If players decide to do something out of the ordinary the NFL Scouting Combine, we may find out about it tomorrow.
Report: Combine boycott a long shot, but protest possible
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the NFL Players Association and agents will discuss a boycott of the combine on Monday. Cole says that while a boycott may be a long shot, momentum for a protest is growing. In particular, a source told Cole that NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is “warming to the idea” of disrupting the combine.
The crux of this issue is a possible rookie wage scale owners want to put in place.
One agent Cole spoke to said that what the owners are proposing is “criminal.”
The proposal that the NFL has offered is one with no bonuses or incentives. That would mean the No. 1 pick would get a five-year contract for $19 million, with $6 million guaranteed.
Last year, Sam Bradford received a six-year contract worth $72 million with $50 million guaranteed.
One agent dashed the idea of a combine boycott. However, it’s not exactly due to noble reasons.
“You’re talking about players who have been training for two months and now, all of a sudden, they’re all not going to work out? That’s not happening,” the agent told Cole. “To me, it would be great if they would do it. If all the agents would agree, I would do it. But I just can’t see all the agents and players going along with it. Not at this point.”
It’s the second part of that quote that is key. Agents are cut throat. If one agent holds his players out of the combine, another agent’s players could push ahead of them on a draft board. Considering agents make their money off where a player is drafted, a boycott would be stunning.
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