Football Schefter :Colin Kaepernick can't cash in - Page 5

**Tribal Warfare** · 01-26-2013, 01:17 AM

Colin Kaepernick can't cash in

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has found holes in opposing defenses and the CBA.

Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement that the NFL and NFLPA negotiated in July 2011, what San Francisco is paying Kaepernick to take the team to Super Bowl XLVII is a steal. And the Seattle Seahawks are paying even less to quarterback Russell Wilson, who took the team to the divisional playoff round and set up the franchise for the next decade.

There might not be two athletes in any sport as underpaid as Kaepernick and Wilson, two NFC West quarterbacks who figure to square off for years to come. It's off-the-charts ridiculousness, their salaries. It's thievery, nearly criminal.

Sixty minutes from a world championship, Kaepernick is finishing up Year Two of a four-year, $5.12 million deal that is worth more than $3 million less in full than what Mark Sanchez will make from the New York Jets next season.

Yet Kaepernick has no out. He is locked into the deal until after the 2013 season.

Wilson's deal is even more glaringly incongruous. He signed a four-year, $2.99 million deal that is worth $6 million less in full than what Kevin Kolb is scheduled to make from Seattle's division rival Arizona Cardinals next season.

Like Kaepernick, Wilson has no way out. He is stuck with the deal until after the 2014 season, despite being added to the Pro Bowl this week and looking like he could go for years to come.

These two deals expose one of the biggest weaknesses in the CBA for the players and one of the biggest strengths for owners. Young NFL players have no choice but to suck it up for three years, even if they play at the level Kaepernick and Wilson have. Meanwhile, NFL owners get to build cheaply through the draft and own players' rights for five to six years, without the threat of arbitration that Major League Baseball has.

This is why good scouting and draft picks really are more valuable than ever before. The NFL never has seen good labor this cheap for this long.

How the league got here is easy enough to understand. During the most recent CBA negotiations, we saw an extreme backlash against the outlandish deals given to top draft picks in previous years, when a player such as former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell walked away with $32 million in guaranteed money. So much attention was given to the issue that standout rookies in the new 10-year CBA now are being punished for it. In part because of Russell, Kaepernick and Wilson are underpaid.

There is no reprieve, no chance to be paid until a player has given a team three seasons. By then, some running backs, such as an Alfred Morris, will have plenty of wear on their tires. And as everyone prepares for Super Bowl XLVII, the storylines that follow it will be different than in the past.

[+] Enlarge
Ric Tapia/Icon SMI/CORBIS
The Seahawks get to hang onto Russell Wilson at his current bargain price for two more seasons.
Young players such as Kaepernick who help lead their team to the Super Bowl cannot demand new deals the way they seemed to regularly in the past. It used to be like this: Player helps team to Super Bowl, player demands new deal, team rewards player for helping team, new deal gets done.

But that was old-school. New-school is the ultimate form of detention for standout young players. The CBA locks up their contracts for three years and throws away the key, with no chance of parole.

It would be much more equitable if certain allowances were made for extreme examples, players who glaringly outplay expectations. It would be hard to define what that level of play is, but suffice it to say that everyone would know. Any player who helps lead his team to the Super Bowl in his second year, as Kaepernick has done, or goes to the Pro Bowl in his first year, the way Wilson has, deserves to be rewarded, at least more than his existing rookie deal does.

Until the rules are adjusted, the players will continue to be wronged. And after watching Kaepernick and Wilson this season and seeing what they will earn in future seasons, one truth is self-evident: The holes in the CBA are a lot bigger than any they find in opposing defenses.

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

Wilson and Kaepernick don't deserve a mega deal?

That's ridiculous.

Again. If they show consistency and aren't flash in the pans they will hit the JACKPOT.

You act like they are making minimum wage dude

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 12:56 PM

It's a very moot point. Kaep is only locked into his deal until after NEXT season. If he plays lights out again he'll get PAID. If he doesn't, he won't earn one.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGM

Again. If they show consistency and aren't flash in the pans they will hit the JACKPOT.

