MTJ06 Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/02/zulgad-vikings-appear-ready-pull-fast-one-teddy-bridgewater/ Zulgad: Vikings appear ready to try to pull a fast one on Teddy Bridgewater By Judd Zulgad | @1500ESPNJuddFebruary 1, 2018 8:47 pm Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) on the bench before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Vikings general manager Rick Spielman long ago mastered the art of being evasive in press conference settings, meaning little to nothing can be gleaned from anything he says. But in his first meeting with the Twin Cities media since the Vikings were run off the field in the NFC title game in Philadelphia, Spielman on Thursday appeared to hint at the franchise’s plan when it comes to its quarterback situation for 2018. Let’s just say it’s extremely interesting, somewhat risky and could alienate a player they supposedly love. With Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford all set to have their contracts expire, there already has been plenty of speculation about what Minnesota will do at quarterback in 2018. Some have guessed they will put the franchise tag on Keenum, while attempting to also sign Bridgewater. Others have surmised that maybe Keenum would be signed to a long-term deal and an attempt would be made to have Bradford return as the backup. The theory here has been that the Vikings remain so enamored with Bridgewater – coach Mike Zimmer raves about him every chance he gets, and Spielman drafted Bridgewater in the first round – that if he appears recovered from the catastrophic knee injury he suffered just before the 2016 season that Bridgewater would be given the starting job. But what if the Vikings didn’t have to worry about negotiating with Bridgewater at all? (Cue the sinister music here.) Asked about Bridgewater’s contract status on Thursday, Spielman said: “Right now, he’s technically ready to become a free agent. With the tolling, I know you guys wrote about all that, if it goes into that area, it’s not a Minnesota Viking (decision), that’s an NFL and player union (issue) that will have to decide that area.” It was written a few months ago that because Bridgewater spent the beginning of the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list (it’s a mandatory six-week stint on the list) that he could have his contract tolled for 2018, meaning he would remain under Vikings’ control for the same salary ($1.354 million) that he got in 2017. (Pro Football Talk reported last spring that the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement contains a provision that states a player’s contract will toll if he remains on the PUP through the sixth game of a season.) It was assumed, however, that once Bridgewater was activated to the 53-man roster in early November, and began serving as Keenum’s backup, that his contract wouldn’t be tolled. Bridgewater even saw action late in a blowout victory over Cincinnati in December. So what does the Vikings’ plan appear to be now? Attempting to fill in the many holes that Spielman left with his comments, along with his refusal to elaborate when asked follow ups, here’s the logical conclusion. The Vikings would love to make the NFL be the bad guy by saying the league tolled Bridgewater’s contract – this would enable the Vikings to claim they had no control – and such a decision also would enable them to slap the franchise tag on Keenum to keep him around. This season Bradford had a base salary of $14 million and a salary-cap hit of $18 million; Bridgewater’s base salary was $1.354 and his cap hit was $2.179 million; and Keenum’s one-year, $2 million contract paid him a base salary of $950,000 with a cap hit of $1.9 million. The franchise tag for a quarterback in 2017 was $21.268 million after being $19.953 million in 2016. So let’s say the franchise tag for a QB in 2018 is just over $23 million. That would mean Keenum could be the Vikings’ starter until Zimmer was ready to replace him with Bridgewater, who would have remained under team control at a minimal salary. Because Bradford would be off the books, the Vikings would absorb a cap hit that would be only about $3 million higher for their top quarterbacks in 2018. If Bridgewater proved his knee was completely healed, something we’re still not sure about, he could be signed to a long-term deal and Keenum would be shown the door. If Bridgewater’s knee didn’t hold up, then Keenum could be retained on a multi-year deal, if he proves that 2017 wasn’t a fluke. So how would tolling his contract sit with Bridgewater? One would think he wouldn’t take kindly to it – that would be a heck of a way to show your appreciation for a guy who is supposedly loved by the organization — and the NFL Players Association would fight the decision by filing a grievance. This could get ugly considering the NFL pushes the NLFPA around at nearly every turn and this would be another example of the type of bullying that should lead to a work stoppage when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after the 2020 season. Spielman provided no details on how tolling Bridgewater’s contract would work, but it would be naïve not to think the Vikings would have to be proactive in making this happen. One key would be if Bridgewater was cleared by doctors before Week 6 of this past season, but couldn’t return because he was on the PUP. He was given the go-ahead to return to practice on Oct. 16, but told reporters he could have been back sooner. That would seem to favor Bridgewater in his case to hit the open market on March 14. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith talked to reporters about the matter on Thursday but offered little assistance. He wasn’t sure of what a timeline for a decision would be but it certainly would need to come before free agency. He also said he was unsure of whether the team or league would make him aware if the decision was made to toll Bridgewater’s contract. It also seems as if this might be a situation where the NFL sides with Bridgewater. A league source told Pro Football Talk in the spring that the league’s Management Council has interpreted the relevant language of the CBA in past cases to require the player to spend the entire year on the PUP list in order to toll the contract. Nonetheless, it would be advisable for Smith, and Bridgewater, to get up to speed on all of these matters ASAP. Otherwise, the Vikings, with some potential assistance from the NFL, might be about to pull a fast one on a guy they claim to love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 That would be truly messed up. Now if it were a non-football related injury, I think something like this would make total sense. Considering that it was football related and how bad it really was, trying to pull a move like this would be a disaster in so many ways. I have no doubt the NFLPA would be totally opposed to a decision like that. If it ends up happening, the Vikings would have to at bare minimum offer him a new deal, even if simply a one-year deal at a higher rate, to not look like complete assholes in