The Arbitrary ChuckJerry

Terrell Owens and about 10 other clients of Drew Rosenhaus, an NFL agent who's more full of himself than T.O. is, if you can believe that, are all threatening to hold out of training camp because they believe they have played better than their contracts and deserve more money. The idea that one would betray his contract and hold out for more money is ludicrous at first, but actually makes a lot of sense in the context of the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

In any other league, the NBA for example, for a player to say that he outplayed his contract would be the dumbest thing one could say. When you sign a deal, both you and the team agree to your value and sometimes you end up being worth more, sometimes less, and sometimes you play about as expected. The point is that when you sign a contract in the NBA or in baseball, you are guaranteed that money for better or worse.

The NFL does not work that way. Every off season there are many, many players who are cut because the team feels they do not bring the value of their contract to the field. NFL teams can cut players for any reason and the players are not guaranteed the money beyond any of the games they have played. In recent years great players like Ty Law and Eddie George have been cut by their teams in the middle of their contracts.

Why should this be a one way street? The teams can cut anyone at any time if they do not have the perceived value of their contract, then they are definitely gone. There is no loyalty to players who are not contributing and every team in the NFL has cut someone who was once a star for their team.

Since NFL players are not guaranteed any money, they need to make their market value while they actually have that value. Players like Mike Piazza in baseball are making a ton of money simply because they used to be great and their salaries represent their market value several seasons ago. NFL players do not have this luxury and their contracts must therefore represent an accurate market value at all times.

Now Drew Rosenhaus is a dick. I've seen many interviews with him on SportsCenter over this summer and if you asked him he would swear he's God. Terrell Owens is also full of himself and generally talks without thinking. There's no question, however, that T.O. is the most valuable wide receiver in the league. He played the best 12 games last year of anyone before getting hurt and his performance in the Super Bowl, especially after not having played for two months, was astounding. If T.O. is not the highest paid wide receiver in the league this year, then that would be a travesty.

It is Rosenhaus's and T.O.'s fault for signing one of the worst contracts in history given T.O.'s value, especially for such a long term (7 years, $49 million), but if T.O. is no good in 2 years, then the Eagles will cut him, and T.O. should have the same luxury.

The same goes for all the guys who are holding out for fair market value. The difference is that not all of them are the best player in the league at their position. Most likely a lot of them are just being snowed by Rosenhaus or whoever their agent is. Rosenhaus is not the only agent holding out his players, by the way.