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BUILDING VIA FREE AGENCY LOOKS RISKY |
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The News
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Jul 21,
1996 |
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C.11 |
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Sports |
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1152 |
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Copyright
Tacoma News, Inc. Jul 21, 1996 Two leagues. Two salary caps. Two
different headaches. Few can comprehend the impact of those $100 million NBA contracts, those who follow the NFL see a league going
different directions in buying unsigned players. At $100 million or so, the NBA, as
strange as it sounds, might be getting more bang for
its free-agent mega-bucks than the NFL, which has three to six times the
money. Think about it. Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo
Mourning, Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond, Dikembe Mutombo and others have a better chance of making it to
the end of their seven-year contracts than some of the big NFL signings. No, this isn't a plea to ban free
agency from the NFL. Players won that right in court. It's here forever and
should be. The fascinating and maybe scary part about how the NFL is spending
its free-agent dollars is how much money is wasted and how little it gets in
return. Already from last year's free-agent
market, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Andre Rison (a five-year, $17.8
million contract), Miami Dolphins tight end Eric Green (six years, $6
million) and Denver Broncos defensive tackle James Jones (four years, $6.4
million) have been cut. Go back to 1993. There are only
nine - that's right nine - players from that free-agent class still starting
for the teams that signed them. From the class of 1994, there are 25 free
agents still starting - less than one per team. Several of those 1994 players,
including Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons in The idea of a team building itself
through free agency in the NFL isn't working. Those mega-bucks might be a
matter of survival in the NBA, but three years from now, most of those top
players will still be playing and starting. The NFL, as in Not For Long, is
about to turn more cautious. "I think the caution slowed it
down this year," said Oakland Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen.
"It will slow down again. People will be more cautious, but there's no
money next year anyway. None. This year there were maybe 30 to 40 big deals.
The year before, there were 50 to 60. The year before that 70 to 80. Next
year, there may be 10." Until the NFL extends its
television contract after the 1997 season, the salary cap isn't expected to
grow much above its current $40.7 million. That's not to say the NFL is going
to turn cheap. It's not. Except for the Seahawks, teams in the AFC West spent
an average of $19 million on signing bonuses to retain players or add a free
agent or two. Most of that money was spent on
re-signing players. From all the spending, the only significant additions in
the division were defensive end Alfred Williams (Denver Broncos), linebacker
Bill Romanowski (Denver Broncos), linebacker Kurt Gouveia (San Diego Chargers), free safety Darryl Williams
(Seattle Seahawks), defensive tackle Russell Maryland (Raiders) and
cornerback Larry Brown (Raiders). "There is going to be fewer of
these huge signing-bonus deals like the Andre Rison contract where you have
to eat the signing bonus," Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard said. "It's only a matter of time, and that won't be the first one eaten that really
hurts a team. When you look at everything else - career-ending injuries or
whatever - there is just too much risk involved. "In many cases, you are also
taking someone else's problem. It's something you have to be careful about.
It's difficult to juggle the cap to get the players you want or keep the
players you have when you take such a huge risk." Heading into last season, the
then-Cleveland Browns considered themselves a Super Bowl contender. Coming
off an 11-5 season the year before, owner Art Modell
thought the addition of Rison would win a Super Bowl. The Browns went 5-11 and moved to "It screws up your team,"
Beathard said of free agency. "It can affect
your chemistry. If it goes bad - and so many things can go bad - then you're
dead. It can put you out of business for a couple of years." For the next couple of years, Ravens
fans can say "never more" to playoffs because of the damage
free-agent deals did to the salary cap. Don't misunderstand. There will
still be free-agent movement in the NFL. With more than a half dozen coaching
changes expected after this season, replacement coaches will try to entice a
high-priced player or two. There is still enough room under the salary caps
of expansion teams in Many teams are likely to restrict
their free agent shopping to one or two players. Teams will be more cautious.
So will players. Some of those $2 million and $3 million deals are being
eaten up by demands for salary reductions, so more guaranteed money will be
demanded. While the NBA moves forward, the
NFL and its players might stall on the free-agency highway. * Around the league - Detroit Lions
coach Wayne Fontes won't practice safety Bennie
Blades until the team determines if it has to cut him for salary-cap
purposes. The Lions want to cut his salary to between $500,000 and $700,000
in order to sign their rookies, which seems like a
strange move for a player they designated as a franchise player. ... Cash is
so tight with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that most of their draft choices have
been asked to take deferred signing-bonus checks through the regular season.
The Bucs have sold fewer than 25,000 season tickets
and might move if voters don't pass a bill to build them a new stadium. ...
The Chargers are pleased not only with the running of Aaron Hayden and
Terrell Fletcher, who are replacing Natrone Means
and Ronnie Harmon, but also with Leonard Russell, the former New England
Patriot. ... The NFL is telling teams that the contract the Ravens gave
rookie Jonathan Ogden might be the worst in league history. The contract, negotiated
by agent Marv Demoff, is
so strong for the offensive lineman that he could earn $9 million over his
first three seasons and become a restricted free agent. That deal will mean
long holdouts for wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson of
the New York Jets and Simeon Rice of the Arizona Cardinals, who were drafted
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