Dwight Freeney believes NFL owners colluded

[ChrisPozz]

Dwight Freeney believes owners were holding back cash - CBSSports.com

 

[NinerSickness]

"I basically think the owners got together and decided not to spend the cash on free agents," Freeney explained. "I definitely think that's part of it. I think the owners made a pact. There's only 32 of them and none of them broke ranks. I think they all decided not to spend money."

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[HammerDown]

Because HE didn't get what HE thought he deserved, it's a grand conspiracy? Puhlease.

 

[TobyTyler]

Dwight Freeney believes owners were holding back cash - CBSSports.com

Perhaps Freeny's value is not what he thinks it is.

 

[JDM]

From another thread:

Ridiculous. It's the new CBA.

Cap increase from previous year:

98: 11mil
99: 5mil
2000: 5mil
01: 5mil
02: 4mil
03: 4mil
04: 5.5mil
05: 5mil
06: 16.5mil
07: 7mil
08: 7mil
09: 7mil
2010 was uncapped
2011 dropped 3 mil from 09
12: .6mil
13: 2.4 mil



Teams have made a long history of back loading contracts because the cap kept going up. The cap this year is the same as it was in 2009. It's pretty clear why teams can't make the type of contracts they used to, especially for someone like Dwight freeney who can't have a whole hell of a lot left in the tank.

 

[Jikkle]

Also I think you need to consider that teams in general are just smarter when it comes to building and running a team.

More teams are putting emphasis on the draft but the biggest factor to me is teams are locking up players to long term extensions early so they keep the player in their prime years at a cheaper price than if they hit the market.

So the market is flooded with vets past their prime with the occasional young star player to top the market.

 

[JDM]

I don't think they're really smarter. I think it's just the fact that most contracts in effect expected a much higher salary cap to be in place. Veterans are always first to go when the cap is tight. Even if you're overpaying your young talent you catch too much flack for letting them go.

 

[NinerSickness]

This must be why the Dolphins signed Mike Wallace to a 5-year 60 million dollar contract.

 

[JDM]

No one's accused the dolphins of being well run lol.

 

[JDM]

They overpaid Ellerbe too.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

On one hand its difficult to believe they'd collude in the FA market, because it would benefit some teams more than others, and because you'd need cooperation of all 32 teams to make it work - and some of these teams would just be too competitive and hungry to go with the flow if it didn't benefit them.

On the other hand, the NFL owners and league do seem to manage an unusual amount of cooperation in a lot of issues, whether they've been convinced its in their longterm interest, or compelled by the league office to comply some way or another.

 

[JDM]

On one hand its difficult to believe they'd collude in the FA market, because it would benefit some teams more than others, and because you'd need cooperation of all 32 teams to make it work - and some of these teams would just be too competitive and hungry to go with the flow if it didn't benefit them.

On the other hand, the NFL owners and league do seem to manage an unusual amount of cooperation in a lot of issues, whether they've been convinced its in their longterm interest, or compelled by the league office to comply some way or another.

Does collusion sound like a more realistic reason than the same salary cap as 4 years ago, players paid like it would be 10-15% higher, and most importantly, and the fact the Dwight freeney simply isn't that good?

 

[NinerSickness]

No one's accused the dolphins of being well run lol.

It wasn't a question of whether it was a good signing or not (which it was); he was accusing 32 teams of collusion. But players have been getting biigger contracts than ever (see Joe Flacco).

I don't remember a more obvious example of someone just being a cry baby.

 

[JDM]

He isn't wrong about there being far less big contracts. But I think there are more logical explanations.

 

[NinerSickness]

He isn't wrong about there being far less big contracts. But I think there are more logical explanations.

He is wrong. Joe Flacco is not exactly the MVP of the league, but he got the biggest contract in NFL history. Darrelle Revis just got the largest contract for a CB in the history of the NFL. Percy Harvin just signed for 5 years, 64.5 million. And two of those guys are coming off of season ending injuries! The value of free agents is determined by what percentage of the alary cap they're going to take up, and the slary cap is higer than ever.

Freeney's accusation is beyond stupid.

 

[Jikkle]

Don't forget 1 playoff win Romo's new contract

 

[Flyingiguana]

 

[threelittleturds]

Dwight should have paid attention to the pundits and experts who said that the rookie salary cap would eventually soften the free agency market. So many big splash free agent contracts happened because of how much guys who never even played in the NFL were making... for instance Stafford's rookie deal was nuts, 50 mil guaranteed without even throwing a single NFL pass. The agents for the big name vets used contracts like that as a starting point. "This rookie gets that much without doing anything?? Well, my client is a 4 time All-Pro and just came off the best year of his career and shows no signs of slowing down... "

Probably all kinds of Jerry McGuire stuff going on...

 

[RobToxin]

Freeney's present contract with the Chargers calls for $8.75 million over two years with $4.75M guaranteed and another $4.6M in incentives for sacks. He only had five sacks last year so he should hit on some of those incentives.If he's on the roster in 2014 he can make an extra $500,000 per game as a roster bonus. Let's say he returns to his production of younger days and has 11 sacks in 2013. That makes him a lock to be on the 2014 roster and could make him upwards of $15 million over two years.

....

Fuck Freeney and anybody else who makes that much money playing a game and bitches that it's not enough.

 

[maniax]

I think the owners did collude.

They all agreed to go to this event called the NFL draft and draft young college players, at the same time ignoring the unsigned, over the hill free agent players available.