Re: And so it begins...
 

I say report. You're gonna get your contract. Don't look like an idiot in the meantime!

Re: And so it begins...
 

Keep that same energy when he gets his new contract (and he will) and goes out there and continues to perform at a high level.

Re: And so it begins...
 

Not in the NFL. The NFL as a league has 3 hallmarks: contracts are not guaranteed, injuries are guaranteed, and performance is king.

MT goes out on the practice field like Dez did and ruptures his Achilles. It's game over.

MT has historic production over the first 3 seasons of his career. NFL records. He's outplayed his contract. So he needs to secure his financial future before he steps out on the field again.

BTW it works the other way too. A team will restructure a contract or cut a player in a hot minute if their production doesn't match the dollars they are being paid. After the guaranteed money, a contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.

One also needs to understand how NFL contracts are structured. Because guaranteed money is spread across the cap, the tendency is to have extensions of long length to lower the cap hit. The problem is that the market moves in the meantime and players often outplay their extensions. A contract is pretty much over once the guaranteed money runs out. So early signing extensions are the players' way of restructuring contracts for their benefit.

Just advocating for Thomas. He's a 2nd round pick that is playing like a Hall of Famer. He should get his money. And honestly I don't believe the Saints have a problem giving it to him. It's just a matter of crossing t's and dotting i's. I also believe there's a game of chicken going on between the Saints, Atlanta, Thomas, and Julio Jones, who is also trying to get his contract refreshed. Jones cannot sign any new deal before tomorrow (Friday) because the Clowns threw extra money at him last year and a deal has to hold for a calendar year before it can be amended. So whomever jumps last will probably get the best deal.

SFIAH

Re: And so it begins...
 

^^ This ^^ times 2.

Re: And so it begins...
 

What can happen with MT in the first week, or even the first month, of training camp outside of him getting injured? That would be idiotic.

I feel too many of us fans only see situations like this from the fan's perspective. For NFL players, this is their livelihood, their business. It's a hell of a lot more important to take care of business as opposed to conditioning drills, practice reps, and preseason games. MT has absolutely nothing to prove to anyone on the practice field. I'd be perfectly happy if he sat training camp out just as long as he's ready for the Texans week one. That goes for Brees, Kamara, Jordan, Lattimore, and the like too. They just need to be ready and uninjured for the season. If taking a couple of days, or a couple of weeks off in the preseason accomplishes that, then that's great as far as I'm concerned.

SFIAH

Re: And so it begins...
 

Re: And so it begins...
 

No it’s not. BOTH sides have said since the offseason began that they wanted to go ahead and get the contract done this year.
Alternatively the Saints could let him play out his contract and wind up in a bidding war with some team that decides they want to pay him 25 mil a year and build their offense around him.
Right now the contract to beat is OBJ. Next year it could be someone else’s contract at a higher number.

Re: And so it begins...
 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Re: And so it begins...
 

My new favorite word.

Re: And so it begins...