You act like they are making minimum wage dude

Russell Wilson is making NFL minimum wage. It's an absolute gross injustice after the year he had and the position he plays.

If you're the most important person in your fortune 500 company and you make your boss $100 million dollars and he pays you $30K a year and doesn't give you a bonus...

would you say..."meh, maybe if I do it again next year he'll upgrade my pay!" ??

Just because $300K is a lot to you doesn't mean Russell Wilson isn't grossly underpaid for his profession. The NFL is the ULTIMATE violent sport where ANYTHING can happen to ANYONE...Wilson could take one hit and get paralyzed in preseason next year.

These players who outperform their contracts, especially 3rd-7th round young players, should have the luxury to rework their deals to ensure themselves financial security WHENEVER they want. They are PROFESSIONALS. This is their JOB.

The only reason we as fans like all of this is because we will no longer see Chris Johnson holdouts or Sam Bradford mega deals...which is fine for us, but disgustingly unfair to guys like Russell Wilson (and even Chris Johnson had he not been able to get his deal)

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 01:01 PM

After 2014, he'll have a damn money pit and be swimming in cash. All he has to do is have 2 solid seasons of play. Kaep only needs one.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGM

It's a very moot point. Kaep is only locked into his deal until after NEXT season. If he plays lights out again he'll get PAID. If he doesn't, he won't earn one.

he's already earned one

he's earned the right to get paid like a top tier NFL starting QB; he is the best player on a team he has favored to win the Super Bowl

saying he hasn't earned the right to rework a contract that pays him less than many 3rd string NFL veteran QB's is simply ignorant

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 01:04 PM

Well, thanks for the discussion Hootie. I get what you are saying, but show that consistency and earn that contract!!

kcxiv · 01-26-2013, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

The pussification of the NFL and US in general continues.

How do these "journalist" have jobs? That's the bigger question. Shefter is getting paid to write this tripe?

This isn't a ****ing story, its how it works.

im sure he's writing this on behalf of the agents, the same agents that give him news to break. Why wouldnt he write this is the real question.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 01:05 PM

no, you have to have 3 seasons before you get paid

that's not even the point; I have no doubt Kaep and Wilson will end up getting MASSIVE contracts.

It doesn't mean it's right they have to play 3 seasons (especially for Wilson) at the one MEGA MONEY NFL position that means everything to their franchises and play for NFL WELFARE WAGE.

They should be able to rework their contracts whenever they want, period.

You have no good counter point to my fortune 500 company analogy. I'm right, you're wrong. It's ok to admit these things sometimes. This is a common sense flaw here. A professional who is amazing at his job should have the right to make whatever he's worth, and at the very least have the option to look around to see what he's worth. Just like we can do with our careers if we're really good at what we do.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 01:06 PM

this is a story

I told my friends after the Wilson postseason that if I were Russell Wilson I wouldn't play another down for the contract I was playing for (without knowing about this 3 years bullshit) only for me to read this article and be completely appalled by the fact the NLFPA was stupid enough to agree to this nonsense.

It's total bullshit and unfair to young players who deserve to be paid like premiere professionals in their BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

no, you have to have 3 seasons before you get paid

that's not even the point; I have no doubt Kaep and Wilson will end up getting MASSIVE contracts.

It doesn't mean it's right they have to play 3 seasons (especially for Wilson) at the one MEGA MONEY NFL position that means everything to their franchises and play for NFL WELFARE WAGE.

They should be able to rework their contracts whenever they want, period.

You have no good counter point to my fortune 500 company analogy. I'm right, you're wrong. It's ok to admit these things sometimes. This is a common sense flaw here. A professional who is amazing at his job should have the right to make whatever he's worth, and at the very least have the option to look around to see what he's worth. Just like we can do with our careers if we're really good at what we do.

