"Holdout" news of Earl Thomas

[oldhawkfan]

Some of you are going to have to decide which one it is:

1 - Earl Thomas is an aging player in the secondary that is only going to get slower and is starting to get injured.

2 - Earl Thomas is worth at least a 1st round pick and probably more.

Even great players go for cheap when the team loses leverage though. Getting a 1st for ET is a pipe dream.
Yes, WE like to trade 1st round picks for the players. But most FOs are not that stupid.

And more significantly, ET has made it clear that he has certain destinations he would prefer. I highly doubt he would accept a trade to somewhere like Cleveland even if Cleveland gave up a 1st to get him.

You don't think the potential landing spots for ET are not aware the Seahawks wouldn't have many options if they need to try to trade him? He is going to be an older player at a high salary, the Seahawks will have very little to bargain with.

More significantly, Apna pointed out the parallel between the Ravens (who used to be the dominant defense and won with defense repeatedly) and the Seahawks. When the Ravens lost their impact D players because of age - they did not improve. They got worse. Because you cannot 'next man up' great players unless you have tremendous depth or some kind of tremendous development pipeline (neither of which we have).

At this point, it is all speculation. This FO will do whatever it does, likely waste even more money on at least one worthless FA signing and probably offset whatever gains we would get in letting ET go anyway.

But given the difference he makes for this team, we probably need to keep him. We are not the Patriots. We do not have the ability to shed great players and reproduce them with productive replacements.

Unless he has a no trade clause, Earl has no say if or where he could be traded.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Exactly, trade him to whatever team offers the most. He has no choice in the matter.

 

[Sports Hernia]

The problem is letting is contract run out isn't possible, neither is tagging him in 2019, he will likely not step on the field this coming season without an extension so there are 3 options. Extend him, trade him for awful value or cut him.

If he doesn’t step on the field for 2018 his contract rolls over to 2019 as he’d still have a year left on his contract he didn’t fullfil.

 

[Mistashoesta]

If you think Earl is literally talking about "Eating" for survival when he says he's got to eat for him and his family, you're wrong. I promise you, your middle class middle age definition of having to eat, and a bunch of millionaires and their younger age groups definition of having to eat are two totally different things.

He needs more cars?

It's a business, man. He want's what he's worth. I'm not sure what you do for a living, but I'm pretty sure you think you are good at what you do, and you probably most certainly are. But what happens if you were to find out that another employee made more than you do when you know you're more qualified? I bet your attitude about continuing to work for that establishment will begin to weigh heavy on you.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

God forbid a player ever sticks to his contract. I know it's not reality these days, but it would be nice for once......

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Unless he has a no trade clause, Earl has no say if or where he could be traded.

True, but if it's a team Earl doesn't want to sign a long term deal with, then that diminished his trade value for us.

Best case scenario is he's happy with the team he's traded to, and they agree upon an extension. That means a higher or more picks for us..........cause if we trade him to Cleveland then he's going to just play out his deal and leave.

 

[original poster]

The problem is letting is contract run out isn't possible, neither is tagging him in 2019, he will likely not step on the field this coming season without an extension so there are 3 options. Extend him, trade him for awful value or cut him.

If he doesn’t step on the field for 2018 his contract rolls over to 2019 as he’d still have a year left on his contract he didn’t fullfil.

Of course, he’ll just do what every other player has ever down and come in at exactly the right time of the season so that doesn’t happen.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Players have no ethical obligation to honor their contract.

The idea that ET, or any player, should honor their contract is dated and ridiculous.

People break contracts in business ALL THE TIME. There are terms in the contract that deal with what happens when a contract is fulfilled and those are the limitations you are bound to. Everything else is fair game.

Next time a team releases a player with years still on their contract, please see if you hold them to the same weird standard some of you think that players should be stuck to.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Doesn't make it right. And these guys crying poverty is laughable. How can he feed his family on millions? Be careful what you wish for, it isn't always better to leave a good situation.

 

[oldhawkfan]

Unless he has a no trade clause, Earl has no say if or where he could be traded.

True, but if it's a team Earl doesn't want to sign a long term deal with, then that diminished his trade value for us.

Best case scenario is he's happy with the team he's traded to, and they agree upon an extension. That means a higher or more picks for us..........cause if we trade him to Cleveland then he's going to just play out his deal and leave.

Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps a team has faith that they will be able to work out a long term deal. Some trades are based on a renegotiated contract, others are not.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Unless he has a no trade clause, Earl has no say if or where he could be traded.

True, but if it's a team Earl doesn't want to sign a long term deal with, then that diminished his trade value for us.

Best case scenario is he's happy with the team he's traded to, and they agree upon an extension. That means a higher or more picks for us..........cause if we trade him to Cleveland then he's going to just play out his deal and leave.

Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps a team has faith that they will be able to work out a long term deal. Some trades are based on a renegotiated contract, others are not.

I don't know of any major player trade that the particulars of the extension (Harvin), or the understanding that this was a one year rental (Richardson) wasn't known or worked out ahead of time.

