xan

I'm not saying, I'm just saying....

Did it ever occur to anyone that the Condon Quarterbacks League is colluding to set prices? Why have few of his clients signed their deals? Because the only players in the NFL with any leverage at all are the quarterbacks! Condon knows that each of the players under his management stand a better chance of negotiating the optimal contract if the biggest fish sets the price, rather than the smallest. Manning being the prize (Brees was FTag eligible, so he's not the prize), it makes sense to let his situation play out before entertaining any offer. Obviously, Manning gets a better contract than Brees (hold your arguments, because they are moot.)

With Manning getting $95M over 5, that sets the benchmark. Relative values against that benchmark can be made easily along the established metrics. Had the others settled early, it would have been at a discount to the benchmark because it was not known, and, more importantly, the more teams in flux, the more valuable each individual player becomes.

If the owners can collude, so can the players. I wouldn't write of Condon's strategies so quickly.

Calvin: "I wish I was a Tiger."
Hobbes: "Common lament."