Jump to content

LB Darron Lee.. why he still hasn't signed his rookie contract ~ ~ ~


kelly

Recommended Posts

The New York Jets begin training camp in three days, and their first-round pick -- Darron Lee -- remains unsigned. He's an outlier in this era of rookie slotting. In fact, he's one of only three first-rounders who hasn't signed a contract.

The sticking point is believed to be the fourth-year guarantee. The players chosen from one to 19 received fully guaranteed salaries in the fourth year, according to Pro Football Talk. The exception is the San Diego Chargers' Joey Bosa, who has yet to sign. Once he signs, his fourth year will be fully guaranteed because of his draft position (third overall).

Lee, drafted 20th overall, no doubt wants his fourth year (about $1.8 million) to be guaranteed. The player picked after him, Houston Texanswide receiver Will Fuller, received a fully guaranteed $1.836 million, according to ESPN salary data. Fuller is represented by CAA's Todd France, who also reps Lee. Naturally, he's trying to do the same for Lee.The Jets see it this way: The 22nd pick, Washington Redskins wide receiver Josh Doctson, received only a partial guarantee ($1.2 million of $1.8 million), as did the 20th pick in 2015, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor ($1.1 million of $1.7 million).

So, basically, the Jets and Lee's reps are battling over $600,000. Chances are, he'll get the money anyway because first-round picks usually don't get cut.Eventually, Lee will sign because he doesn't have much leverage. When he does, it'll be a four-year deal for $10.2 million, plus a fifth-year team option.

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/61392/jets-rookie-lb-darron-lee-is-fast-except-when-it-comes-to-his-contract

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Villain The Foe said:

Pay the man. We've gone from rookies being the highest paid players in franchise history to these guys getting crumbs, which being a rookie is perfectly understandable. Guarantee the contract and if he doesnt work out then dont pick up the 5th year option . 

Why?  Zero reason, just follow the rules.  He has dick all for leverage, if he is good he will get his pay day, see mo wilk.  If he is a bust then we save money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Beerfish said:

Why?  Zero reason, just follow the rules.  He has dick all for leverage, if he is good he will get his pay day, see mo wilk.  If he is a bust then we save money.

Yet people wanna pay $12 mil a year to a guy no one wants for even half that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, BurnleyJet said:

Mom says don't sign, she's seen a video of some Jet guy called Revis. He held out and it worked!

Rookie wage scale means he's not getting more money, just more guarantee, which may not even matter in the long run. Revis signed a 6 year deal worth $36 mil when rookies were signing 5 year $15 mil deals around that spot. Lee can hold out but that $10.2 mil figure won't change. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lee isn't being a dick. He's right to demand what every rookie demanded picked around his spot. This is solely on the Jets for trying to save $600k off a player they believe will become an All-Pro (that's the thinking at least). These rookie deals should be signed within a wk of being drafted. Not much to it. Would you rather wanna go back to the old system?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The player picked after him got a fully guaranteed 4th year. This is a dumb line in the sand, made all that much worse given the amount ($600K that the Jets or any team treat as nothing when cutting anyone else literally every season).

Sure a team would think it's good to hold this over a player's head - whether a rookie or a veteran it doesn't matter - to ensure he produces (so he knows he won't get paid even if he mails it in), but this is a double-dipping maneuver. There is a rookie wage scale, so they're signing these guys for way less than they used to, while still being able to lock them up for the first 5 years of their careers without hitting free agency or at least being entitled to franchise tag money. So the teams are getting (by NFL standards) very cheap labor, and Maccagnan wants to double dip on that by being able to get off for even less. He wants not just a low ceiling lower than the #19 player, but also a low floor even lower than the #21 player. Weak.

I like some things the FO has done and don't like others. This falls along the latter, even though it's obvious a deal will ultimately be struck without an extended holdout (if there's even a 5 minute holdout) by the time camp officially gets started.

By Lee's 4th year the NFL salary cap may very well be north of $180 million. Maccagnan's really drawing a line in the sand over guaranteeing $1.2M that year but not $1.8M? That will be less than 1/2 of 1% of that season's cap limit, and we all know creating the last $600K of space, if miraculously needed, will be an effortless endeavor at that time. This isn't something that would hamper the team from doing what it wants with any other player; it doesn't affect other/future negotiations with much higher priced players using this as a precedent; and this is unlikely to be the difference-maker to how Lee performs in year 3. This is just petty garbage just for the sake of drawing a line in the sand. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Villain The Foe said:

It's called negotiations, he can always pull a Crabtree. 

The Jets are not a team that is going to fold to the demands of a rookie who has prone zero.  His mother can have him sit out all year if she wishes.

(Also funny how, 'it's called negotiations' is tossed out here now when it is a dirty phrase in many Fitzpatrick threads.)

