Messam signs with the Miami Dolphins

[Tighthead]

I'd have to disagree. I think the signing bonus is the only( albeit sometimes small by NFL standards), committment the team makes to the player. If you don't even have to offer the guy any cash up front, how serious are you? How worried are you he's going to get a better offer, than nothing?

Every pro team wants to pay every player as little as possible.

If Miami offers 0, and the player gets a better offer, the agent will come back to Miami and try to get more. The player and the agent are trying to max his value.

If you can get away with 0, you do it.

Edit to add: Obviously, value and committment have a relation. If a team is willing to meet the market value of a player (say 50K), they have some faith in that player. I just think that if they could pay him less they would.

[Rammer]

I'd have to disagree. I think the signing bonus is the only( albeit sometimes small by NFL standards), committment the team makes to the player. If you don't even have to offer the guy any cash up front, how serious are you? How worried are you he's going to get a better offer, than nothing?

Signing bonus only guarantees you a meal ticket. It is your ability that feeds you for the remainder of your life.

Signed,

Stephan Logan

[ziggy]

I'd have to disagree. I think the signing bonus is the only( albeit sometimes small by NFL standards), committment the team makes to the player. If you don't even have to offer the guy any cash up front, how serious are you? How worried are you he's going to get a better offer, than nothing?

Signing bonus only guarantees you a meal ticket. It is your ability that feeds you for the remainder of your life.

Signed,

Stephan Logan

Give someone something for nothing and thats what its worth. A bird in the hand is worth more than none in the bush

[B.C.FAN]

The NFL seems to have done away with signing bonuses for ex-CFLers, replacing them with back-end "guarantees" that aren't as guaranteed as they look. It's become more risky for a CFLer to give up an established position for at least half a season to try to crack an NFL roster.

[Sir Purrcival]

Good luck to him. I hope the bright lights and big temptations of a Miami don't send this one astray. He seems to have trouble in that department.

[joe kapp22]

SolE can be a quality special teams guy in the NFL.

Messam is fodder. No bonus and you walk in with the upside of third on the depth chart as a best case scenario. Didn't work out that well for Mallett, no reason to see it will work out any better for Messam. Some guys are better off staying in the CFL. Messam is one of them.

He's a good pickup as a Rb should be able to play in either league, and I "think" he did get a bonus as he mentioned the Dolphins were talking with him for 2 yrs prior to signing, he also injured a calf or hammy which kept interest in him down a bit.

As a Dolphin fan, I'm ecstatic over this and hope he blows up the NFL.

FWIW, he also talked about what happened with Paris Jackson in 2010