It's the entire basis of determining the trade value.

 

[Chapow]

Players have no ethical obligation to honor their contract.

The idea that ET, or any player, should honor their contract is dated and ridiculous.

People break contracts in business ALL THE TIME. There are terms in the contract that deal with what happens when a contract is fulfilled and those are the limitations you are bound to. Everything else is fair game.

Next time a team releases a player with years still on their contract, please see if you hold them to the same weird standard some of you think that players should be stuck to.

Great post.

Weird that so many fans expect players to just shut up and play out their contracts, but apparently it doesn't bother them at all when a team cuts a guy with time still left on his contract.

If it is so important that contracts be honored, it should go both ways. Why do teams get a pass and players don't?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

He'll probably get his way regardless. He needs to finish his career here in Seattle. Getting a new contract is one thing, but the way he is going about it? Meh, it's 2018, players are just different. Doesn't mean I have to agree with how they go about it :lol:
Oh well, none of us have any control over it, whatever happens happens. He def has some good trade value though. IF he forces their hand. He's one of my all time favorite Hawks, I wear his Jersey etc. I just want him here in Seattle.

 

[kidhawk]

Players have no ethical obligation to honor their contract.

The idea that ET, or any player, should honor their contract is dated and ridiculous.

People break contracts in business ALL THE TIME. There are terms in the contract that deal with what happens when a contract is fulfilled and those are the limitations you are bound to. Everything else is fair game.

Next time a team releases a player with years still on their contract, please see if you hold them to the same weird standard some of you think that players should be stuck to.

Great post.

Weird that so many fans expect players to just shut up and play out their contracts, but apparently it doesn't bother them at all when a team cuts a guy with time still left on his contract.

If it is so important that contracts be honored, it should go both ways. Why do teams get a pass and players don't?

It has to do with how contracts are structured. Teams often build in higher paydays towards the end of the contract in non-guaranteed monies which gives the player the ability to say he's worth a higher average salary than he's probably ever going to receive, meanwhile, it gives teams the option of being able to still field a winning team by cutting loose players who aren't performing up to the value of those final years of the deal.

If this were not a salary cap league, then you'd have a great point, but you can't continue to pay a player who isn't performing for the full length of a contract and remain competitive in a salary cap situation such as the NFL. It's just not feasible. The only way around that would be to have shorter contracts. This would mean less guaranteed monies, because players wouldn't be able to get the fat signing bonuses that teams spread out over the life of the contract.

In reality, players know that going into the contract when they sign it. They can (and at times they do) sign shorter deals with little to no signing bonus which allows them to negotiate a new deal much sooner, but they risk not having the increased value they believe they are going to get in the next deal. By signing longer deals, they get more up front in the signing bonus, and thus end up with a higher amount of guaranteed money sooner rather than later.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

And when they sign a huge deal, there is no complaints from them. Salaries start to rise and all the sudden, they are unhappy w/their contracts. Many deals seem way too high at the time, only to look like a bargain a few years later. Doesn't make it right for a guy to hold out 2 or 3 years in to a deal, especially when the team made him the highest or one of the highest paid in the league at his position at the time he signed the deal.

 

[Popeyejones]

Lol @ Earl saying he would not feel comfortable playing without a long term deal. Saying he’s gotta feed his family.

Sick.

Uhhh, but he didn't say he's gotta feed his family.

How offended can you really be when you're simply inventing him having said something that he didn't say?

He said, "I just gotta protect myself. At the end of the day, me and my family, that's the first thing."

 

[MD5eahawks]

My take is however the team handles the situation is fine by me. I'm not going to want one thing or the other. I've had pretty much no say in anything this team has ever decided so why should this be any different.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Good point, we have no control or say so. We can have our opinions on it, but whatever the team decides to do, we roll with it.

 

[rcaido]

Lol @ Earl saying he would not feel comfortable playing without a long term deal. Saying he’s gotta feed his family.

Sick.

Uhhh, but he didn't say he's gotta feed his family.

How offended can you really be when you're simply inventing him having said something that he didn't say?

He said, "I just gotta protect myself. At the end of the day, me and my family, that's the first thing."

Once you slight a fan base they will find things or even invent stuff to fit their narrative

 

[Sun Tzu]

Players have no ethical obligation to honor their contract.

The idea that ET, or any player, should honor their contract is dated and ridiculous.

People break contracts in business ALL THE TIME. There are terms in the contract that deal with what happens when a contract is fulfilled and those are the limitations you are bound to. Everything else is fair game.

Next time a team releases a player with years still on their contract, please see if you hold them to the same weird standard some of you think that players should be stuck to.

Great post.

Weird that so many fans expect players to just shut up and play out their contracts, but apparently it doesn't bother them at all when a team cuts a guy with time still left on his contract.

If it is so important that contracts be honored, it should go both ways. Why do teams get a pass and players don't?

Stunning lack of knowledge regarding contract law displayed in both of these posts.