I do understand that take, and that take is the standard for most labor related issues when we face them in this country.

I do take exception to most business in this country, but that's another matter for another board, lol.

That said, as soon as you have a franchise tag, you are operating outside the free market. Contract is up ... but the employer can decide that it's not. That's not free market, that's a loophole provided by the NFLPA that favors the ball club, while in this case, allowing for a league wide devaluation of the position.

If Josh Jacobs and Saquon are FAs this year, we're not having this conversation. Their contract was fulfilled, yet because the team chooses, they can actively pay them less than they would receive were they to hit the free market. And they can do it twice.

Demand likely sayd Saquon is worth more like 16 million a year, same with Jacobs. Maybe more. Supply has been removed from the equation.

And supply and demand doesn't work on rookie contracts because those are based on draft slotting.

What you end up with, if players don't get to a real second contract, is a pricing scale being set by a rookie contracts and that of other players, rather than by what they could get paid elsewhere or quality of play ... supply and demand/free market is no longer applicable to this situation.

I think it might be arguable, but I don't see how without allowing "real demand" to dictate the cost, rather than slotting by rookie contract or the demand of other players.

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