V. Jackson "Prepared to Sit out season"

[EARTHQUAKE2689]

Originally Posted by saden1

What is unethical is you drinking and driving for the second time and getting yourself suspended by the league, threatening to sit out the whole season and then crying foul when the Chargers stick it to you. If I'm the owner and he wanted top 3 money I'd screw him too. Boo hoo hoo.

AJ Smith is that you??

[sportscurmudgeon]

Negotiating is about leverage - - and in this case, Jackson and his agent have very little.

The Chargers have done nothing in this process which can form the basis of a grievance by Jackson where the NFLPA would get involved on his behalf. There is a contract on the table waiting for his signature, If he chooses not to sign it - - as he says he never will - - then there are consequences that fall from that choice.

[By the bye, does anyone recall when Lance Briggs swore up and down he would never play a down of football again rather than play for the Chicago Bears? That was about 3 years ago and Briggs has been a LB for the Bears ever since. "Never" is a word that is used frequently in negotiations to mean "I really really don't wanna..."]

With regard to a trade, the Chargers are not obliged in any way to accede to that demand. After all, Jackson has voluntarily stayed away from the team and so he is not a distraction or a negative presence in their locker room. So the Chargers have set a price for him and have stuck to that price. Jackson can fume all he wants, but there is no rule that says the Chargers have to trade him at a price that will move him quickly.

Maybe if the Chargers wind up getting nothing in return for Jackson sometime down the road - - the new CBA will have clauses that cover situations such as this - - then maybe we can fault AJ Smith for getting less than he could for Jackson. The fallout then will be the same as now. Smith made a choice about a trade and that choice will have consequences...

As I understand it, there is one more brief window of time where Jackson can be traded this year before the trade deadline comes and goes. If he and his agent have any common sense at all, they will both STFU for the next couple of weeks and let this cool down a notch as that new window for a trade approaches. Maybe if they stop making this an ego battle in addition to a contract dispute, they might find a way for Jackson to be traded somewhere.

I don't know if that will work. What I do know is that all the bombast and all of the ultimatums that have come from Jackson and his agent have not worked even a little bit. Maybe time to try a different tack...?

[over the mountain]

can anyone find a link to jacksons rookie contract terms. i know it was for 5 years and he made approx 900k last year but i cant find one dang link that lays out his rookie contract terms.

also i cant find a dang site that has stats like "times targeted" or "catches allowed" or "tpa".

i know footballoutsiders has stats like DVOA or success pecent but none of the normal cornerback stats like catches allowed.

[over the mountain]

Ruhskins - to a degree but in situations where a guy signed a nominal rookie contract and has outperformed that contract and hasnt complained up until now (4-5 years later). i dont know the exact numbers per year, but he made approx 900k last year making the probowl.

Jackson held up his end but due to the CBA issues the chargers decided to tender him instead of rewarding him with a new contract to a player that has straight balled for you for 4 years making chump change.

at some point, you have to reward players who have played hard for you for years making a fraction of what other guys make.

the chargers are setting a real bad precedent and impression in their locker room. what charger player is honestly going to believe smith when he says, "yeah i know you are in your 3rd year of your rookie contract and we love the fact that you are a probowler making less than 1 mil a year but trust me, just believe us when we say when the time comes we will show you the money."

its the same thing with chris johnson. he was making chump change from his rookie contract but has been the best RB for the past 2 years. given the ton of touches the titans force on him, they had to show him some respect.

aj smith is setting himself for a bad rep among his own players and any future charger.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

Ruhskins - to a degree but in situations where a guy signed a nominal rookie contract and has outperformed that contract and hasnt complained up until now (4-5 years later). i dont know the exact numbers per year, but he made approx 900k last year making the probowl.

Jackson held up his end but due to the CBA issues the chargers decided to tender him instead of rewarding him with a new contract to a player that has straight balled for you for 4 years making chump change.

at some point, you have to reward players who have played hard for you for years making a fraction of what other guys make.

the chargers are setting a real bad precedent and impression in their locker room. what charger player is honestly going to believe smith when he says, "yeah i know you are in your 3rd year of your rookie contract and we love the fact that you are a probowler making less than 1 mil a year but trust me, just believe us when we say when the time comes we will show you the money."

its the same thing with chris johnson. he was making chump change from his rookie contract but has been the best RB for the past 2 years. given the ton of touches the titans force on him, they had to show him some respect.

aj smith is setting himself for a bad rep among his own players and any future charger.

Honestly, I agree with VJ's standpoint. Teams will quickly get production from a low-round players at chump change and not pay them. My comments were mainly to point out how in most of these cases (if not all of them) fans side with the team.

I think if this were happening to a team in a bigger market (i.e. New York, Washington, etc., etc.) it would be seen as a much bigger deal to SD.

