Snead on negotiations with Aaron Donald: 'No movement'

[Picked4td]

Do you get upset when teams cut guys and don't honor contracts?

well technically teams do honor the contracts even when they cut a guy, hence why theres a thing called dead money. the contract doesnt state the team must keep said player on their roster the length of the contract

 

[FRO]

well technically teams do honor the contracts even when they cut a guy, hence why theres a thing called dead money. the contract doesnt state the team must keep said player on their roster the length of the contract

I could be wrong, but that dead money is the garunteed money on the deal. If the player retires he has to pay a portion of that back. When a player gets cut they lose out on a lot of money. That's why they get cut. Fans seem to only hold players accountable for honoring contracts, but rarely do they hold the team's accountable. A lot of cases fans advocate guys getting cut or pay decreases after the season. Just watch at the end of the year if the Rams end up cutting a guy there will be zero comments on the no good greedy Rams not honoring a signed contract. On the flip side Donald holds out to get a well deserved raise and fans call out the no good greedy Donald for not honoring his contract. All I ask is for people to see both sides. It's a business and players hold out to get a raise and teams cut guys to save cap space. It's just the way it goes.

 

[Yamahopper]

Kinda comical all the comments about loyalty and letting down the team.
The NFL is a business plain and simple. The Owners don't do all this to be nice, they want your money. And the players play for pay. Neither really care as long as the cash flows and they get their share.

None of us know anything about how good the offer is or isn't . So it's a little hard to place blame at this point.
This is the year Donald has the most leverage, he's denying his services. Next year is a moot point cause Rams be like hold out all you want because were tagging you the next 2, Gurly Runs for 2k this year then this could happen with him next year and a couple Pro Bowls Goff the next. It's business.

Donald will be back to get his accrued season..

Couple things to ponder. Rams were know as a non- tagging team till the Tru fiasco. Is that having a factor in Donald's agents process.

And in the OP, all the elite players that got paid after their 3rd season without having to hold out. Yet nothing here.

 

[Picked4td]

I could be wrong, but that dead money is the garunteed money on the deal. If the player retires he has to pay a portion of that back. When a player gets cut they lose out on a lot of money. That's why they get cut. Fans seem to only hold players accountable for honoring contracts, but rarely do they hold the team's accountable. A lot of cases fans advocate guys getting cut or pay decreases after the season. Just watch at the end of the year if the Rams end up cutting a guy there will be zero comments on the no good greedy Rams not honoring a signed contract. On the flip side Donald holds out to get a well deserved raise and fans call out the no good greedy Donald for not honoring his contract. All I ask is for people to see both sides. It's a business and players hold out to get a raise and teams cut guys to save cap space. It's just the way it goes.

yes, cutting players happens because it saves the team money, but no where in the contract does it say the team must pay said player that money. If it did, it would be classified under the guaranteed money. All the non guaranteed money comes from things like being on the roster after said date and such things. If a player isnt good enough to stay on the roster and make that money, the team is under no contractual obligation to keep said player or pay them that money. The team is living up to their end of the contract by paying that guaranteed money, any other money has to be earned

 

[Riverumbbq]

Do you get upset when teams cut guys and don't honor contracts?

I'm sure I do occasionally when it's someone I might favor, but this is an acceptable part of the game which was hammered out and agreed upon between both the League and the Players Union. I see little comparison between an allowable rule agreed upon by those which govern how the game is played to those who would wish to break a contract thru blackmail. Donald has every right to withhold his services if he feels he's being somehow wronged, on the other hand, his team should not feel compelled to re-write a contract every time an employee is unhappy with the terms he previously agreed to. These contracts work both for and against players who may or may not exceed expectations, and many players who haven't performed well consistently, by rights, receive fair compensation even if those expectations are considered relatively unearned by those judging their performances. Players can be cut, but owners can't slash a contract on their own unless a player agrees to renegotiate. Both the league, the union and the individual players understand that each team must live & operate within its CAP, so when a player with a longer term contract suddenly wants more, he affects every other player receiving a salary. Some poor slob/s will lose their job when a team caters to an individual with big demands & gives a relatively short notice, ... managing the CAP is how a team is put together, disrupting that affects far more than just the individual player making the new demands. If the players don't like the rules with which their union has agreed, then they should seek change by redressing how their elected officials do business with the league. It would be chaos if teams were to set a precedent allowing players to re-write contracts whenever they are unhappy, that's why we have long-term contracts which allow teams to plan for year to year challenges. Are the underperforming players offering teams a payback ?, ... none that I ever heard of. I didn't make the rules, the league and players did that with professional & legal representation, if they don't like it, find a better working alternative for the next NFLPA meeting. I'm all in favor of an incentive driven, team first payroll, but for now we only have the rules the players have already agreed to. jmo.

