exected roles, not to mention youth and health…
Would you be just as happy giving me a few mill as me giving you a big break on a debt you owe me? The 30 30 rule and CBA issues only effect iincreasing contracts, not decreasing. Perk up
Do you guys realize that fans asking for a new desean contract now are being less calm, paient, humble , and understanding than DREW FING ROSENHAUS?!! If it was possible and a good idea, why isn’t drew working for it?
DJ and Drew realize next year they can get more money and bonuses so why stress it this year..his new contract is guna be filled with incentives because Drew know hes guna be able to full fill them….G i am not surprised with ur 9th grade level journalism…Interesting in one article its DJ is complaining about a contract and that hes the next T.O….now he is making a mistake for not pushing for one…Ur lame dude….get a new job and shut this shitty site down..
Schill, I understand that the 30% rule doesn’t prohibit a team from decreasing a player’s salary. I never said that it did.
Long before any 30-30 rule, the Eagles held a hard-line stance against re-negotiating contracts upward, regardless of a player’s level of performance.
As much as I disliked him, T.O. out-performed his contract, along with Westbrook, and both of our corners. Yet, the team had no problem decreasing Runyan’s contract. T.O. chose his path, while Westy took the high road. Regardless, the Eagles budged for neither.
An injury doesn’t have to be career-ending to change a player’s value. I believe the Eagles pick up so many players returning from injuries because they can get the player for less money. The same holds true for drafting players who are project at a lower level. Undoubtedly, during negotiations, the Eagles use a player’s projection as a reason for offering the low-end of a salary range.
Even if DeSean Jackson doesn’t suffer a career-ending injury this season, if he misses 3 games, his value is decreased at the bargaining table.
I should say this. I’m not against fiscal sanity. I just don’t believe players should be underpaid. If a corporation hires employees outside the U.S. because of the availability of cheap labor, it affects us and upsets us. I believe the same holds true in football. Players are not stupid. They know they’re being squeezed by the Eagles and it probably affects their level of commitment.
Hope everyone has a good night. Go Birds! Ciao!
They claim D Jax contract situation is difficult because of the 30% rule yet paid Kolb under the same circumstances for doing absolutely nothing. This does not seem unfair?
Wake up people!!!!
Clearly the Owners are in control and they’re about to exert that control. I think they’re going to put into place rookie contract slotting. And I don’t mean the current structure. I’m talking about draft picks get a non-negotiable contract based on drafted position. If you’re drafted 1-5 you contract X, if you’re drafted 6-10 you get contract Y, etc…. This will mitigate the huge money busts that ocurr every year. I think the players association will go along because; 1) they have no power (leverage) and 2) It will leave more money on the table for the Vets since it won’t be wasted on first round busts. I think the best thing the NFPA can hope for is a max rookie contract of 3yrs. So if you have contract slotting but with a max contract of three yrs both owners and players are protected. In this situation D-Jax woould have made a minimum on his first contract but then would be a free agent after this year allowing him to demand fare market value. Just my two cents.
Joe, I believe you’re right. The Eagles traded out of the 1st round for a few years because of the huge contracts handed to rookies who had never played a down. Actually, the NFLPA likes the rule as well. A lot of veterans were cut because of the huge money given to rookies.
Song kolb was in the last year of his contract. Djax is far from it. A contract extension is differentt from a pay raise.
Schil what was the rush? Kolb is under contract and if he does well, the contract could have been signed within the season. D Jax should have been taken care of first, PERIOD. He have proved himself worthy and it’s a blatant slap in the face. This Kolb better be Peyton Manning. If he’s Kyle Orton this team is toast.
Song – good question – I’m pretty sure the answer is that he only had one year left in his contract. So lets say the Eagles didn’t do Kolb’s deal thing – and lets say Kolb has an 0k-good year, or even just good enough that they want to keep with him at QB for another year – well then they’d have to give him a new contract in the chaotic, unknowned, uncapped year or whatever the hell happens labor wise in the league after this season. That’s why they had to get their starting QB under contract for next year. Period. Jackson CERTAINLY outperformed his rookie deal and deserves the money – nobody disagrees with you on that – nobody. But he is under contract for years, and it’s not good for the team, Jackson or Rosenhaus to do the deal now. Otherwise, Rosenhaus would at least be trying – he’s not.
alright….Let’s see you stand with rosenhaus when he rears his head. I want you to be behind him when he finally tell his player to sit out. Remember, T.O. also said he would be no problem, eventually we seen abs during a workout on the 6 o clock news. stay tuned. Then let’s see where your golden boy stands without his ultimate weapon…..VICK is in the shadows
wait, so you’re saying that you can confidently predict a holdout? Um, ok.
Oh, and for the record, Desean is AMAZING. But we could hack it with Maclin, Avant, Celek, Ingram, McCoy, Bell, Cooper, etc…
Shill your nose stinks from the constant probes of Andy’s ass. You’re willing to sacrifice the best weapon on this team for the sake of defending this organizations constant mishaps. Is this guy the prototypical fan or is he a “seed” blogger hired by the Eagles?
Yep, you got it, anybody who says positive things about the team or part of it both has direct interaction with andy reid and works for the team. So can I take it for granted that you would strangle Reid if you saw him, or shoot banner etc…., you know cause there’s really nothing but simple extremes expressed like a riled up 12 year old? I’ve said it a million times, if you want to paint me as a person who works for a pro NFL team, let alone my life long favorite/home team, that always brings a genuine smile to my face.
As a result of this article, I’m going to go to my company and demand a huge raise and if I don’t get it, I’m going to tell them to take their contract and shove it! Thanks G, maybe you should do the same! Everybody now!
I tried FS1960 too,
My Boss said they would get back to me…ha ha
Uninformed post, G. Rosenhaus took out a multi-million dollar insurance policy on each one of Desean’s knee ligaments the moment he realized this 30% thing was going to be a problem.
Like it or not FS1960 I doubt that you have as unique a talent as most NFL football players. I am more in your camp, and would support the view that when you sign a contract you should honor your contract, but it cannot be a one-way street. The team has the ability to cut a player at anytime and the remainder of the contract is not paid. Also, when they deemed a player has under-performed as with Stacy Andrews, the team can choose to adjust the contract downwards. DJax has clearly out preformed his contract. He has been a good soldier and not created a circus with holdouts etc. I would hope that the birds FO would learn from some past dealings and look to lockup this guy. I know that this guy slipped to the second round when he was drafted and the birds have been able to sign him at a bargin, but at some point they will need to pay him his fair market value. I say look for a way to get him a raise sooner (while he is young and productive) so that we are not paying him on the downside like we did with BWest.