Alright, he can go play in the CFL if he wants. Good luck getting that mega deal.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 01:10 PM

and I always laugh when Joe Message Board Poster says something like "oh waaaah $300K is still a lot of money!"

first off, no shit. Secondly, these guys are the PRODUCT for a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR business that is so profitable the owners won't even open up their books because they don't want the NFLPA to see just how much money they are making...the product deserves to be paid what they are worth...and guys like Russell Wilson are worth a SHIT TON of money.

The best of the best of the best have 10 years to make as much money as they can possibly make to last them a lifetime...we have 40 years to make enough money to live a comfortable retirement.

I absolutely think anyone that agrees with the idea that these guys shouldn't be allowed to renegotiate their contracts whenever they want are flat out ignorant human beings.

If anyone honestly agrees with that then every rookie contract should be fully guaranteed...from pick #1 to Mr. Irrelevant.

Hootie · 01-26-2013, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGM

Alright, he can go play in the CFL if he wants. Good luck getting that mega deal.

you are being a moron who can't admit the points I have made are 100% correct and now you're just posting meaningless babble because you can't admit you are wrong and didn't look at this objectively

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

you are being a moron who can't admit the points I have made are 100% correct and now you're just posting meaningless babble because you can't admit you are wrong and didn't look at this objectively

Bored and trolling ya a bit. Still got another hour to kill before I leave. Shall we continue?

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-26-2013, 01:15 PM

Jon Baldwin should give his contract back and make NFL minimum for making like 1 play over 2 seasons. Maybe he can give the money to these two?

Mr. Laz · 01-26-2013, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by munkey

lol..you took the words right out of my mouth...

01-26-2013, 01:17 AM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $952813	Schefter :Colin Kaepernick can't cash in Colin Kaepernick can't cash in San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has found holes in opposing defenses and the CBA. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement that the NFL and NFLPA negotiated in July 2011, what San Francisco is paying Kaepernick to take the team to Super Bowl XLVII is a steal. And the Seattle Seahawks are paying even less to quarterback Russell Wilson, who took the team to the divisional playoff round and set up the franchise for the next decade. There might not be two athletes in any sport as underpaid as Kaepernick and Wilson, two NFC West quarterbacks who figure to square off for years to come. It's off-the-charts ridiculousness, their salaries. It's thievery, nearly criminal. Sixty minutes from a world championship, Kaepernick is finishing up Year Two of a four-year, $5.12 million deal that is worth more than $3 million less in full than what Mark Sanchez will make from the New York Jets next season. Yet Kaepernick has no out. He is locked into the deal until after the 2013 season. Wilson's deal is even more glaringly incongruous. He signed a four-year, $2.99 million deal that is worth $6 million less in full than what Kevin Kolb is scheduled to make from Seattle's division rival Arizona Cardinals next season. Like Kaepernick, Wilson has no way out. He is stuck with the deal until after the 2014 season, despite being added to the Pro Bowl this week and looking like he could go for years to come. These two deals expose one of the biggest weaknesses in the CBA for the players and one of the biggest strengths for owners. Young NFL players have no choice but to suck it up for three years, even if they play at the level Kaepernick and Wilson have. Meanwhile, NFL owners get to build cheaply through the draft and own players' rights for five to six years, without the threat of arbitration that Major League Baseball has. This is why good scouting and draft picks really are more valuable than ever before. The NFL never has seen good labor this cheap for this long. How the league got here is easy enough to understand. During the most recent CBA negotiations, we saw an extreme backlash against the outlandish deals given to top draft picks in previous years, when a player such as former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell walked away with $32 million in guaranteed money. So much attention was given to the issue that standout rookies in the new 10-year CBA now are being punished for it. In part because of Russell, Kaepernick and Wilson are underpaid. There is no reprieve, no chance to be paid until a player has given a team three seasons. By then, some running backs, such as an Alfred Morris, will have plenty of wear on their tires. And as everyone prepares for Super Bowl XLVII, the storylines that follow it will be different than in the past. [+] Enlarge Ric Tapia/Icon SMI/CORBIS The Seahawks get to hang onto Russell Wilson at his current bargain price for two more seasons. Young players such as Kaepernick who help lead their team to the Super Bowl cannot demand new deals the way they seemed to regularly in the past. It used to be like this: Player helps team to Super Bowl, player demands new deal, team rewards player for helping team, new deal gets done. But that was old-school. New-school is the ultimate form of detention for standout young players. The CBA locks up their contracts for three years and throws away the key, with no chance of parole. It would be much more equitable if certain allowances were made for extreme examples, players who glaringly outplay expectations. It would be hard to define what that level of play is, but suffice it to say that everyone would know. Any player who helps lead his team to the Super Bowl in his second year, as Kaepernick has done, or goes to the Pro Bowl in his first year, the way Wilson has, deserves to be rewarded, at least more than his existing rookie deal does. Until the rules are adjusted, the players will continue to be wronged. And after watching Kaepernick and Wilson this season and seeing what they will earn in future seasons, one truth is self-evident: The holes in the CBA are a lot bigger than any they find in opposing defenses.
Posts: 42,032

01-26-2013, 12:56 PM	#62
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $4018880	It's a very moot point. Kaep is only locked into his deal until after NEXT season. If he plays lights out again he'll get PAID. If he doesn't, he won't earn one. __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 68,382

01-26-2013, 01:01 PM	#64
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $4018880	After 2014, he'll have a damn money pit and be swimming in cash. All he has to do is have 2 solid seasons of play. Kaep only needs one. __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 68,382

01-26-2013, 01:04 PM	#66
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $4018880	Well, thanks for the discussion Hootie. I get what you are saying, but show that consistency and earn that contract!! __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 68,382

01-26-2013, 01:05 PM	#68
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	no, you have to have 3 seasons before you get paid that's not even the point; I have no doubt Kaep and Wilson will end up getting MASSIVE contracts. It doesn't mean it's right they have to play 3 seasons (especially for Wilson) at the one MEGA MONEY NFL position that means everything to their franchises and play for NFL WELFARE WAGE. They should be able to rework their contracts whenever they want, period. You have no good counter point to my fortune 500 company analogy. I'm right, you're wrong. It's ok to admit these things sometimes. This is a common sense flaw here. A professional who is amazing at his job should have the right to make whatever he's worth, and at the very least have the option to look around to see what he's worth. Just like we can do with our careers if we're really good at what we do.
Posts: 56,356

01-26-2013, 01:06 PM	#69
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	this is a story I told my friends after the Wilson postseason that if I were Russell Wilson I wouldn't play another down for the contract I was playing for (without knowing about this 3 years bullshit) only for me to read this article and be completely appalled by the fact the NLFPA was stupid enough to agree to this nonsense. It's total bullshit and unfair to young players who deserve to be paid like premiere professionals in their BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.
Posts: 56,356

01-26-2013, 01:10 PM	#71
Hootie Banned Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas, Texas Casino cash: $10004900	and I always laugh when Joe Message Board Poster says something like "oh waaaah $300K is still a lot of money!" first off, no shit. Secondly, these guys are the PRODUCT for a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR business that is so profitable the owners won't even open up their books because they don't want the NFLPA to see just how much money they are making...the product deserves to be paid what they are worth...and guys like Russell Wilson are worth a SHIT TON of money. The best of the best of the best have 10 years to make as much money as they can possibly make to last them a lifetime...we have 40 years to make enough money to live a comfortable retirement. I absolutely think anyone that agrees with the idea that these guys shouldn't be allowed to renegotiate their contracts whenever they want are flat out ignorant human beings. If anyone honestly agrees with that then every rookie contract should be fully guaranteed...from pick #1 to Mr. Irrelevant.
Posts: 56,356

01-26-2013, 01:15 PM	#74
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $4018880	Jon Baldwin should give his contract back and make NFL minimum for making like 1 play over 2 seasons. Maybe he can give the money to these two? __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 68,382