Another NFL draft has concluded, the Mel Kiper wanna-bes have put away their grading pencils, and millions of football fans are looking forward to some new faces.
Well, here’s a bit of advice: Don’t get too used to them.
Sure, most first-round picks sign contracts that are typically between four and seven years. And, yes, the majority of recent draft choices inevitably talked about how excited they are to play for their new team.
But the truth of the matter is that some of them will eventually want out – and far too many of those will get their wish.
Just ask Terrell Owens.
Or Corey Dillon.
Or Keyshawn Johnson.
Or the latest player who whined his way out of town, Eli Manning.
We’re not here to call for some sort of penitentiary system that ties a player to one city for his whole career, but there should at least be some sense of obligation. Too many stars are kicking and screaming at the first sign of trouble, and their respective teams are quick to open the back door to let them escape.
The Owens situation is the most alarming because he essentially got himself into it. Or, at the very least, his agent did.
Owens signed a seven-year deal that was supposed to be worth up to $23 million, then decided that he didn’t want to play for the 49ers anymore. Even though his agent neglected to file the papers in time to grant Owens free agency in February, he complained his way out of town. San Francisco granted his departure wish, sending Owens to Baltimore.
But apparently that wasn’t good enough. And now, after a hearing in front of a judge, Owens has his wish of playing in Philadelphia.
Think that’s bad? Well, how about Dillon?
The former University of Washington star basically shut it down last year, eventually telling the Cincinnati Bengals he wanted to be traded. The problem was, Dillon’s request came after the trade deadline, so he came up with a convenient abdomen injury and coasted through the final month of the season.
Then, as “punishment” for his behavior, Dillon was dealt to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Owens and Dillon both complained their way into what could well be a trip to the 2005 Super Bowl.
Johnson went from an aging team to a team on the rise after being such a thorn in his coach’s side that Jon Gruden eventually planted him in someone else’s yard.
And the grass just might be greener in Dallas.
At least those guys had some seniority in the league. Manning’s antics were appalling in that he hasn’t even thrown an NFL pass. Maybe if he scoffed at the idea of playing in Detroit or Arizona, we might understand.
But San Diego? Home of sun and surfing and LaDainian Tomlinson?
NFL contracts have long been known as one-sided affairs that typically favor the teams more than the players. There are loopholes on either side, sure, but nothing that should allow players like Owens, Dillon, Johnson and Manning to pick their destinations.
It’s too bad the NFL doesn’t have a franchise like the Los Angeles Clippers, where disgruntled veterans go to retire in obscurity. Pro football’s parity prevents that, for the most part. Cincinnati nearly made the playoffs last year, while Detroit and Arizona could be teams on the rise.
Of course, we shouldn’t let the disgruntled whiners overshadow the guys who just want to play football.
Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams are willing to play anywhere, yet they can’t even get into the league.
Then there are guys like Roy Williams, who after being taken with the No. 7 overall pick uttered a phrase that hasn’t been heard in years.
“I’m just happy to be a Detroit Lion,” he said.
Too bad Barry Sanders didn’t have the same sentiment, or he’d be the NFL’s all-time leading rusher right now.
Sanders took the only path available to bitter players in the 1990s. Now they can whine their way to another, and often better, situation.
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