 

[norcalramfan]

I thought the Ram pass rush and Defense did pretty well against what is supposed to be a top O-line yesterday. Maybe that will motivate him to get into camp.

 

[RedRam]

yes, cutting players happens because it saves the team money, but no where in the contract does it say the team must pay said player that money. If it did, it would be classified under the guaranteed money. All the non guaranteed money comes from things like being on the roster after said date and such things. If a player isnt good enough to stay on the roster and make that money, the team is under no contractual obligation to keep said player or pay them that money. The team is living up to their end of the contract by paying that guaranteed money, any other money has to be earned

Agreed.

"Guaranteed" money is something that didn't used to be part of player contracts. That is the players' security blanket if you will. Prior to guaranteed contracts, a player could receive a signing bonus and then be paid per terms of the contract. If the contract was terminated, and there are termination clauses, then the player collects what has been earned up to the termination date and possibly a settlement.

I really couldn't care less about the name of the holdout. If you have a contract, you show up for work. Period. If you choose to holdout, you do so at your own peril. There is more to the peril part than just not getting paid.

 

[So Ram]

Agreed.

"Guaranteed" money is something that didn't used to be part of player contracts. That is the players' security blanket if you will. Prior to guaranteed contracts, a player could receive a signing bonus and then be paid per terms of the contract. If the contract was terminated, and there are termination clauses, then the player collects what has been earned up to the termination date and possibly a settlement.

I really couldn't care less about the name of the holdout. If you have a contract, you show up for work. Period. If you choose to holdout, you do so at your own peril. There is more to the peril part than just not getting paid.

My only worry would be if he holds out.

 

[Picked4td]

Agreed.

"Guaranteed" money is something that didn't used to be part of player contracts. That is the players' security blanket if you will. Prior to guaranteed contracts, a player could receive a signing bonus and then be paid per terms of the contract. If the contract was terminated, and there are termination clauses, then the player collects what has been earned up to the termination date and possibly a settlement.

I really couldn't care less about the name of the holdout. If you have a contract, you show up for work. Period. If you choose to holdout, you do so at your own peril. There is more to the peril part than just not getting paid.

personally I'm against holding out because I think if you signed a contract you should live up to it even if you're worth more. And if you knew you were worth more when you signed it you should have signed a shorter deal to prove it and then get the deal you deserve, no holdout.

BUT, with that said, rookies dont have a choice in their contract so im a bit more understanding in their situation. Good players got the shitty end of rookie deals with the new CBA and have little to no say in their contract so its hard for them to negotiate a way to get paid their worth, so I can understand why a guy like Donald is upset and wants to hold out. The problem I have with it is theres really no advantage to doing so. Hes really got next to no leverage in this holdout and as much as it sucks, the Rams can control him for the next 4 years if they want without a new deal. So unless hes actually willing to sit out a whole season, I think his point has been made and he should just except the shitty truth and report to camp

 

[HitStick]

If he doesn't get signed and holds out during any regular season games, I'd see how many first round picks we could get for him. Honestly, he's the best damn player in the league, and I love him, but his contract is going to handicap us a bit. Not sure how he gets a mega contract and we still sign Ogletree, Watkins, and anyone else that might come up. If he lands us a couple first rounders I'd be tempted.

 

[dieterbrock]

I'd love to know what he is looking for and what the Rams are offering before jumping to conclusions about who is being selfish or cheap...

 

[12intheBox]

The good news is there is no ill will - both sides respect one another - this is just business. AD is a pro - he isn't spending his time at Golden Coral - when he comes in - he will be great shape and you know Wade is building this D around his skillset. It won't take him long.

The other good news is the CBA. Donald doesn't benefit at all from extending this holdout into the season. He will be in uniform soon enough - maybe with a long term deal, or maybe in year 4 of his 5 year deal. Either way - let it play out.

 

[dolphinlover123]

I cant wait for him to get signed. Im still optimistic.

 

[RedRam]

My only worry would be if he holds out.

Nobody wants that. Well, except for the 2017 opponents anyway. The only recourse the Rams have is to apply the fines that are part of the contract. Fines that I believe are useless in the NFL because teams "forgive" the fines as a concession in trying to make a deal. So there's really no point in having fines that aren't inforced.

personally I'm against holding out because I think if you signed a contract you should live up to it even if you're worth more. And if you knew you were worth more when you signed it you should have signed a shorter deal to prove it and then get the deal you deserve, no holdout.

BUT, with that said, rookies dont have a choice in their contract so im a bit more understanding in their situation. Good players got the crappy end of rookie deals with the new CBA and have little to no say in their contract so its hard for them to negotiate a way to get paid their worth, so I can understand why a guy like Donald is upset and wants to hold out. The problem I have with it is theres really no advantage to doing so. Hes really got next to no leverage in this holdout and as much as it sucks, the Rams can control him for the next 4 years if they want without a new deal. So unless hes actually willing to sit out a whole season, I think his point has been made and he should just except the crappy truth and report to camp

Agreed. That's all part of choosing NFL player as a career. There are plenty of other, albeit less lucrative, vocations from which to choose that are far less complicated when it comes to negotiating compensation.

I've worked as a consultant and have had to negotiate and perform to a number of different contracts. I completed them all regardless of how the compensation worked out. I've had a few where I didn't earn my value. Oh well, I honored the contracts nevertheless. In my world, however, we're talking a few thousand dollars maybe not millions. I have less sympathy for those that are set for life than those that toil daily for most, if not all, of their life at their jobs.

 

[Merlin]

Yeah this is true: we don't know what the offer is, just like we don't know what AD's demands are.

All that aside, though, I do assume that the Rams are not as stupid as the Skins, who are misplaying Cousins badly once again. Demoff does pony up the bucks like he demonstrated with Tavon, the key for him is always frontloaded structure so he can get out from under it if he needs to. So I'm guessing here that there's a reasonable chance that what is holding it up is structure.

Still, though, and knowing we all differ wildly on this topic, I do have a problem paying any one non-QB at the $20M level. Now Donald is an outlier in that he's a Hall of Fame player in his youth, and he does warrant top compensation, but he's also getting it two years early. So if the guy cannot meet the team in the middle, then like I've said before play hardball with him. Rams can easily make him play out his two years and then franchise him for a third year if they so choose. THAT is leverage.

I love AD, but the dude is really misplaying this one. And his timing is bad too, with the new regime coming in with the "We Not Me" slogan and all. He deserves to be paid, but not necessarily $19-20M per year when the Rams are coming to the table with him two years early. If that is his demand, then I agree with the Rams playin hardball or even trading him in a blockbuster deal.

 

[FRO]

I'd love to know what he is looking for and what the Rams are offering before jumping to conclusions about who is being selfish or cheap...

Totally agree. I hate picking sides in the argument when we don't have any of the facts. As fans we want him out there. We have to recognize that's it's a business too and holding out and getting cut happens in the league. Take it for what it is.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Mitigated with an insurance policy paid for by Donald.

 

[FRO]

personally I'm against holding out because I think if you signed a contract you should live up to it even if you're worth more. And if you knew you were worth more when you signed it you should have signed a shorter deal to prove it and then get the deal you deserve, no holdout.

BUT, with that said, rookies dont have a choice in their contract so im a bit more understanding in their situation. Good players got the crappy end of rookie deals with the new CBA and have little to no say in their contract so its hard for them to negotiate a way to get paid their worth, so I can understand why a guy like Donald is upset and wants to hold out. The problem I have with it is theres really no advantage to doing so. Hes really got next to no leverage in this holdout and as much as it sucks, the Rams can control him for the next 4 years if they want without a new deal. So unless hes actually willing to sit out a whole season, I think his point has been made and he should just except the crappy truth and report to camp

I don't get how you figure a team lives up to their end of the bargain even when cutting a player though. If player X signs a 5 year 50 million contract with 10 million garunteed all up front in the first year and the team cuts him after the one season then essential it was a one year 10 million dollar contract. To me by the team cutting player X they didn't live up to their end of the contract. That's why I have no problem with guys holding out, not honoring their signed contract. Until all NFL contracts are 100% garunteed, I have zero issue with players holding out. The CBA overwhelmingly benefits the owners.