"tromadz" wrote:

Raji if you are reading this - Hi!

"bozz_2006" wrote:

I'm shocked at the Raji Hate. Glorified DE? Twinky? I hope he eats lots of twinkies so he's huge and plugs that NT spot up. I want RBs to run seven feet to the left and still be in front of Raji's fat ass.

But he'll show up. This is just (unfortunate) business.

"tromadz" wrote:

Short point (an aphorism from my law school days, used to explain why even someone trained as a lawyer should hire a(nother) lawyer to represent him/her in adversary proceedings): Represent yourself, and be assured that you will have a fool for a client.

Longer point: If I had a son with the skill sets of a NFL first round draft choice, I'd tell him to get a pit bull of an agent. Someone not afraid to be obnoxiously aggressive on his behalf and take all sorts of crap from fans like me for it. Someone who could care less about the "team" who drafted him.

As a fan I hate holdouts. And I'm happy to call agents "scum" when the holdout might affect "my" team. But if I were in Raji's shoes, I'd be looking to hire the biggest prick possible as my agent if I were convinced that that prick was going to be the most zealous on my behalf.

And if the market for someone drafted in my position starts at twelve gazillion dollars, a zealous agent is not doing his job unless his negotiating starts somewhere well above 12 gazillion dollars; and unless he gets his client *at least* 12 gazillion dollars.

And let us not forget, the NFL is *not* a free market. Raji has exactly three options. He plays for the Packers. He goes back into next years draft. Or he does something other than play NFL football. He doesn't get to play for another football team this year. Period. That single fact gives the Packers huge bargaining power.

Enough all by itself to justify hiring a pit bull of an agent.

Add in the fact that Raji even if he majored in "sports agent management" or some such, has nowhere near his agent's skill set.

I majored in econ and management in college. I have advanced degrees in both law and econ. I've *taught* business majors for close to 20 years. I've practiced law. And I wouldn't dream of representing myself had I skills that could draw a multi-million dollar employment contract.

I might have a bit more skill at choosing a representative than Raji. I hope I would, anyway. But I'd use that skill to figure out who was the most zealous of representatives. Not to figure out who was best at making nicey-nicey.

The time to become a "team player" is *after* you sign your first NFL contract. Not before.

The job of an agent is not to get what his client "should be willing to take." The job of an agent is to get as much on his client's behalf as his client's employer is willing to give. Nothing else.

"Wade" wrote:

I agree with ALMOST everything you say Wade. I would want my son to have the same nasty SOB you want.
The place, as a fan, I draw the line is over the question of, "How close are they?" I don't want them haggling over the last dollar, or even the last million in a $30+ million dollar deal.
If GB is offering $30 million with $16 guaranteed and they want $32 with $17 guaranteed, and they hold out 4 months over it, it is not worth it. It is not worth it to hold out 3 weeks. Training camp goes by fast and missing out can mean the difference between starting or filling in situationally. If he sits out too long he may not get into the flow of the defense.

"wpr" wrote:

Sure would be nice to get in the position where you could say "2 million apart" is close, wouldn't it? I hate rich people sometimes. :)

"Wade" wrote:

hehe...well, I think you should give your million to the government and I'll keep the other. That's more fairer.

"Wade" wrote:

(No, I was never elected to high office. But I know the shtick.)

p.s. yep. 10 minutes or less. Of course if it were you and I negotiating I probably would have settled for 15 million a month ago. And you'd be GMing for GB from your over-the-water villa in Bora Bora. :)

"Wade" wrote:

"tromadz" wrote: