It was an image that won’t soon be forgotten, an injured NFL star and future Hall of Famer carted away, his leg fractured and his middle finger pointed to the sky. The gesture, aimed at his team’s sideline, spoke more than just the two words it suggested.
Before his leg broke on the field in Arizona, ending his Seahawks tenure, Earl Thomas was the best safety in the NFL and one of the best to ever play the position. He wanted either to be paid as such, with a long-term extension, or be traded. Seattle refused on both accounts. So with his contract set to expire in the offseason, Thomas skipped training camp and then waged protest by attending practice, but refusing to contribute.
Still, eventually, he chose to play, as almost every player does. To lose game checks, each worth around $500,000, wasn’t worth it, Thomas decided. In his first game back, he intercepted a pass. Two weeks later, he snagged two more picks. All the while, he continued to sit out practice, in hopes of proving a point. “If they were invested in me,” Thomas said, “I would be out there.”
But all that was proven in the end was that the playing field for NFL players at the negotiating table is anything but level. As Thomas was carted off the field, his long-term future in doubt, all of the league’s labor unrest was encapsulated in that one flip of the bird.
A few days later, in Pittsburgh, Le’Veon Bell told ESPN that he expects to return to the Steelers at the end of this month. For the past three years, the two-time All-Pro had feuded with the team over his contract, which he (rightfully) felt should reset the running back market. But unlike Thomas, Bell had, for months, refused to report at all. The Steelers, who reportedly offered him a contract with only $20 million guarantees, even made him available for a trade, but nothing materialized.
Now, Bell will return. If, like Thomas, Bell were to suffer a serious injury, sometime in the season’s second half, he’ll have no long-term security. He’d be paid the rest of his $14 million franchise tag, before kindly – or not so kindly – being asked to leave.
This sort of cold, calculated conclusion is inherent to the NFL’s current system. While players are risking serious physical harm, teams are rewarded for being as shrewd as possible with their players’ pay. They use the franchise tag to its fullest extent. They fill out deals with per-game bonuses which shift the risk to players, in lieu of paying them guaranteed money. And when players do exercise their leverage, they’re criticized by fans.
More than ever, teams are building rosters loaded primarily with rookie contracts, which – thanks to the league’s rookie-wage scale – assures that good, young players play out their deals for wildly-below-market salaries. Last month, ESPN floated the hypothetical notion of the Rams trading Jared Goff before the end of his rookie deal, in favor of developing another young quarterback, early in his own rookie deal. This is how far we’ve swung away from the labor side of the spectrum.
For two straight offseasons, Aaron Donald held out for his own long-term deal. Donald had little leverage, other than to sit out and forfeit game checks. The Rams had little incentive to negotiate, other than to keep the defending Defensive Player of the Year happy. They could have franchise tagged him for three straight seasons, saving tens of millions. They signed him long-term, instead, rewarding one of the NFL’s best players.
The Seahawks could have signed Thomas to a long-term extension, one that would’ve kept him in Seattle for the rest of his career. The last remaining member of the Legion of Boom, Thomas was still performing at an All-Pro level. He deserved a long-term deal somewhere.
He may never get it now. And while Thomas may blame the Seahawks and Bell may blame the Steelers, it’s the system that’s screwing the both of them which truly deserves its own middle-finger salute.
BEST BET OF WEEK 4
Rams (-7) over Seahawks. On their way to becoming the NFL’s hottest team, the Rams beat their first four opponents by 20, 34, 12, and 7 points, respectively. As Jared Goff has emerged as one of the league’s best quarterbacks, the Rams offense is averaging 35 points per game. The Seahawks rank 24th in the league in points per game and 28th in yards per game. Unless the Rams unexpectedly fall apart on the road, the Seahawks, who nearly lost to the lowly Cardinals last week, simply won’t be able to keep up.
Season record: 3-1Last week: Texans (+1.5) over Colts — WIN
FANTASY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Steelers. Antonio Brown is still the top option in the Steelers offense, but Smith-Schuster, at just 21 years old, is gaining fast. He has at least five catches and 116 yards in each of his last three games, and this week, he’ll face a Falcons secondary that’s been picked apart by Andy Dalton in Drew Brees in consecutive weeks. With the Falcons’ focus on Brown, Smith-Schuster could be in for a huge game.
DID YOU KNOW … ?
As Drew Brees prepares to break the career passing yards record this weekend, the NFL record for most passing yards in a single game has stood for 67 years.
Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin threw for 554 yards on the opening night of the 1951 season, as the Rams trounced the New York Yanks, 54-14. Even as passing offenses have grown far more prolific, no one has surpassed Van Brocklin’s mark. Weird.
TOP 4 … MOST IMPACTFUL PLAYERS THROUGH FOUR WEEKS
4. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints. We expected regression, after Kamara’s historic all-purpose rookie season. But it hasn’t happened. Kamara has 60 more all-purpose yards than Ezekiel Elliott, who has
3. Jared Goff, QB, Rams. Amid all the bluster that he might be a “system quarterback”, Goff has quietly been the best signal caller in his conference. At the helm of Sean McVay’s offense, the NFL’s best by a wide margin, Goff has made his share of absurd throws.
2. Khalil Mack, DE, Bears. His presence has immediately turned the Bears into a defensive juggernaut. His name is being mentioned in the MVP race. The next guy on this list is the only one who’s even close.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs. Mahomes’ first month was nothing short of extraordinary. He’s currently on pace to throw 56 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He hasn’t lost yet as a starter. He’s a superstar.
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