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RockRam
I cannot speak from and NFL contract world; but I can from a high level corporate salary contract world.
Brandt lives in the real world, not in a fan fantasy world. And in fact, he's speaking directly to those who need to understand how this works and how both sides work at it; and to all who are the "pay the man" crowd because it simply doesn't work that way in contract negotiations. There are a myriad of considerations and counter points; and there is the human factor that is difficult to account for. My fear is that Donald really has drunk the Kool Aid and is ready to never play another down in order to satisfy his ego. I've seen pride do this before.
First, Brandt didn't say that anyone in the negotiations uttered the words "free agency money". He's using it figuratively for what it is that Donald is apparently demanding, but for which he has neither just cause nor leverage to demand since he is under a binding, legal contract obligation regardless of how well he's played.
Second: holding out while not being paid is not leverage for a DT or most anyone; it's an unproductive tantrum. It might be for a star QB; but it's sure not for a DT, not even of Donald's caliber.
Third; it is not apples to apples to compare a DT to an OLB for a contract. Brandt clearly doesn't think so, I doubt the Rams do, and I certainly don't either. The market for DTs is as well established as it is for rush OLBs. It is reflected in the cumulative "Tag" amount. $13.9 mil for a DT, $14.9 mil for ILBs and OLBs mixed together. And it just might be that Donald's agents are agreeing with you and trying to convince the Rams that it is apples to apples.....and likely the Rams aren't buying it. If so, then it's another bone of contention that Donald's agents aren't likely to win....at least not until his contract is up and he can hit the open market. But if he holds out all year, then (I think) the Rams still own his rights for yet another year.
It cannot be overstated how strategic the signing of Suh was. The Rams were well aware of the stalemate with Donald and who his agents are, and what they were collectively likely to do, when they signed Suh. Since they have the same agents it blows me away that the Rams were able to pull this off. It gives the Rams all kinds of extra leverage because at worst, they've replaced one superstar DT with another. They are quite equipped to win while Donald sits, even though without doubt they would be better with him. How much? Hard to tell, but no doubt some.
Listen to the man. He knows what he's talking about. Sure, he doesn't know the grisly details of the impasse any more than I do or you do. But contracts have, by nature, a structure, form and order because they operate under a common legal system and in this case under a common collective bargaining agreement. And the markets are well established, although it is said (either by knowledge or by guessing) that Donald is trying to reset the market.
I've stated many times that I think it is unlikely the Rams and Donald will come to an agreement. I continue in that belief. The dealing has gotten very stale and contract dealings that go on this long don't often work out. Not impossible; but unlikely despite all the nice-nice PR talk. Just my opinion, but based on some experience with it.....albeit nothing to do with sports.
1) Holding outPreviously you've said that holding out is no leverage at all. None! So it appears that you've moved some now and acknowledge that holding out can be leverage...at least in certain situations. The reality is, holding out is leverage whenever a team
feels pressure from a player not playing. They would likely feel this type of pressure about a player with transcendent talent rather than a marginally talented one. For example, I don't know that the Rams feel this way but this is my feeling: The Rams
may win the SB without Donald; the Rams
will win the SB with Donald. IF the Rams feel the same as I do, they will feel a great degree of pressure to get him on the football field. That is leverage!
Do the Rams feel this way? There are clues that they do. Let's listen to Sean McVay's words from two weeks ago:
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"Let's put it this way, there's an increased dialogue," McVay said Saturday. "We feel positive about the direction that these things are going. But it's still kind of in the same boat, but I know there is a HUGE LEVEL OF URGENCY FROM OUR SIDE in terms of HOW IMPORTANT he is, wanting to be proactive about trying to find a solution, get this thing done and we'll see if we can get that situation handled." McVay-rams-have-urgency-about-negotiations-with-donald
OTOH, we've heard nothing from Donald's team about an urgency on getting a deal done although that could have been the meaning of his hourglass tweet a few weeks ago.
Further, you make a conclusory statement that holding out is unproductive for everyone but a QB. Why is holding out leverage for a star QB but not for another player with transcendent talent? You don't support that position and it looks to be more like wishful thinking IMO. For all of your experience in the high level corporate world, you're showing a basic lack of understanding leverage. And if we're gonna throw our credentials out there, I'm saying this as someone who's actually negotiated contracts in the legal field. The Rams 'all in' stance for 2018 and 2019 gives Donald a lot more leverage than the picture you're painting.
2) Is Donald a DT?Whether Donald is merely a DT versus a "pass rusher" or a DT versus "best defender category" is probably the critical issue. Sure the Rams are gonna argue he's merely a DT. But their opinion is not the only one that counts. In fact, next year when they try to tag him there is likely to be a debate between the two sides on if Donald gets the DT tag or the DE tag. $14M or $17M. There is no guarantee the Rams win that argument. Currently, he's listed as a 3-4 DE. Moreover, he led the league in QB pressures last year which is a traditional feat for a DE. That's two strong facts that would support Donald's position.
When it comes to the tag, if this is the point of disagreement, the Rams won't be the ones to decide the issue. It will be decided by an arbitrator. (See Jimmy Graham and the Saints as Exhibit A.) So even on this issue the picture you paint that the Rams have all the control is inaccurate.
3) SuhThe Suh signing is good insurance for the Rams. But not having Donald is still awfully bad for them given their all in stance for the next two years. The goal was not have Suh replace Donald, it was to pair Suh and Donald to terrorize opposing QBs. Besides, we all know, that as good of a DT that Suh is, he's not a 'best pass rusher in the league' caliber of DT. Suh doesn't replace that skill set.
Also, thinking that Suh can replace Donald is extremely short-sighted thinking. Suh recently stated that his goal when he came into the league was to play for 10 years and all he is thinking about right now is playing this year and possibly next season. IOW, according to his own words, he doesn't sound like a long term solution. Given his age and his oft stated desire to pursue business passions after his football career is over, him talking about retirement is not surprising.
I've stated many times that I hope Donald and the Rams come to an agreement but if they don't this year, they will part ways with a trade.
