Here We Go!

Free agency is under way in the NFL and the discussion of contracts will, as always be fascinating.

Total value, average per year, signing bonus, guarantees, we’ll get details on every aspect of these deals. Very little of it will actually hold up over time. NFL contracts are not guaranteed – teams can cut players at any time. So the only guaranteed money to the player is generally the signing bonus. That’s the most important number.

Contract structure, because of the byzantine accounting rules that make up the salary cap, is also important to the teams. And for a great look at what goes into all of this, let me recommend a book called “NFL Brawler.”

It was written by a former NFL player-turned-agent, Ralph Cindrich. It’s part biography and part inside look at the art of the NFL deal, and Cindrich’s were creative and, at times, infuriating to the teams. As an NFL beat writer for USA Today as many of Cindrich’s deals unfolded, I can assure you he does not exaggerate his importance in the making of the modern environment and how he helped change the valuations on some positions, especially offensive linemen.

Cindrich did a deal for a player named Paul Gruber that so redefined what left tackles could expect that the term “Gruber money” became shorthand for pay at that position.

As you follow your team’s journey through free agency, pick up Cindrich’s “NFL Brawler.” You’ll feel like part of the negotiations.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman