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The Dark Side of NFL Free Agency

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Hall of Fame
Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen shares his experience...

The Dark Side of NFL Free Agency
Dick Jauron called right in the middle of dinner at my grandma’s house.

Food on the table down in Tampa, my aunt and uncle in town, my wife holding our newborn baby boy Matthew on her knee.

Joe Gibbs called right after I touched down in Las Vegas for a weekend with my brother and cousin. I didn’t even make it to baggage claim before the phone rang.

Dang. They got me.

Two calls…in March. That’s trouble when you are an NFL veteran still under contract.

I let both calls go to voicemail.

- - - - -

The majority of veterans know when their...
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Playoffs said:
Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen shares his experience...

The Dark Side of NFL Free Agency
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I just don't get the "Dark Side" reference. It's a known part of the deal when you sign up, that one day you might get released. It's one of the reasons to value that college education you were getting before the pros.

Not sure I understood this part either:
Would I drag my boy around the country, away from his doctors, his family, to possibly cover kicks for another year and compete for a backup roster spot?
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Many players live in different cities from where they play. Why would he need to drag kiddo (or wife) to another city and away from his doctors? I would've understood if he'd said he hated to possibly be away from his family.
 
Sounds like he's just sour about it.. it's part of football he should have known this 8 years in and have started saving money to be ready for life after football.
 
silvrhand said:
Sounds like he's just sour about it.. it's part of football he should have known this 8 years in and have started saving money to be ready for life after football.
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I don't think so. Several times in the article he owns up to not having played up to his contracts.
 
This is the absolute truth...
Hometown discounts? Forget about it. That’s fantasy land.

This game is too violent and physical, and the careers are just too short to leave cash on the table. These players should get as much money as they can before that call from the head coach comes.

And it will at some point down the road.
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If Matt Schaub will be cut with a 1st June designation, then how much dead money do the Texans have to eat up for the remainder of his contract ?

Is it 10.5 Mil, 7Mil, and 3 Mil ? for 2014/15/16
 
honored82 said:
If Matt Schaub will be cut with a 1st June designation, then how much dead money to the Texans have to eat up for the remainder of his contract ?

Is it 10.5 Mil, 7Mil, and 3 Mil ? for 2014/15/16
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The dead money is $10.5M PLUS a stipend this season which was earned by Schaub. This stipend is why the cap savings went down after the season. Now all of it has to come off the cap, but there are various ways to shift the money.

First, the June 1 cut - Only the original $3.5M of the $10.5M signing bonus dead money along with the earned Stipend counts against 2014, but the remaining $7M counts against the 2015 cap. But it does clear up $3.5M in cap space in 2016.

Second, a regular cut - All of the $10.5M and the Stipend of $625 count against the 2014 Cap while $3.5M is added to the Cap Space each year in 2015 and 2016.

Restructure, Extensions and a Trade are unlikely since they shift money rather than save money.

My own suggestion that cutting Schaub and rehiring him under a new contract was met with vigorous and healthy skepticism, but I believe it is the best and cleanest way to bring him back as a veteran if we choose to keep him around. I also think we should take as much of the cap hit this season as possible to clear up space for next year.
 
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honored82 said:
If Matt Schaub will be cut with a 1st June designation, then how much dead money do the Texans have to eat up for the remainder of his contract ?

Is it 10.5 Mil, 7Mil, and 3 Mil ? for 2014/15/16
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Marshall said:
The dead money is $10.5M PLUS a stipend this season which was earned by Schaub. This stipend is why the cap savings went down after the season. Now all of it has to come off the cap, but there are various ways to shift the money.
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Not sure where you are getting this stipend business from.

To answer the above:

Scheduled cap hits: 2014 - $14.125 mil (including a 2014 scheduled bonus of 625k), 2015 - $17 mil

Dead money: $10.5 mil

Distribution of dead money:

Regular cut, $10.5 mil in 2014.
June 1st cut, $3.5 mil in 2014 and $7 mil in 2015.

Cap savings:

Regular cut - $3.625 in 2014, $17 mil in 2015...and likewise 100% of scheduled cap hit for remainder of contract
June 1st cut - $10.625 in 2014, $10 mil in 2015...100% of scheduled cap hit for remainder of contract.
 
