A new way to negotiate contracts???

[iccrewman112]

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but I think it could be successful.

 

I think the Bills should write up the offer they have on the table for Maybin explaining how it is more than Orakpo and less than Raji, how it compares to the #11 pick last year (I'm assuming it is more). Then write up a press release that will go to the Associated Press for release at 7AM the next day if a contract is not signed. The press release outlines how fair the contract is and explain the performance bonuses etc. And talk how if Aaron Maybin and his agent think he is great then he will achieve these bonuses. Basically tell the media and the people of Buffalo a fair offer is on the table and it is Maybin who does not want to play, it is not the agent.

 

I think this puts n incredible amount of pressure on both the Agent but more importantly the player as it would be PR suicide if you don't sign and let the article come out.

 

Also, I might say in negotiations that when you sign a 5 year deal we expect all preseason games and 16 regular season games barring injury. So for every preseason game you miss during this holdout, your contract will be lowered, and the guaranteed money will be lowered proportionally.

[Coach55]

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but I think it could be successful.

 

I think the Bills should write up the offer they have on the table for Maybin explaining how it is more than Orakpo and less than Raji, how it compares to the #11 pick last year (I'm assuming it is more). Then write up a press release that will go to the Associated Press for release at 7AM the next day if a contract is not signed. The press release outlines how fair the contract is and explain the performance bonuses etc. And talk how if Aaron Maybin and his agent think he is great then he will achieve these bonuses. Basically tell the media and the people of Buffalo a fair offer is on the table and it is Maybin who does not want to play, it is not the agent.

 

I think this puts n incredible amount of pressure on both the Agent but more importantly the player as it would be PR suicide if you don't sign and let the article come out.

 

Also, I might say in negotiations that when you sign a 5 year deal we expect all preseason games and 16 regular season games barring injury. So for every preseason game you miss during this holdout, your contract will be lowered, and the guaranteed money will be lowered proportionally.

I like it.

[Captain Caveman]

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but I think it could be successful.

 

I think the Bills should write up the offer they have on the table for Maybin explaining how it is more than Orakpo and less than Raji, how it compares to the #11 pick last year (I'm assuming it is more). Then write up a press release that will go to the Associated Press for release at 7AM the next day if a contract is not signed. The press release outlines how fair the contract is and explain the performance bonuses etc. And talk how if Aaron Maybin and his agent think he is great then he will achieve these bonuses. Basically tell the media and the people of Buffalo a fair offer is on the table and it is Maybin who does not want to play, it is not the agent.

 

I think this puts n incredible amount of pressure on both the Agent but more importantly the player as it would be PR suicide if you don't sign and let the article come out.

 

Also, I might say in negotiations that when you sign a 5 year deal we expect all preseason games and 16 regular season games barring injury. So for every preseason game you miss during this holdout, your contract will be lowered, and the guaranteed money will be lowered proportionally.

 

The bad PR will have a negative effect... on the Bills. Why does Maybin care? In the end, he'll get paid either way. Do you really think he cares enough about his public perception to give up a million dollars if he feels he can get it?

 

The Bills on the other hand, will have to deal with the morale of the players who feel that the front office may drag contract negotiations through the media. It won't help future negotiations, and it especially could hurt the prospect of bringing in free agents in the future.

 

The issue will be handled in the next CBA (and not before then) when a more reasonable rookie pay scale is put into place. I'm just curious what concessions the owners will end up making in order to make that happen.

[JinWPB]

I would add that every day you hold out past a "day certain" that your value to the club for the coming year decreases, therefore you signing bonus decreases every day by "said amount".

[iccrewman112]

I would add that every day you hold out past a "day certain" that your value to the club for the coming year decreases, therefore you signing bonus decreases every day by "said amount".

 

Agreed.

 

Also, time missed in the first season comes out of the whole contract yes but is also 100% guaranteed money, as it seems that is the key number now a days.

[davefan66]

Even though Maybin is trying to sell himself as a nice guy, I don't think any bad press would

sway him to sign the deal. If you could pocket a 50K bonus from your employer today or 75K

tomorrow with some bad press about you, what would you do? I'd hold out for the extra 25K.

 

All that aside, the Bills really should make it public record what they are offering. If he is being

slotted appropriately then he needs to shut up, sign a contract and get his butt in camp. If the

Bills are low balling, which I doubt, then he has every right to hold out.

[ans4e64]

Who would ever want to do business with the Bills after they did that?

[Superman12975]

Please excuse my ignorance on this subject. I am not claiming to know about contract talks or the business of the NFL. I do personally think that draft picks getting paid more money than vets is ridiculous. They have not proven themselves or earned anything in the NFL.

 

My suggestion is why pay the money? Why even bother? Whether it's a #1 or #32 pick offer them the same salary but base the bonuses and guaranteed money on incentives. Offer a 7 or 8 year contract where the first two the three years is at the minimum salary. If a certain player gets, for example, rookie of the year then escalate the bonuses. Make them earn it. If they don't take the offer, in Maybin's case, take that money and offer it to a DE like Peppers (before all u jump on me and say that Peppers would never come to Buffalo please note I am using this him as an example). Free agent money plus some of the rookie money would go into Peppers contract, hell with Maybin.....let him sit out for a year and enter the next draft. Buffalo wins cause we get a proven top notch player in Peppers and Maybin will prob get screwed for not taking the deal. Realistically these players are about $$$ and 'taking care of their families' so a kick in the butt would be a reality check. Earn your paycheck like the rest of the country does.

