As the NFL Training Camps are about to open, there are three “contract situations” afloat that need resolution. Here is the first one:
- Most of the second-round picks from the April Draft remain unsigned.
The issue is pretty simple. Second-round picks have slotted contract values but the amount of the contract that is guaranteed is negotiable. The players this year want more of the contracts guaranteed than in future years and the owners have not yet met that demand. This stalemate will be resolved because even though this crop of rookies arrives with pocketed NIL money from college days, they are not about to forgo deals worth up to eight figures with most of it guaranteed if not as much as they had hoped for.
Here is the second contract situation:
- Bengals’ first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, remains unsigned. The issue here is NOT the money; that makes it more complicated.
Stewart was the 17th pick in the first round back in April; the CBA says he gets a fully guaranteed contract for 4 years worth about $19M with $10.8M coming as a signing bonus. The issue is that the Bengals want to change the contract language surrounding the means by which the salary guarantees can be voided should Stewart breach the contract. This is not the way the Bengals have worded such contract clauses with draftees in prior years and Stewart does not think he deserves to have it in his deal either.
There are myriad ways in which a player can breach a contract; the most obvious one being that he is convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail, making him unavailable for games. But it is not difficult to imagine other trigger events such as:
- Suspension by the league for violation of the Substance Abuse Policy
- Suspension by the league for violation of the Personal Conduct Policy
- Suspension by the league for violation of the Gambling Policy
- Failure to show up for a game
Stewart has an interesting option available to him. He still has college football eligibility left; in theory, he could try to go back to school – – assuming the NCAA would not declare him ineligible for hiring an agent to represent him after the NFL Draft – – and collect another year of NIL money there. That option has several danger points:
- Suppose he gets a serious injury and is not a first round pick next year
- Suppose he has a mediocre season and is not a first round pick next year
- Suppose NFL GMs think he is a pain-in-the-ass, and he is not a first round pick next year
- Nonetheless, the option exists …
When contract negotiations are hung up over money or duration or guarantees, the path to resolution is usually obvious. Shemar Stewart’s case is different, and it may not be easily resolved unless one of the two parties capitulates – – and that is not a good way to begin a constructive relationship.
Here is the third contract situation
- Washington Commanders’ WR, Terry McLaurin, wants a contract extension and the team has not come up with an offer that is acceptable to him.
This one has lots of dimensions.
- McLaurin is the team’s best WR
- He is an established clubhouse leader and has been since he arrived.
- He has had 100+ yards receiving for the last 5 consecutive seasons.
- He has not missed a game since 2020.
- He will make $23M in 2025 in the final year of his last contract extension.
- He will turn 30 years old in September.
Looking at all the above, the only thing that is slightly negative is McLaurin’s age which might give the team pause when it comes to the length of the contract. The problem is that the market price for WRs has changed significantly recently, and McLaurin’s agents obviously want him to participate in that upward momentum. The question now is:
- How does Terry McLaurin rank in the pantheon of NFL #1 WRs?
Ja’Mar Chase got an extension worth $40M per year for 4 years. That is the top of the market and – – good as Terry McLaurin is, he is not Ja’Mar Chase. So, McLaurin is at $23M for this year and the top of the WR market for extensions is $40M per year. That is a wide range for negotiations and that is probably a major sticking point in the negotiations.
The age factor is probably at work here too. Chase is 25 years old; here are the ages for some of the #1 WRs who are comparable to Terry McLaurin:
- Marvin Harrison Jr. is 23 years old
- Amon Ra St. Brown is 25 years old
- Justin Jefferson is 26 years old
- CeeDee Lamb is 26 years old
- Brandon Aiyuk is 27 years old
- A J Brown is 28 years old
- Terry McLaurin is 30 years old.
From my perspective, the pressure here is on the Commanders to make this deal happen. McLaurin is their best receiver, and this is the last year of his current deal. It would not make sense for the team to let that contract expire at the end of the year and have McLaurin test the free agent market with a sour taste in his mouth for the Commanders’ Front Office. The team does not want to lose him, and they surely do not want to lose him and get nothing back in trade. And, if the Commanders would choose to put the franchise tag on him next year, that would mean they have to pay him about $34M with all of that counting toward the cap. Terry McLaurin does not have a ton of leverage here, but he has more leverage than the team does.
Finally, let me close today with some observations about negotiations:
“Successful negotiation is not about getting to ‘yes’; it’s about mastering ‘no’ and understanding what the path to an agreement is.” [Christopher Voss]
And …
“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.” [Carrie Fisher]
And …
“During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively.” [Brian Koslow]
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………