2 Year Contracts on Free Agents

[Commissioner]

Two (2) year contracts on players that are purchased in Free Agency. Teams that have to keep the player for two seasons versus one might think twice before bidding up the price on any said player so high. Sure it’s easy to live with that salary for one season, but how about two?

[bthoman]

Yes on this! The flawed system was exposed. Would be hilarious to see Marqise Lee rostered for $30 this season too

[mattbills]

I agree with Ben. Although I know he’s making fun of my Lee contract. SMH. I think this is a great idea.

[tbparker]

I like the idea, but just want to know how we can be sure a team will be able to stay under the salary cap. Say they have 10 players at an average of $25 each going into their second year... those players get $60 in bonuses applied to them as a whole. How does that team get their cap back below $300?

One idea to solve that is they have to drop players and pay the second year still, but don’t owe the bonus for the second year (i.e. a $45 player gets a $15 bonus; he can be dropped that offseason with a $45 cap hit but not owe the $15). But this could lead to some teams with very large dead cap that’s not even on the roster if we’re ok with that.

Additional value dying question, after the two years they’re like everybody else and can be resigned as many times as you want, reupped each year or reupped every 2 years?

[bthoman]

They would have to cut somewhere else to get back under the cap.

[Chiefs Franchise]

I'm not in love with it but I see the premise. I dont think we should be punishing people just because they bid more money than the next guy or girl. Isn't that the essence of free agency? I am however ok with a long term deal be a a factor in the bidding process somehow

[Jash13]

I understand the premise, but not really in favour of requiring 2 year contracts for all free agents. What about FAs that are close to retirement...? Would you be stuck with them for an extra season too? Or would you just need to avoid all old guys in the free agency?

I could see a compromise of sorts working though. What if all FAs received 2 year contracts, but with a buyout option in the 2nd year of 25%? So if you bid $150 to ensure you get Dalvin Cook in the bidding that's great, but you'd be on the cook for $37.50 buyout for the following season if you want to cut him. That compromise would still make ppl think twice about handing out massive FA contracts, but allow some flexibility for the next season still. That would accomplish the same thing but work better overall in my opinion.

[bthoman]

I think players signed to two year contracts should not be eligible for bonuses. That would help with a little bit of the uncertainty.

As for other players on your roster getting bonuses forcing you over the cap, you already know that every year you are going to have players getting bonuses, especially if you are successful. You know this when you bid on the free agent. Bid responsibly to account for this.

It is no different then a team wins a Superbowl and can't afford to bring everyone back because it increases all of their player's values.

[bthoman]

Josh, I think you bake the retirement risk into your bid. So you bid $15 rather than $25 on Brady or Brees for fear of their retirement. Or you can stay away. Or you can try to trade them away and get someone to eat the contract as part of another deal.

This should be a thinking man's game. I am all for changes that bring more strategy to the game.

Let's strategize and get creative rather than bid on one year rentals. Anyone can do that. Isn't the strategy side of James's leagues what makes them so much fun!?

[ennelson7]

I see both sides on this one and have leaned both ways at one point. Right now leaning in favor of it since makes you think more about strategy.

[Jash13]

Hey Ben. I see your points there, but I still think a buyout of the 2nd year would serve as a similar deterrent without totally handicapping some teams for the 2nd year of a contract that doesn’t work out. Considering there is a 1 yr maximum in place right now, enforcing a 2nd year on the contract with a reasonable buyout seems like a good compromise.

There’s lots of sudden retirements in the NFL these days and we could end up with some bad teams saddled with useless contracts that will be tough to find new owners willing to take over. I just think the buyout of the 2nd year is the right place to be between the current 1 yr contract and the proposed 2 year contract (with no buyout).

[bthoman]

Josh, I could get on board with this if the cap penalty was 50%.

So I bid $40 on Brees and win. If I cut him after year one, I take a $20 cap hit the following year. If I cut him after year two or later, there is no cap penalty.

Bonuses apply as usual.

Is that the compromise you have in mind? Is that enough of a deterrent to stop the madness?

[reeddominick]

I'm in favor of having a two year minimum contract for all FA's. Would there be an option to have contracts either front-loaded or back-loaded? For example, you win Dalvin Cook at free agency for $80. He's now owed $160 over the next two years. If you have a lot of cap space in year one, you could do $100 in year one and $60 in year two, or vice-versa. I'm always in favor of making the league more realistic. I know that might make things more complicated, but just an idea.

[Jash13]

Yeah that’s what I’d be proposing Ben. I think it accomplishes the same thing as a deterrent to overbidding, but without totalling screwing teams into a 2nd year they never wanted. (Especially if the player retires)

[jamesosteen]

I'm fine with whatever here. I do think there was some initial knee jerk reaction with the Cook bid going to 120, but as years go by teams will have less and less cap I think with more and more guys on bonuses and in higher tiers. You will always have 1 +2 with big money and I guess who cares if they control the market with that money. They managed their roster to have the cap so they should get to spend it as they wish.

[bthoman]

This is the hill I want to die on!

I will sell you my vote on any other topic in exchange for a YES vote on 2 year contracts.

[detroitlions]

I disagree about cook being a knee jerk reaction.. i see players going for $100 plus this year as well.
And i also disagree that teams will have less and less cap space moving forward as their starters begin to be players on original rookie deals.
But i also dont think making people hold players for 2 years is going to do any good. you are going to force someone to hold a player against their will and also annoy people that want to get a chance of signing that player a year after. So both sides are losing.

The only way i see to help with this matter is holding a percentage of that players salary for the next year or 2.
lets say i signed cook for $100
if i drop him the next year 25% of his salary stay on my team. that means my total for next season would be $275.
It would get very hard to keep up with this but is a way i see to help manage this situation.

[rafastw]

I think I would be OK with it. But I have a question about the retirement issue mentioned by Bengals. I believe we can cut players who have officially retired and get the salary relief during the current season (am I wrong?). Would that be different if the player was signed in free agency?

[Bucs Freemann]

I’m opposed to two year contracts, unless we set a player cap by position.

[bthoman]

I think a good compromise here is a 50% cap penalty if cut after the first season.

So James would have had to pay $60 in cap penalties this year for not keeping Cook and his $120 salary.

I think that accomplishes what we are after here. There's no way Cook goes for $120 if you know you are going to be saddled with a $60 cap hit for a player not even on your tram.

[Banderson7488]

I’m in favor of two year contracts but it would depend on the rules decided for me to be a definite yes.

[Colts--CLYDE]

2 year contracts for free agents

[UNITS24]

All though i haven't been through a free agency period yet, i would be in favor of this as it hopefully will deter the running up of a year rental!

[PhiladelphiaEagles]

I agree with this, under Pitts proposal

[Washington Redskins]

The 50% makes alot of sense, it adds strategy and limits inflation while still giving an out if needed.