That is a good question.............where is anyone's guess, as long as it isn't ClevelandThe next question would be...where?
I disagree. If you look at the Top 5 All-Time NFL WR's they had phenominal careers that lasted 14+ years before they showed a steady decline.Julio should not be the 7th highest paid receiver in the game. At least not right now.
But he's pushing 30, and if we're being realistic his time as the premier receiver is most likely going to come to a close sooner rather than later...
"A king has his reign, and then he dies. It's inevitable. That is natural order of things."
Possibly. He's battled a lot of injuries throughout his career. Yes, he will be a weapon for a few more years - might even be the best in the game - but you cannot act like NFL GM's aren't looking at his age.Julio is just at the halfway point and hitting his prime. Considering his Freak Physique he probably has another 7-9 years of dominating left in him. 5-6 Years at worst. He's arguably the #1 WR in the League and should get money for the type of numbers he will put up in the next 5-6 and/or 7-9 years.
you must listen to 92.9 the game. they seem the most upset.Atlanta sports talk guys seem to be the most PO’d about Julio. Years ago I use to think players should shut up and honor the contract they signed, but it really doesn’t work like that. Julio at 29 now, and 32 when his contract is up, will not get another big contract. But the biggest thing is they should get as much as they possibly can , while they can. This game is killing them. Maybe not today, but it is taking time off their lives. It is taking quality out of their later years. I bet the life expectancy of an NFL Player is far less than the public at large. I can’t begrudge anyone for doing all they can to get all they can while they can and by any legal means available to them.
Julio aside, nobody is making them play this game, and if he can't live the rest of his life on the money he's collected so far, that's on him.Atlanta sports talk guys seem to be the most PO’d about Julio. Years ago I use to think players should shut up and honor the contract they signed, but it really doesn’t work like that. Julio at 29 now, and 32 when his contract is up, will not get another big contract. But the biggest thing is they should get as much as they possibly can , while they can. This game is killing them. Maybe not today, but it is taking time off their lives. It is taking quality out of their later years. I bet the life expectancy of an NFL Player is far less than the public at large. I can’t begrudge anyone for doing all they can to get all they can while they can and by any legal means available to them.
But this is also a different era of football. Players are more aware of their post-NFL career. I'm not saying Julio is ready to walk away (ala Calvin Johnson), I'm saying it's not a lock that Julio plays as long as some of the greats.I disagree. If you look at the Top 5 All-Time NFL WR's they had phenominal careers that lasted 14+ years before they showed a steady decline.
Julio is just at the halfway point and hitting his prime. Considering his Freak Physique he probably has another 7-9 years of dominating left in him. 5-6 Years at worst. He's arguably the #1 WR in the League and should get money for the type of numbers he will put up in the next 5-6 and/or 7-9 years.
That is a good question.............where is anyone's guess, as long as it isn't Cleveland
Seriously doubt it. You had to really be following the Kirk Cousins saga close to understand why he was able to negotiate that deal. He "bet" on himself twice by not signing guaranteed deals and thus being placed with the franchise tag twice. I think he was the only, or one of a few, that ever happened to. Thus, after he'd be franchise tagged multiple times he was free to finally negotiate his own deal. The reason this won't be duplicated is that it's very risky to bet on yourself for multiple years in the NFL. Ask Teddy Bridgewater or any other player whose suffered a significant injury.For those focused on a player "honoring their contract", remember that the NFL owners do not care about the players - not one bit. They fought for decades to keep brain injuries from being researched, knowing that they were killing players. Contracts are designed to pay only during the first few years so they can discard a player at no cost if they are injured or if their performance slips. Players are generally addicted to pain killers when they leave the NFL because they are encouraged to play injured, and often lose their job if they are not willing to do so.
If any other workplace treated employees like the NFL treats employees, they would be sued out of business. NFL contracts are totally one sided. overthecap.com estimates that less than 20% of all NFL multi-year contracts make it through to conclusion, mostly because owners walk away from the contracts when it is to their advantage. But players are not supposed to try to renegotiate? Players are not "honoring" their contracts? The players union in the NFL is a joke. The players have no idea how weak their union really is.
Kirk Cousins may have just changed expectations of high value players. He just signed a 3 year contract worth $84MM, and it is fully guaranteed. Players like Julio Jones have taken note and want similar contracts. There is even talk among players of a willingness to take less per year if their entire contract were fully guaranteed. Frankly, I am not sure why the NFL won't shift to this model. Forget the risk of injuries - other sports buy insurance to cover their losses if they lose a player to injury during a contract. That insurance would be more expensive in the NFL because players are more than 5 times more likely to suffer a career ending injury, but the costs could be offset by lower player salaries.