this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Brown Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 I would take Bridgewater over Bradford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCarl40 Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 5 hours ago, Charlie Brown said: I would take Bridgewater over Bradford Neither are really all that good and both are just a hit away from being done permanently. Pass on both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Island Leprechaun Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 How does this fit with the possibility of Cousins going to Minny? Looks like Vikings want to run with Keenum and Bridgewater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 I would like the Vikings.defense. They can keep all 3 QBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Straw Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 4 hours ago, CrazyCarl40 said: Neither are really all that good and both are just a hit away from being done permanently. Pass on both. Everyone is a hit away from being done permanently. And I don't think there's any way Bridgewater loses this grievance, if it ends up going that far. The dude was on the field practicing and saw game action. The Vikings and NFL would have no case at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bla bla bla Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 @Jet Nut I don't want to toot my own horn too much but I said this was going to come up. I think Teddy gets the 1st Round Tender and Keenum gets the Franchise Tag, Transition Tag, or a high enough one year deal that he stays put. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjasi Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 4 hours ago, Long Island Leprechaun said: How does this fit with the possibility of Cousins going to Minny? Looks like Vikings want to run with Keenum and Bridgewater. I agree. I suspect this is good news if you really want Cousins on the Jets. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjasi Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 36 minutes ago, Jack Straw said: And I don't think there's any way Bridgewater loses this grievance, if it ends up going that far. The dude was on the field practicing and saw game action. The Vikings and NFL would have no case at all. Good point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bla bla bla Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 45 minutes ago, Jack Straw said: Everyone is a hit away from being done permanently. And I don't think there's any way Bridgewater loses this grievance, if it ends up going that far. The dude was on the field practicing and saw game action. The Vikings and NFL would have no case at all. I think it has a chance to stick. Bridgewater did not return to practice until the middle of October, in order to be a UFA you need 3 years accrued. I'm not sure what argument he'll have to go against that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Straw Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 13 minutes ago, bla bla bla said: I think it has a chance to stick. Bridgewater did not return to practice until the middle of October, in order to be a UFA you need 3 years accrued. I'm not sure what argument he'll have to go against that. You are correct. I was under the impression that he had been practicing and back by week 6...definitely a crappy situation for the kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bla bla bla Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 2 hours ago, Jack Straw said: You are correct. I was under the impression that he had been practicing and back by week 6...definitely a crappy situation for the kid. What would be really crappy is if the Vikings had this plan since before the season when they declined his 5th year option. If they felt like he'd likely get the opportunity to play again it makes more sense to hold him back and get a 5th year at $4M as opposed to the $12M it would have cost. I think it is probably more likely they didn't want to pay that much for a QB that may not ever play again though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaJet Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 Well, without reading any of the fine print or details - if Bridgewater's K get's "tolled" the players have no one to blame but themselves, their union and their union lawyers. I would imagine they pay some of these lawyers upwards of $1000/hr to negotiate the CBA - if they allowed such a provision to be written into the CBA that truly lets the owners take advantage of this type of situation - well then they need to hire new people to run this union and negotiate the K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bla bla bla Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 41 minutes ago, IndianaJet said: Well, without reading any of the fine print or details - if Bridgewater's K get's "tolled" the players have no one to blame but themselves, their union and their union lawyers. I would imagine they pay some of these lawyers upwards of $1000/hr to negotiate the CBA - if they allowed such a provision to be written into the CBA that truly lets the owners take advantage of this type of situation - well then they need to hire new people to run this union and negotiate the K. The issue is that college players are not part of the NFL CBA negotiation process, the NFL Veterans are the ones who are negotiating and would likely be looking out for themselves. By forcing a rookie to accrue 3 years it means more money gets dished out to the veterans in the league. This is why the rookie pay scale became a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 21 minutes ago, bla bla bla said: The issue is that college players are not part of the NFL CBA negotiation process, the NFL Veterans are the ones who are negotiating and would likely be looking out for themselves. By forcing a rookie to accrue 3 years it means more money gets dished out to the veterans in the league. This is why the rookie pay scale became a thing. Definitely true. In the last CBA negotiation, the NFLPA was regularly willing to make plenty of concessions regarding rookie contracts to get other things in their favor. It was considered a win-win for the owners and the players already in the league, quite deliberately at the expense of those still to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 49 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said: Definitely true. In the last CBA negotiation, the NFLPA was regularly willing to make plenty of concessions regarding rookie contracts to get other things in their favor. It was considered a win-win for the owners and the players already in the league, quite deliberately at the expense of those still to come. Same with the players not being allowed to talk to CS during the off-season. Works for the vets, but a lot of rookies, particularly QB's would love to be able to work with the team QB coach. instead they have to hire a QB coach who really doesn't know the offense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.