 

Again I am just throwing this out there for people to talk about. I am sure the NFL players union will have a lot to say on this but in the end you earn the respect of veterans, the fans, and earn your money. It will take a few teams to actually implement but in the end it would be better for smaller market teams to get players.

[Mickey]

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but I think it could be successful.

 

I think the Bills should write up the offer they have on the table for Maybin explaining how it is more than Orakpo and less than Raji, how it compares to the #11 pick last year (I'm assuming it is more). Then write up a press release that will go to the Associated Press for release at 7AM the next day if a contract is not signed. The press release outlines how fair the contract is and explain the performance bonuses etc. And talk how if Aaron Maybin and his agent think he is great then he will achieve these bonuses. Basically tell the media and the people of Buffalo a fair offer is on the table and it is Maybin who does not want to play, it is not the agent.

 

I think this puts n incredible amount of pressure on both the Agent but more importantly the player as it would be PR suicide if you don't sign and let the article come out.

 

Also, I might say in negotiations that when you sign a 5 year deal we expect all preseason games and 16 regular season games barring injury. So for every preseason game you miss during this holdout, your contract will be lowered, and the guaranteed money will be lowered proportionally.

That would be a low-class move that would pretty much scratch Buffalo off the list of teams any top picks or top tier FA's would ever want to play for. And when Maybin's contract was up as eventually it will, it would be a cold day in hell before he re-ups with the Bills. It would also be an invitation for every agent in the league to make public every bit of dirty laundry about every contentious player negotiation with the Bills over the last few years. All to get a guy signed who is eventually going to sign anyway?

 

Getting the fans all riled up so that they despise a player you are planning on signing is maybe not the best ticket selling strategy I have ever heard. Fans would be less inclined to buy tickets to see players they hate regardless of what uniform they wear. Player popularity = ticket sales. It is why the players get the big bucks, they put fannies in the seats.

 

There is a reason why this is never done. The people who do it for a living on both sides of the negotiations know what they are doing.

 

If Maybin ends up being a good player, he will have all the fans here he needs and if not here, there will be plenty of fans ready to cheer him on as he rolls up the sacks for some other team.

 

I have no doubt that the Bills and Maybin are trying to get this resolved and its just possible that the reason they haven't is because its a very hard deal to work out given the Crabtree situation. I don't know why the knee-jerk reactions of the fans around here is, without fail, that the player is a greedy, moronic jerk and the team is a kindly, generous, warm hearted family that just wants to do the right thing. Both sides are tending to their financial interests and trying to get the best deal they can. A first round pick missing practices because his deal wan't negotiated in time is the rule, not the exception. This isn't even a hold-out, technically. Maybin hasn't broken any contracts and until he has one, he is under no obligation to be at practice.

[nucci]

That would be a low-class move that would pretty much scratch Buffalo off the list of teams any top picks or top tier FA's would ever want to play for. And when Maybin's contract was up as eventually it will, it would be a cold day in hell before he re-ups with the Bills. It would also be an invitation for every agent in the league to make public every bit of dirty laundry about every contentious player negotiation with the Bills over the last few years. All to get a guy signed who is eventually going to sign anyway?

 

Getting the fans all riled up so that they despise a player you are planning on signing is maybe not the best ticket selling strategy I have ever heard. Fans would be less inclined to buy tickets to see players they hate regardless of what uniform they wear. Player popularity = ticket sales. It is why the players get the big bucks, they put fannies in the seats.

 

There is a reason why this is never done. The people who do it for a living on both sides of the negotiations know what they are doing.

 

If Maybin ends up being a good player, he will have all the fans here he needs and if not here, there will be plenty of fans ready to cheer him on as he rolls up the sacks for some other team.

 

I have no doubt that the Bills and Maybin are trying to get this resolved and its just possible that the reason they haven't is because its a very hard deal to work out given the Crabtree situation. I don't know why the knee-jerk reactions of the fans around here is, without fail, that the player is a greedy, moronic jerk and the team is a kindly, generous, warm hearted family that just wants to do the right thing. Both sides are tending to their financial interests and trying to get the best deal they can. A first round pick missing practices because his deal wan't negotiated in time is the rule, not the exception. This isn't even a hold-out, technically. Maybin hasn't broken any contracts and until he has one, he is under no obligation to be at practice.

Well said. It is fairly simple. Just sucks that it has taken this long.

[The Senator]

I don't know if this has ever been done before, but I think it could be successful.

 

I think the Bills should write up the offer they have on the table for Maybin explaining how it is more than Orakpo and less than Raji, how it compares to the #11 pick last year (I'm assuming it is more). Then write up a press release that will go to the Associated Press for release at 7AM the next day if a contract is not signed. The press release outlines how fair the contract is and explain the performance bonuses etc. And talk how if Aaron Maybin and his agent think he is great then he will achieve these bonuses. Basically tell the media and the people of Buffalo a fair offer is on the table and it is Maybin who does not want to play, it is not the agent.

