| | Linebacker Robert Jones won three Super Bowls in his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, then signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the St. Louis Rams. Life was exceedingly good.
|  | | The Bills gave Thurman Thomas time to make a deal with Miami. |
Two years later, on June 1, 1998, he was a victim of the dreaded day when teams feel compelled to unburden themselves of big-money stars in order to squeeze under the salary cap. Life, for Jones, pretty much ended on that day. Or so he thought.
After signing a one-year contract worth a paltry $378,000 with the Miami Dolphins, Jones had a terrific 1999 season. Despite a switch to strongside linebacker from his natural spot in the middle, Jones produced 100 tackles (third on the team), a career-high five sacks and two interceptions, one that he returned for a touchdown.
The Dolphins, in their wisdom, signed Jones to a five-year deal worth $14.5 million in March. He could have made more money elsewhere, but Jones displayed a loyalty to the team that rescued him from the junkyard that is June 1.
In the stilted language of the NFL, June 1 is: "Deadline for Old Club to send tender to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents to retain rights if player is not signed by another club by July 15."
Loosely translated, this means it is the best time to dump any players who carry contracts whose back years have escalated to a precipitous (and ridiculous) degree. With the arrival of this year's June 1 deadline, we'll call it Dark Thursday, a number of notable players will find themselves contemplating the first day of the rest of their lives in a different uniform.
It is the ultimate market correction, nature's way of taking from the rich and giving to the poor.
Deion Sanders of the Dallas Cowboys is this year's June 1 poster child. This is the season that his Jerry Jones-authorized killer contract would count $147 million against the team's salary cap. Actually, it's closer to $10 million, so his departure is a foregone conclusion.
Arizona defensive end Eric Swann has similarly priced himself out of the market. Others who are likely to be pounding the pavement: Atlanta cornerback Michael Booker, Jacksonville linebacker Bryce Paup, Minnesota quarterback Randall Cunningham, Washington's Brian Mitchell, Pittsburgh safety Travis Davis and Giants linebacker Corey Widmer, among many others.
Most of them will sign new deals worth far less than their old ones.
As haphazard as all of this bloodletting seems, it has actually become a more refined ritual than in recent years since the landmark 1993 labor agreement struck between the players and owners. Now that the sharp-penciled accountants have taken over for football men in managing the salary cap, there are very few surprises come June 1.
"It's much more predictable, less of a nail-biter," says Ralph Cindrich, the respected Pittsburgh-based agent. "You know in advance now. Most organizations operate in a high-class manner. Sometimes something unusual happens, guys are available that they weren't counting on, but most of the time you have time to prepare, make arrangements."
Take the case of the Buffalo Bills, who finally decided it was time to re-tool. On Feb. 10, in one swell foop, they released defensive end Bruce Smith, running back Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed. With this year's salary cap at $62.172 million and a number of well-paid veterans on the roster, the Bills had no choice.
Reed, the most prolific receiver in team history and a guy who once went to seven straight Pro Bowls, is still technically twisting in the wind. He is thought to be headed to the Indianapolis Colts. Perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer Smith? Gone to the Redskins with a five-year contract worth $25 million. Perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer Thomas? After 12 seasons and only 36 carries for 152 yards and no touchdowns in an injury-wracked year, he clearly was a candidate for the June 1 purge, but was allowed to work out a deal in advance with the Bills' arch-rivals in Miami.
"They did him a service," Cindrich points out. "You can't ask for more than that, in my opinion."
Thomas got a modest $750,000 signing bonus from the Dolphins and his base salaries for three years are $440,000, $900,000 and $1.5 million. He can add to that by hitting various incentives involving rushing yards, all-purpose yards and touchdowns.
Thomas made a lot more money in Buffalo, but it's far easier to take a paycut wearing a new uniform with the familiar No. 34.
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“ |
There are a lot of good players, a lot of
great players who have switched jerseys at the end of their career. I'm one of
them. ” |
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— Thurman Thomas, Dolphins running back |
"I've always been motivated by things in my career," Thomas says. "Whatever I do my first full season here, I'll let the Bills reflect on whether they let me go at the right time or whether they should have kept me.
"I feel like this is a great opportunity for me. There are a lot of good players, a lot of great players who have switched jerseys at the end of their career. I'm one of them."
Thomas is typical of the jilted player who can't wait to burn his old team. Loyalty -- the case of Robert Jones is an anomaly -- is rare on both sides. There are exceptions: Desmond Howard, who was released by Green Bay in 1997, was cut by Oakland after the season and re-signed by the Packers.
Not all the June 1 cuts are over-the-hill rejects. The wise teams invariably locate the handful of useful impact players, find a way to wedge them under the salary cap and reap the benefits.
Vinny Testaverde was axed by Baltimore on June 1, 1998 and found a home with the New York Jets. Likewise, linebacker Bryan Cox was ditched by Chicago and joined Testaverde in carrying the Jets to the AFC Championship Game.
Last June 1, fullback Larry Centers and offensive tackle Andy Heck fell into the Redskins' lap, courtesy of Arizona and Chicago. Heck was a productive player, and Centers caught a team-high 69 passes for 544 yards.
Who will it be this year? Sanders? Paup? Swann?
With respect to those ugly June 1 cuts, one team's high-salaried trash is invariably another team's low-rent treasure.
Greg Garber is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. | |
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