Hambone wrote:
From the club's perspective Wally has to be thinking a bit longer term. Giving a token amount like another $50K serves no purpose. If you give him that today and he plays well this year then we'll be playing that game again this time next year. If I'm in Wally's shoes as much as I may believe he is the real deal I need to see a bigger body of work. Once I've seen that then I want to get his name on a new deal not just for more money but also beyond the term of his current deal. I don't want to hand Jennings $50K in March. I want to be in position to approach him in mid-season about something over $200K that carries out beyond 2018.
Giving a token amount like another $50K serves no purpose.
"serves no purpose"?
It is a reward to a player for bringing some hope to the fans of a franchise in decline.
It is a reward to a worker who has vastly exceeded expectations.
It is proof of belief in a player.
It would be a one time bonus, not negotiated. But it holds promise of a much better contract in the future.
It shows that the player is valued.
It might show that Wally, who has a reputation as GM for being tight with a dollar, sees a high ceiling for this player.
It is recognition that the contract Jennings played under last year was prohibitively in the favour of the team. Along the lines of: "You were worth much more to our franchise than the $52,000 you signed for last year."
It is a message to the players on the team that the organization seeks to be fair in the compensation it pays.
It has the chance to build player loyalty.
On and on.
Just IMO as a fan.
Fans see things differently.
We will see how this mini-dispute over fair pay, now in the media, plays out.
With CFL starters averaging roughly $400,000 a season, it makes no sense for Jennings to attend training camp in June under terms of his current deal. His agent, Bardia Ghahremani, will see to it that he doesn’t. -- Mike Beamish
Better yet, better even than a $50,000 bonus, renegotiate the present contract before training camp, when this issue would take on a more high profile, high risk life. Contracts are not carved in stone in the CFL. Paying too much? Cut him loose, or renegotiate downwards.
Once again, just IMO.
http://www.canada.com/sports/Lions+Jenn ... story.html
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.
Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.
Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.