 

The main reason they should not be coughing up that extra guaranteed money is that this guy is going to bust hard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sperm Edwards said:

The player picked after him got a fully guaranteed 4th year. This is a dumb line in the sand, made all that much worse given the amount ($600K that the Jets or any team treat as nothing when cutting anyone else literally every season).

Sure a team would think it's good to hold this over a player's head - whether a rookie or a veteran it doesn't matter - to ensure he produces (so he knows he won't get paid even if he mails it in), but this is a double-dipping maneuver. There is a rookie wage scale, so they're signing these guys for way less than they used to, while still being able to lock them up for the first 5 years of their careers without hitting free agency or at least being entitled to franchise tag money. So the teams are getting (by NFL standards) very cheap labor, and Maccagnan wants to double dip on that by being able to get off for even less. He wants not just a low ceiling lower than the #19 player, but also a low floor even lower than the #21 player. Weak.

I like some things the FO has done and don't like others. This falls along the latter, even though it's obvious a deal will ultimately be struck without an extended holdout (if there's even a 5 minute holdout) by the time camp officially gets started.

By Lee's 4th year the NFL salary cap may very well be north of $180 million. Maccagnan's really drawing a line in the sand over guaranteeing $1.2M that year but not $1.8M? That will be less than 1/2 of 1% of that season's cap limit, and we all know creating the last $600K of space, if miraculously needed, will be an effortless endeavor at that time. This isn't something that would hamper the team from doing what it wants with any other player; it doesn't affect other/future negotiations with much higher priced players using this as a precedent; and this is unlikely to be the difference-maker to how Lee performs in year 3. This is just petty garbage just for the sake of drawing a line in the sand. 

With all this hardball by the FO, which I like, do you think it will have an effect on future free agents not wanting to sign with us? Or do we end up paying a premium for the right to sign them?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, 34st GANG said:

With all this hardball by the FO, which I like, do you think it will have an effect on future free agents not wanting to sign with us? Or do we end up paying a premium for the right to sign them?

They haven't done one thing that is unfair or against the rules,  It will have no effect on future FA because it's all about the money and who you can play with.  Unnamed FA is not going to are less that the Jets did not cave in and over pay Fitz, they are not going to care at all about Darron Lee getting an extra gift of a million or more guaranteed money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bottom line is your rookie deal is not the time to squabble about a contract, you're doing nothing but setting yourself up to fail your first year in the league - which could lead to long-term career ramifications.

Stupid move on Lee's part IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/26/2016 at 0:03 PM, 34st GANG said:

With all this hardball by the FO, which I like, do you think it will have an effect on future free agents not wanting to sign with us? Or do we end up paying a premium for the right to sign them?

Not likely. Players mostly go where the money is greatest. Some take less to stay put, or to go to a team they want to go to so badly, or is a victim of a team's negotiating exclusivity; but for the most part - for true/unbound free agents - the highest bidder wins no matter how "nice" we are. 

Even if your concern is correct, we're either paying a premium one way or the other, whether it's by paying more to players by not playing hardball, or by needing to overbid. Either way the team pays more than they'd ideally like to pay. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Beerfish said:

The Jets are not a team that is going to fold to the demands of a rookie who has prone zero.  His mother can have him sit out all year if she wishes.

(Also funny how, 'it's called negotiations' is tossed out here now when it is a dirty phrase in many Fitzpatrick threads.)

 

The main reason they should not be coughing up that extra guaranteed money is that this guy is going to bust hard.

Crying about Fitzpatrick and calling lee an automatic bust in the same post. Classic SOJF :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, JetUp81 said:

Maybe he knows that we're likely going to cut Folk and plans to push for more "dinero" before Fitzpatrick gets it??  ;)

His overall contract numbers will not change.  They are slotted in and he cannot negotiate out of it.  The issue is over guaranteeing 600k in year 4....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Bleedin Green said:

The truth is that this is stupid for both sides to be playing this game.  Now it's just a matter of some stupid sort of pride that neither side wants to be the ones to blink.  Such childish nonsense from everyone.

Hate to say it but Lee has more of a leg to stand on. The player drafted a slot behind him got his 4th year fully guaranteed. Lee would be getting less (guaranteed) than the player drafted right after him. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

Hate to say it but Lee has more of a leg to stand on. The player drafted a slot behind him got his 4th year fully guaranteed. Lee would be getting less (guaranteed) than the player drafted right after him. 

And yet the payer taken before him did not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, EM31 said:

And yet the payer taken before him did not.

Most media outlets show Lawson's contract as 4 years, $10.3M, 100% guaranteed. The only site I could find on the web that suggests it isn't is the 'contract details' link on rotoworld. Could be they're right and everyone else is wrong, I suppose. But it would be surprising, since last year's #19 pick got a fully-guaranteed contract. That stuff doesn't typically go backwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...