One of the benefits of owning and operating a media outlet that everyone connected to the NFL reads (not an exaggeration) is that various folks will from time to time pass long ideas, knowing that, if I like the idea, there’s a chance it’ll be broadcast to everyone who wastes their time reading crap like this.
Now that Chargers receiver Tre Harris has become the first of up to 30 unsigned second-round holdouts over the issue of guarantees, the obvious question becomes how long will these holdouts last? The better question may be this: Why did the second-round picks take so long to take a stand?
An agent who doesn’t represent any of the 30 unsigned second-rounders over the issue of guaranteed pay has raised a very good point — good enough to steal.
The second-round picks should have held out earlier. At a minimum, they should have collectively skipped mandatory minicamp. Instead, all of them signed participation agreements and showed up for work despite not being employed, throughout the offseason program.
So now they’re going to stay away?
The teams may not take it seriously. They’ll count on players caving so that they can get ready for the season, accepting less-than-100-percent guarantees in order to get to work. And any such deals coming later in the round will set the parameters for the rest of the round.
At the top of the second round, there’s another dynamic to consider. With the fourth pick in round two (Browns running back Quinshon Judkins) arrested on Saturday for battery and domestic violence, he could be the first one to take less than 100 percent guarantees.
However it plays out, it will be much harder to hold the players together once camps open. Especially since agents traditionally haven’t been willing to take advantage of the ability of players to coordinate and collude.
The best approach, at this point, would be for the NFL Players Association to arrange a conference call of all agents who represent the 30 unsigned second-round picks and come up with a strategy. Although it could be very difficult to get 100 percent guarantees for all of round two, the union and agents could take last year’s percentages for each of the second-round picks and figure out the number to demand for all of the unsigned players.
Then, take it to the teams and say, “This is what it takes to get all of these deals done.”
Of course, that approach would require the players to hold together. To respect an unofficial picket line. Given that players generally won’t (and owners generally will) do without football, it will be hard to do it. (We invite the 30 unsigned second-round picks to prove us wrong about that.)
The point for now is that the effort to coordinate should have started weeks ago. And that, since it didn’t happen, there’s a very real urgency to come up with an organized and effective plan.
Even if it will be difficult to pull it off, the NFLPA should be trying to do it.
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