As you say, AJ Smith and the FO there are setting themselves up to be seen in bad light by the players. I wonder (and I'm sure) SD fans would want this to be over and done with.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

I wonder (and I'm sure) SD fans would want this to be over and done with.

i went over to bolttalk after posting here to see what the fans thought as well as try and find details on jacksons contract.

Im not exaggerating, every single charger fan posting on there was 100% in aj smiths corner. i was very surprised. they view jackson's agent as a cry baby b/c they think he advised jackson to not sign tender b/c he would get dealt but now that hasnt happened, jackson's agents comments are viewed as being whiny and cya.

saden - did smith promise jackson he would get a new contract last year?

[saden1]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

i went over to bolttalk after posting here to see what the fans thought as well as try and find details on jacksons contract.

Im not exaggerating, every single charger fan posting on there was 100% in aj smiths corner. i was very surprised. they view jackson's agent as a cry baby b/c they think he advised jackson to not sign tender b/c he would get dealt but now that hasnt happened, jackson's agents comments are viewed as being whiny and cya.

saden - did smith promise jackson he would get a new contract last year?

Who knows what he was or wasn't promised...it doesn't matter what was promised only what he is getting or not getting right now. If he was promised anything he should have gotten it in writing, otherwise tough shit. He can sit out and let the chips fall where they may and if he believes he truly suffered a grave injustice he should take it to court or arbitration instead of preaching ethics to us.

[Mechanix544]

I think this has the potential to be a substantial issue during the next talks for the CBA. AJ Smith being a dickhead, plain and simple, to his players and not rewarding them with a longer term contract for play WAY above and beyond their current deal. I think the players definitely have more traction than the owners going into these negotiations, and this situation is just another arrow in their quiver.


All the owners and GMs should be a little pissed off at Smith right now, because in the long run, his little "My cock is bigger than your cock" game might end up costing the owners a little bit of money.

[CRedskinsRule]

I didn't realize VJ's agent was the same as Revis'. Players need to look closely at who they hire, and see what their track record is. We can be thankful TW did that this summer!

[MTK]

Lord of No Rings... I like that

Kinda hard to side with Smith given his reputation of being a stubborn a-hole. So if VJ hits the open market and gets out of dodge for nothing, isn't that some serious egg on the face for good ol' AJ?

[GTripp0012]

I have little sympathy for Jackson, who could have signed his tender to be payed at the first and third round level. What Smith did to screw him over was the ballzy move, but was perfectly allowable per the CBA. The Chargers aren't in violation of anything.

I happen to think a lot of teams would have been much better off had they met the Chargers' price tag. But I also think the Chargers were hardly accounting for the discount rate of VJ's suspension. Sure, in a vacuum, if Brandon Marshall returned two seconds, then Jackson is worth more than that.

But he's also only going to play 12 games this season (now 10), and the Chargers can't necessarily claim compensation for the option to extend Jackson's contract. If other teams think that he's going to hit the market this time next year, than the Chargers can only get compensated for the value of those 12 games in terms of draft picks.

Now, considering he's making league minimum, that's A LOT of surplus value for those 12 games. But a second and a conditional sixth seems about the max amount the Chargers could reasonably receive in a trade for 12 games of a top receiver.

[Ruhskins]

Looks like Jackson is the lone hold out. I wonder if the Chargers are going to let him even come back to earn his year of eligibility...and I wonder if sitting out will take a toll on his abilities (see Darrelle Revis).

San Diego Chargers LT Marcus McNeill rejoins team, signs tender - ESPN

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

Looks like Jackson is the lone hold out. I wonder if the Chargers are going to let him even come back to earn his year of eligibility...and I wonder if sitting out will take a toll on his abilities (see Darrelle Revis).

San Diego Chargers LT Marcus McNeill rejoins team, signs tender - ESPN

McNeil is much more important to that team than Jackson is. I bet McNeil gets a nice pay day in the end and Jackson is more like a Albert Haynesworth...bait an idoit GM for big money and find excuses not to play.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

McNeil is much more important to that team than Jackson is. I bet McNeil gets a nice pay day in the end and Jackson is more like a Albert Haynesworth...bait an idoit GM for big money and find excuses not to play.

Actually, Jackson is nothing like Haynesworth. AH got his payday. Jackson is being smart because one bad play and he never gets his payday.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

Looks like Jackson is the lone hold out. I wonder if the Chargers are going to let him even come back to earn his year of eligibility...and I wonder if sitting out will take a toll on his abilities (see Darrelle Revis).

San Diego Chargers LT Marcus McNeill rejoins team, signs tender - ESPN

I wouldn't say Revis' holdout hurt his abilities as a football player. But he was thrust into the starting lineup before getting into football shape, and now he's got a pulled hammy.

AJ Smith is a giant turd.