Marshall said:
The dead money is $10.5M PLUS a stipend this season which was earned by Schaub. This stipend is why the cap savings went down after the season. Now all of it has to come off the cap, but there are various ways to shift the money.

First, the June 1 cut - Only the original $3.5M of the $10.5M signing bonus dead money along with the earned Stipend counts against 2014, but the remaining $7M counts against the 2015 cap. But it does clear up $3.5M in cap space in 2016.

Second, a regular cut - All of the $10.5M and the Stipend of $625 count against the 2014 Cap while $3.5M is added to the Cap Space each year in 2015 and 2016.

Restructure, Extensions and a Trade are unlikely since they shift money rather than save money.

My own suggestion that cutting Schaub and rehiring him under a new contract was met with vigorous and healthy skepticism, but I believe it is the best and cleanest way to bring him back as a veteran if we choose to keep him around. I also think we should take as much of the cap hit this season as possible to clear up space for next year.
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Agreed

But I don't think it would be fair to Schaub to bring him back and all of the scrutiny he would face.

Looking at those numbers tell me does Slick Rick have compromising pics of Uncle Bob having sex with a donkey or something?

That is the only explanation that I can think of for Slick to still be currently employed by Uncle BoB.
 
steelbtexan said:
Agreed

But I don't think it would be fair to Schaub to bring him back and all of the scrutiny he would face.

Looking at those numbers tell me does Slick Rick have compromising pics of Uncle Bob having sex with a donkey or something?

That is the only explanation that I can think of for Slick to still be currently employed by Uncle BoB.
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Another explanation could be that McNair saw Schaub (the 2009 thru 2012 editions; the one with the 90+ QB rating every year and threw for 4000+ yds each season he was healthy) as a near elite-level QB and thought he was getting a bargain. It could be that Uncle Bob ORDERED Smith to get Schaub signed and not let him get out on the open mkt.

As Three-toed Pete used to say, we don't know, we weren't in the room. None of us were.
 
Not free agency related, but thought this fits in with the sentiment of the OP article...

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter
Teams told Cardinals UFA RB Rashard Mendenhall is, in fact, retiring, per sources. Mendenhall hinted at in a Feb. 25 Huffington Post column.
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Why I Retired At 26

...Imagine having a job where you're always on duty, and can never fully relax or you just may drown. Having to fight through waves and currents of praise and criticism, but mostly hate. I can't even count how many times I've been called a 'dumb nword'. There is a bold coarseness you receive from non-supporters that seems to only exist on the Internet. However, even if you try to avoid these things completely -- because I've tried -- somehow they still reach you. If not first-hand, then through friends and loved ones who take to heart all that they read and hear. I'm not a terribly sensitive person, so this stuff never really bothered me. That was until I realized that it actually had an impact my career. Over my career, I would learn that everything people say behind these computer and smartphones actually shape the perception of you -- the brand, the athlete and the person. Go figure!

What was more difficult for me to grasp was the way that the business of entertainment had really shifted the game and the sport of football in the NFL. The culture of football now is very different from the one I grew up with. When I came up, teammates fought together for wins and got respect for the fight. The player who gave the ball to the referee after a touchdown was commended; the one who played through injury was tough; the role of the blocking tight end was acknowledged; running backs who picked up blitzing linebackers showed heart; and the story of the game was told through the tape, and not the stats alone. That was my model of football.

Today, game-day cameras follow the most popular players on teams; guys who dance after touchdowns are extolled on Dancing With the Starters; games are analyzed and brought to fans without any use of coaches tape; practice non-participants are reported throughout the week for predicted fantasy value; and success and failure for skill players is measured solely in stats and fantasy points. This is a very different model of football than the one I grew up with...
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Playoffs said:
Not free agency related, but thought this fits in with the sentiment of the OP article...
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Can't say I disagree with what he's saying. However, I can also acknowledge this "different model" of football is making more $$ than any type of football in the past. In turn, increases the salaries of players, coaches and all involved with the NFL. Do I like it? Eh, I like old school football, but I love football period. So, I will continue to watch
 
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