For today & tomorrow. Also has heard from almost every NFL team. I am really interested to see how this is going to work. La'El Collins - ( New Window )
He will likely sign with a team like Carolina who has several open spots up for grabs including LT where he would likely be their best option at LT. If he plays well enough at LT in 3 years he would be in line for a hefty contract in comparison to him playing G or RT.
Headhunter: When his agent said he wouldn't sign if drafted late... Â
He doesn't even need to PLAY right away. He just needs to start accruing credited seasons so he can reach free agency ASAP. Proving his value can wait. Plenty of guys get fat contracts based on one good year. (Look no further than the Giants' offensive line, featuring "payday producers" Geoff Schwartz and Will Beatty.)
Is it really that hard to see why he wasn't drafted? Â
NFL teams do not want any attachment to a murderer just in case he did do it. What happens if they draft him on Saturday in the 7th he goes for his meeting yesterday & gets arrested? All headlines read "NY Giants OL La'El Collins charged with double murder." Obviously teams did not want that connection. If he does get charged they want it to read "LSU OL La'El Collins charged with double murder." Quite simple to me.
Also he said if it was past the 3rd round he wouldn't sign. So why would any team want to waste a pick on a guy who said he won't sign & enter the 2016 draft? Now he can't enter the 2016 draft & they don't have to waste a pick.
He was a huge part of their offense and yet, without him on the team and all the distractions his arrest caused, they went 12-4 that year and won their division, then went on to win the Super Bowl a year later.
Collins is a rookie UDFA at this point. A nobody in the locker room. I don't really buy the distraction stuff.
To me, signing him seems like a no-brainer. I do understand the concerns but if I was Jerry Reese, I'd take the gamble. You'll never get a better shot at talent like that on the cheap.
will have a handful of options/offers available to him by May 10. I would be stunned if he chose the Giants, for reasons Eric has articulated clearly.
It is in Collins' best interest to go with a team that will give him an opportunity to start immediately, and - much to my surprise - the NY OL is actually in pretty good shape right now (on paper, at least). There's no obvious hole for Collins to fill.
Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the Giants sign him and then bid adieu to Mr. Beatty, with Pugh or Flowers taking over as LT. But I doubt the Giants see it that way, and without some kind of guarantee of that nature I can't imagine Collins wanting to come to us when, say, Buffalo or Carolina can point to the holes in their OL and say, "that's where we see you playing by October 1."
RE: If we had used the 7th pick to draft him, none of this bartering Â
It's being repeated as a fact, but it's far from clear. He might even be better off NOT starting. Every snap is an opportunity for a career-altering injury.
Playing brilliantly in 2015 doesn't help him much; he will still make the minimum in 2016 and 2017. The year he needs to shine is 2017. Then if he gets stuck playing on an RFA tender that year, he'll need to sustain it in 2018.
this situation will open up a loophole in the contract value...incentives are not part of the overall contract value. So basically a team an throw in a 5 mil workout bonus. 5 mil roster bonus due in March...etc....and then give the rest of the salary as UDFA money...issue solved.
For many of the reasons already listed. But all things being equal, I disagree with those who say the Giants should not sign him because there’s no place for him to play on the line. Reece and TC’s mantra has been: competition, competition, competition. You would want the best OL you can have and Collins would improve anyone’s line.
If the presume starting 5 is some combination of:
Beatty
Pugh
Richberg
Schwartz
Flowers
And if Collins has the ability to beat out one of the guards or one of the tackles, he should be given the opportunity just as if he were any Giants draft pick.
MotownGIANTS: You might expect that loophole to exist... Â
...but it doesn't. From CBA Article 7, Section 6 Paragraph (b) [bold-face added]:
Quote:
All performance incentives shall be considered Rookie Salary, shall count at the highest possible earnable amount for each League Year the incentive is applicable, and will be included in the 25% Increase Rule, Year-One Rookie Salary (if applicable), the Total Rookie Compensation Pool, the Year-One Rookie Compensation Pool (if applicable), the Club’s Total Rookie Allocation, and the Club’s Year-One Rookie Allocation (if applicable).
As if that's not conclusive enough, here's the knockout punch, from Section 2, Paragraph (j):
Quote:
Any contract that violates the intent of any provision of this Article shall be disapproved. It is the intent of the parties to set an absolute maximum limit on the total amount of compensation contracted for by Drafted and Undrafted Rookies in each Draft class over the entire term of the players’ Rookie Contracts. If a contract signed by a Drafted or Undrafted Rookie is disapproved by the Commissioner as being inconsistent with the provisions of this Article in respect of (i) the mandatory term (length) of the contract; (ii) permissible compensation pursuant to (1) the Year-One Rookie Compensation Pool, (2) the Total Rookie Compensation Pool, (3) the Club’s Year-One Rookie Allocation, (4) the Club’s Total Rookie Allocation, (5) the 25% Increase Rule, (6) the player’s Year-One Minimum Allotment, (7) the Fifth Year Option, (8) the Proven Performance Escalator, or (9) the limit on the player’s permissible nonfootball compensation; or (iii) guarantees; the disapproval shall be upheld by the System Arbitrator and the Appeals Panel unless clear and convincing evidence demonstrates that the decision to disapprove the contract was incorrect.
Also he said if it was past the 3rd round he wouldn't sign. So why would any team want to waste a pick on a guy who said he won't sign & enter the 2016 draft? Now he can't enter the 2016 draft & they don't have to waste a pick.
Move on from it.
Collins is a rookie UDFA at this point. A nobody in the locker room. I don't really buy the distraction stuff.
To me, signing him seems like a no-brainer. I do understand the concerns but if I was Jerry Reese, I'd take the gamble. You'll never get a better shot at talent like that on the cheap.
It is in Collins' best interest to go with a team that will give him an opportunity to start immediately, and - much to my surprise - the NY OL is actually in pretty good shape right now (on paper, at least). There's no obvious hole for Collins to fill.
Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the Giants sign him and then bid adieu to Mr. Beatty, with Pugh or Flowers taking over as LT. But I doubt the Giants see it that way, and without some kind of guarantee of that nature I can't imagine Collins wanting to come to us when, say, Buffalo or Carolina can point to the holes in their OL and say, "that's where we see you playing by October 1."
Why sign for 7th round $ when you can get 1st round $ in 2016?
By late in the draft, Collins should have been begging teams to draft him (so that he could not sign enter the 2016 draft).
Playing brilliantly in 2015 doesn't help him much; he will still make the minimum in 2016 and 2017. The year he needs to shine is 2017. Then if he gets stuck playing on an RFA tender that year, he'll need to sustain it in 2018.
If the presume starting 5 is some combination of:
Beatty
Pugh
Richberg
Schwartz
Flowers
And if Collins has the ability to beat out one of the guards or one of the tackles, he should be given the opportunity just as if he were any Giants draft pick.