Michael Thomas holding out of Saints camp for new deal (turned down saints offer, wants to be highest paid in league)

[TheRed]

In the current NFL with as much money and power the owners wield I don't blame him one bit for getting everything he can out of his first non rookie contract. Especially considering how much money Brees has made with the Saints.

[LinvilleGorge]

5 minutes ago, TheRed said:

In the current NFL with as much money and power the owners wield I don't blame him one bit for getting everything he can out of his first non rookie contract. Especially considering how much money Brees has made with the Saints.

Owners can only spend x amount of money on players due to the hard cap. Taking $20M per year just leaves a helluva lot less for your teammates. If the NFLPA actually cared about it's entire membership they'd be pushing for max contract stipulations like the NBA has and probably for a significant bump in minimum salary. That would be beneficial for the majority of the players who aren't non-stars.

[TheRed]

The 20 million dollar per year contract situation we are seeing was created almost entirely by a distinct desperation from various front offices across the league. Teams have been vastly overpaying for a number of different positions over the years building to this point. Blaming the players at this stage because they are getting paid doesn't make much sense when it has been general managers setting the market and creating this inevitable boiling point.

[TheRumGone]

26 minutes ago, TheRed said:

The 20 million dollar per year contract situation we are seeing was created almost entirely by a distinct desperation from various front offices across the league. Teams have been vastly overpaying for a number of different positions over the years building to this point. Blaming the players at this stage because they are getting paid doesn't make much sense when it has been general managers setting the market and creating this inevitable boiling point.

It’s more about respect for Thomas I think. He’s been under appreciated for years because of Brees getting all the attention. He wants the recognition of highest paid. I mean from a rival fan standpoint more power to him, but if he was our guy I’d be like what the fug dude.

[rayzor]

20 minutes ago, TheRed said:

The 20 million dollar per year contract situation we are seeing was created almost entirely by a distinct desperation from various front offices across the league. Teams have been vastly overpaying for a number of different positions over the years building to this point. Blaming the players at this stage because they are getting paid doesn't make much sense when it has been general managers setting the market and creating this inevitable boiling point.

Something I learned a long time ago is the right price is always what someone is willing to pay. That's the capitalist side of me. There  is another side of me that understands 1) that some decisions to buy are made in desperation that the seller is all to willing to exploit the other and/or 2) that there are often unforseen consequences that someone has to pay who is adversely affected. All that makes me question the ethics of that earlier lesson.

[cbully]

and rightfully so. I'm loving this

[saints4lifeagain]

1 hour ago, LinvilleGorge said:

It's not so much about the current, but the future. Brees' contract expires after this year so you'll either have to pay him a king's ransom on a short term cap killer deal or find a new QB. If he's still playing at a high level, he's probably going to want $30M. Von Bell is also going to be a free agent and the safety market blew up this off-season. With Brees, Thomas, and Bell all coming up on free agency, all of a sudden next year's $44M on cap space looks awfully tight.

Brees is done after this year. The writing is on the wall. Even having said that, his contract he signed this year was well under $30 million lol. Saints are deep at safety. If Bells price tag gets high, he walks. Saints are in good position next year. 

1 hour ago, TheRumGone said:

You can be honest, doesn’t mean you’re less of a fan of the saints. He’s holding out to prove he’s the highest paid wr. When it’s literally 1-2 million more a year than what they offered. Michael Thomas is an ass. This isn’t his first prima donna incident.

I don’t think he’s an ass. He’s been paid pennies on the dollar for his production thus far. He deserves what he’s gonna get. 

[uncfan888]

10 minutes ago, saints4lifeagain said:

Brees is done after this year. The writing is on the wall. Even having said that, his contract he signed this year was well under $30 million lol. Saints are deep at safety. If Bells price tag gets high, he walks. Saints are in good position next year. 

I don’t think he’s an ass. He’s been paid pennies on the dollar for his production thus far. He deserves what he’s gonna get. 

So you think if Brees retires after this year, you guys will be fine? I'm expecting a significant step back when you lose a HOFer

[PantherFanInPhilly]

[Black&BlueBubba]

[LinvilleGorge]

21 minutes ago, saints4lifeagain said:

Brees is done after this year. The writing is on the wall. Even having said that, his contract he signed this year was well under $30 million lol. Saints are deep at safety. If Bells price tag gets high, he walks. Saints are in good position next year. 

No one is in a good position losing their franchise QB. Montana/Young and Favre/Rodgers situations don't happen very often. I don't think y'all have a Young or Rodgers grooming on the bench and as much as I'd enjoy watching it, I don't see y'all sucking so hard you end up with the #1 overall pick next year to create your own Manning/Luck situation.

[MasterAwesome]

2 hours ago, TheRumGone said:

You can be honest, doesn’t mean you’re less of a fan of the saints. He’s holding out to prove he’s the highest paid wr. When it’s literally 1-2 million more a year than what they offered. Michael Thomas is an ass. This isn’t his first prima donna incident.

I think the principle matters though...even if he was paid $5 less, it’s about stacking up your perceived value against your peers and thinking “they don’t think I’m as valuable as that guy?”. I would be pretty offended if I found out I made even 10 cents less than my coworker, all other qualifiers being equal (work ethic, education, employment period, etc.).

[hepcat]

Saints probably pushing back saying the offensive system made him into what he is, and they wouldn't be too far off base considering he's putting up similar numbers that Marques Colston did. They can probably go and find another stud WR if they don't already have one on the roster as it is. 

[bababoey]

If Brees doesn't play for the Saints next year it's a 26 million cap hit.  If he does it's probably a $25 - 30 million cap hit.  For a 41 year old quarterback.  With really no back up in the works anywhere.  And they are going to have Thomas, with a $12-15 million dollar hit and Armstead and Jordan both have a $16 million hit next year.  So if Brees does not play next year and they sign Thomas they will have about 5 or 6 million in cap room.  Going into the offseason.  With about 40 guys on the roster.  With no QB.  Good luck with that.