Will Crabtree's holdout impact negotiations between the Jason Smith and the St. Louis Rams?

by VanRam on Jul 28, 2009 6:35 AM CDT in News Comment 12 comments

The St. Louis Rams now have all of their second day picks under contract or at least having agreed to terms, enough to get them into camp on-time when rookies report Thursday. When the news broke yesterday that the team had agreed to terms with the last two second day picks who had yet to sign, Rams VP Kevin Demoff again expressed confidence that the team's first and second round picks would also be in camp this week, having reached a deal on their rookie contracts. The prognostication still looks good for second round pick LB James Laurinaitis since the slots around him are starting to fill in with signed players, but there could be a problem with the Rams first round pick, OT Jason Smith, the second player taken in the draft. And who do you have to thank for that problem? None other than WR Michael Crabtree, the 10th overall pick by, who else, the 49ers.

League sources are whispering that the Texas Tech wide receiver wants a contract resembling a top three pick, and his and his agent's demands to break the slotting system have monkey-wrenched the entire process of getting the rest of the top ten picks signed. With Smith picked second overall, demands like that could really change the negotiating process. It wouldn't be a shocker for an agent to at least see where this goes, because if Crabtree and his agent break down the slotting system, then those high draft picks get more leverage in talks with their team. Hopefully, the Rams and Smith can avoid this, since they've already begun talking, reportedly.

Oh, and Rams fans will appreciate this. Crabtree's agent, none other than Eugene Parker, the man who engineered Steven Jackson's holdout last year at this time. Parker's notorious for this kind of stuff (which does make him a good agent), and there were even rumors last year that Jackson was considering dumping Parker, believing that his holdout hurt his status. The Jackson holdout, while unpopular, makes much more sense than the Crabtree thing. Jackson had established himself as a top back, and entering the prime of his career was entitle to ask for a contract consistent to what players of his caliber were earning. Crabtree's a rookie, yet to see a single NFL snap. Even as the 10th pick, he'll be one of the league's highest paid WRs. Combine that with the fact that he's a rookie and you can see the absurdity of his and Parker's demands.

As a fan, I can't say this enough, but let's hope that Smith and the Rams can get it worked out in spite of the Crabtree situation. Oh, and if the Crabtree holdout continues anyway, well, that's the Niners problem.

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What a waste

Crabtree is being mislead. He’s young, I understand, but he won’t get all they’re telling him he’ll get and if this keeps up he’s going to end up wasting his rookie year and won’t be able to even prove that he should’ve gotten it. Too bad, I really wanted to see what the kid could do. Might have to wait a whole year because training camp is really important to rooks.

Lived in LA during the Rams and Raiders days. Now based in NorCal, I am still a die hard Rams fan and Raiders season ticket holder.

by CoachConnors on Jul 28, 2009 8:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I've always disliked the contract negotiations part of signing a rookie draft choice...

especially the 1st and 2nd rounders.

To me it’s absurd, just totally illogical for an unproven rookie (and his agent) to damand so much when they have nada, zero, zip experience in the NFL. Yes , I can see it after the rookie’s first contract period in the league but not right out of the shoot.

How did the league ever get into this rediculous position? And I don’t mean to sound like I’m taking the front office’s side in this but it just makes more sense to have a standard, 3-year boiler-plate contract for all rookies based on a sliding scale of course, for each round and each pick within that round from 1 to 32. Then once they’ve proven themselves they can go for the gold.

This topic has always kind of made my blood boil especially when it gets to the point of a rookie holding out for a better contract and missing valuable time in camp. To me it only hurts the rookies chances of learning and excelling right from the get-go and it hurts the team as a whole.

Oday, there…thanks for letting me blow off some steam on this issue.

Go Rams!

"We can't run. We can't pass. We can't stop the run. We can't stop the pass. We can't kick. Other than that, we're just not a very good football team right now." --- Bruce Coslett, New York Jets Head Coach circa 1990s

by Nbr1RamFan on Jul 28, 2009 8:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I understand your point...

I definitely understand where you are coming from. However, the agents job is to look after the players best interest. The owners don’t have the players best interest in mind. That being said, owners need to start guaranting contracts. Until then, I will always side with the players. I would holdout, kick and scream to get every dollar possible because if I blow my knee out the second week, they could cut me by game 5.

So kudos to Crabtree, Jackson and everybody else. Get your money now because your job isn’t guaranteed tomorrow….

