There seems to be a misunderstanding about players optiing out of bowl games.
This is a fairly new phenomenon but most of the reasons given for it aren't new at all.
Do players opt out because the games don't matter? If that's the case, then why didn't it happen 20 or 30 years ago?
Do players opt out to avoid injuries in games that don't matter because there's so much money on the line? That's not it either. NFL rookie contracts are much lower now than they were 15 years ago. Trevor Lawrence got a contract worth $36 million as the number one pick. JaMarcus Russell got a $61 million contract after he went pro after the 2006 season. He played in a "meaningless" bowl game. His counterpart, Brady Quinn, also played in that meaningless game before getting a $22 million contract as a rookie. They both played and both had more money on the line that Pickett or Walker.
I'm not sure what the reasoning is other than it simply becoming acceptable. It gained popularity when McCaffery sat out his bowl game and it's only gotten more popular.
This is a fairly new phenomenon but most of the reasons given for it aren't new at all.
Do players opt out because the games don't matter? If that's the case, then why didn't it happen 20 or 30 years ago?
Do players opt out to avoid injuries in games that don't matter because there's so much money on the line? That's not it either. NFL rookie contracts are much lower now than they were 15 years ago. Trevor Lawrence got a contract worth $36 million as the number one pick. JaMarcus Russell got a $61 million contract after he went pro after the 2006 season. He played in a "meaningless" bowl game. His counterpart, Brady Quinn, also played in that meaningless game before getting a $22 million contract as a rookie. They both played and both had more money on the line that Pickett or Walker.
I'm not sure what the reasoning is other than it simply becoming acceptable. It gained popularity when McCaffery sat out his bowl game and it's only gotten more popular.