 

I think this puts n incredible amount of pressure on both the Agent but more importantly the player as it would be PR suicide if you don't sign and let the article come out.

 

Also, I might say in negotiations that when you sign a 5 year deal we expect all preseason games and 16 regular season games barring injury. So for every preseason game you miss during this holdout, your contract will be lowered, and the guaranteed money will be lowered proportionally.

Probably not necessary - the Bills fans are already catching on that Maybin/Maybin's agent are the a-holes, just like Peters/Parker were. The fans' bad feelings about Maybin and this holdout are already coming to the surface, no?

[BEAST MODE BABY!]

How about offering athletes more money if they're not with an agent? If the Bills extend offers in good faith, then the athletes have nothing to fear. Meaning, they'll end up getting less but keeping more without having to give a decent % to some douchebag like Eugene Parker.

[Mickey]

Please excuse my ignorance on this subject. I am not claiming to know about contract talks or the business of the NFL. I do personally think that draft picks getting paid more money than vets is ridiculous. They have not proven themselves or earned anything in the NFL.

 

My suggestion is why pay the money? Why even bother? Whether it's a #1 or #32 pick offer them the same salary but base the bonuses and guaranteed money on incentives. Offer a 7 or 8 year contract where the first two the three years is at the minimum salary. If a certain player gets, for example, rookie of the year then escalate the bonuses. Make them earn it. If they don't take the offer, in Maybin's case, take that money and offer it to a DE like Peppers (before all u jump on me and say that Peppers would never come to Buffalo please note I am using this him as an example). Free agent money plus some of the rookie money would go into Peppers contract, hell with Maybin.....let him sit out for a year and enter the next draft. Buffalo wins cause we get a proven top notch player in Peppers and Maybin will prob get screwed for not taking the deal. Realistically these players are about $$$ and 'taking care of their families' so a kick in the butt would be a reality check. Earn your paycheck like the rest of the country does.

 

Again I am just throwing this out there for people to talk about. I am sure the NFL players union will have a lot to say on this but in the end you earn the respect of veterans, the fans, and earn your money. It will take a few teams to actually implement but in the end it would be better for smaller market teams to get players.

Won't work.

 

There is a reason these unproven rookies get the money they get, often more than what proven veterans get. Those proven veterans are tied to existing contracts and even when they are up, they can be franchised and forced to remain with their existing teams. By restricting their freedom to enter the market place, the league is able to exercise some control over their compensation.

 

The rookies are not under contract with anyone. Nothing in the world stops them from signing with another league, the start up of which you would surely invite by that strategy. Further, the rookies know that once they sign on the dotted line, they are tied down in the market by the same rules that operate to restrict the economic freedom of the veterans. In exchange for giving away the ability to market themselves for what the market is willing to pay, they are going to want something for it, mainly $$.

 

Ultimately, the player and the owners have to agree on a way to handle these issues becuasue neither side has the power to force the other to do as they command. Whenever either has tried, they both lost. There has been a lot of talk about a rookie cap so that more revenue is funneled to veterans, so called "proven players". It may happen or something similar addressing the same problem but it will be done by consent, not by one team trying to change the world by thinking they can call all the shots with rookies and eff 'em if they don't like it. Neither the team nor the player holds all the cards.

[N.Y. Orangeman]

That would be a low-class move that would pretty much scratch Buffalo off the list of teams any top picks or top tier FA's would ever want to play for. And when Maybin's contract was up as eventually it will, it would be a cold day in hell before he re-ups with the Bills. It would also be an invitation for every agent in the league to make public every bit of dirty laundry about every contentious player negotiation with the Bills over the last few years. All to get a guy signed who is eventually going to sign anyway?

 

Getting the fans all riled up so that they despise a player you are planning on signing is maybe not the best ticket selling strategy I have ever heard. Fans would be less inclined to buy tickets to see players they hate regardless of what uniform they wear. Player popularity = ticket sales. It is why the players get the big bucks, they put fannies in the seats.

 

There is a reason why this is never done. The people who do it for a living on both sides of the negotiations know what they are doing.

 

If Maybin ends up being a good player, he will have all the fans here he needs and if not here, there will be plenty of fans ready to cheer him on as he rolls up the sacks for some other team.

 

I have no doubt that the Bills and Maybin are trying to get this resolved and its just possible that the reason they haven't is because its a very hard deal to work out given the Crabtree situation. I don't know why the knee-jerk reactions of the fans around here is, without fail, that the player is a greedy, moronic jerk and the team is a kindly, generous, warm hearted family that just wants to do the right thing. Both sides are tending to their financial interests and trying to get the best deal they can. A first round pick missing practices because his deal wan't negotiated in time is the rule, not the exception. This isn't even a hold-out, technically. Maybin hasn't broken any contracts and until he has one, he is under no obligation to be at practice.

 

Exactly. The proposed plan would be negotiating in bad faith and would turn us into the worst destination in the league, something akin to Pittsburgh Pirates or the LA Clippers.