On this team, we are all united in a common goal: to keep my job.
-- Lou Holtz

by RamsMan83 on Jul 28, 2009 9:57 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

the agent's job

let’s not overstate what it would mean to the process if Parker gets a deal for Crabtree that trumps the slotting system. The slotting system is something of a compromise between owners and the players union, a deal like this for Crabtree means the end of it…exactly one year before the league plays an uncapped season and heads to the table for what will be VERY contentious negotiations. And one point of those negotiations will be rookie salaries.

As crazy as rookie contracts are now, dumping the slotting system would mean that each pick in the draft gets to negotiate a deal on their own terms, which could get really expensive for teams. It’s sort of like the bonuses in the baseball draft, but this would be even more open-ended.

Turf Show Times

by VanRam on Jul 28, 2009 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

NHL has a very good system for rookie contracts.

However, in NHL they don’t have the complexity of many different positions. Yet, they could put a maximum amount of money for a rookie for each position.

by PCarn on Jul 28, 2009 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is your job guaranteed?

Saying they deserve huge amounts because they might get hurt is just ridiculous. Crabtree hasn’t found a cure for cancer, made the owners a billion dollars in profits, or singlehandedly led the country to Mars. He’s going to get paid a lot of money to play football, which is what he loves to do. If he gets hurt the first year, that’s no different than what happens to lots of other people in other lines of work. Can you imagine going to your boss and saying you want a mulit-million dollar deal because you might get hurt tomorrow? Come on! It’s time for these greedy players to get real.

by andyrose on Jul 28, 2009 10:05 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ug...

…now I hope that Craptree fails in the NFL. He’s a rookie, for pete’s sake. I just don’t like that top draft picks get paid so damn much.

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Jul 28, 2009 10:37 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't care for Eugene Parkers tactics either

but ya gotta admit he’s represented some pretty good players.

Here’s a partial list of the players he has represented:

Hines Ward (Super Bowl XL MVP and four-time Pro Bowler)
Richard Seymour (4 time All Pro)
Walter Jones (5 time All Pro)
Emmitt Smith (NFL all time leading rusher)
Larry Fitzgerald
Derrick Brooks (9 time All Pro)
Rod Woodson (11 time All Pro)
Aeneas Williams (8 time All Pro)
Rex Grossman (Super Bowl QB)
Devin Hester (NFL record holder, All Pro)
Cedric Benson (Super Bowl running back)
Curtis Martin (5 time All Pro)
Laveranues Coles (All Pro receiver)
Jason Peters (All Pro left tackle)
Felix Jones (Cowboys 2008 1st Round Draft Pick)
Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams 1st round Draft Pick & star running back)
Tyson Jackson (Kansas City Chiefs 2009 1st Round Draft Pick)
Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers 2009 1st Round Draft Pick)

What gets me is the fact that some agents, like Parker, are known for having their client’s ‘hold out’ for more yet other agents don’t seem to have a problem getting their’s a nice contract.

Gee, go figure?

Go Rams!

by Nbr1RamFan on Jul 28, 2009 1:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice list. Where'd you get it?

I’ve looked for agent/player relationships online before, and often come up empty. Just out of curiosity, how did you dig this up?

RamsHerd.com - Graphic Rams Discussion

by taiko on Jul 28, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Worst Example

One of the worst examples is Jamarcus Russell. Please don’t tell me how messed up the Raiders are, I already know this.

To have a #1 overall, and he’s a QB, not sign until September ruined his entire rookie year. That could easily be 10-15 percent of his career.

I can’t assign blame to either side — there’s plenty for both.

Lived in LA during the Rams and Raiders days. Now based in NorCal, I am still a die hard Rams fan and Raiders season ticket holder.

by CoachConnors on Jul 28, 2009 3:55 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Comparing Crabtree to Larry Fitzgerald

Yes, it’s an unfair comparison … but I’ll bet dollars to donuts that Eugene Parker is doing it with the 49ers right now. Why? Because Parker represented Fitz and got the Cardinals to sign him to the richest contract ever given to a rookie (at the time).

That contract was done without a single missed practice day. Suffice to say, though, that there are (and should be) a lot more question marks around Crabs than Fitzgerald.

(Hat tip to Arrowhead Pride for the link.)

RamsHerd.com - Graphic Rams Discussion

by taiko on Jul 28, 2009 4:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs