Sources: Rams are looking to place safeguards in rookie CB Janoris Jenkins' contract

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on July 19, 2012

Rams trying to have it both ways, but Jenkins has no real options

After cornerback Janoris Jenkins finished his slide out of round one and commenced a possible free-fall that some thought could end in round four, the Rams intervened at pick No. 39. But now the Rams want to act like Jenkins was taken much lower than that.

As MDS pointed out on Wednesday, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Rams want to divide the $2 million signing bonus to which Jenkins is entitled by virtue of his slot into four annual $500,000 roster bonuses. (Technically, the signing bonus should fall between $2.03 million and $2.14 million, based on the guys taken immediately before and after Jenkins.)

This approach would protect the Rams against Jenkins doing the kind of things that got him kicked out of Florida — a place where if you’re talented it’s fairly hard work to get kicked out. But if the Rams wanted insurance against a reefer relapse, they had a much better way to protect themselves.

They could have passed on Jenkins with the 39th pick.

Once a team takes a guy with a specific selection, the team buys the contract that goes with the slot. If the kid has red flags that would arguably justify paying him less, then don’t take him with a selection that requires paying him more.

It’s really that simple. Especially under a rookie wage scale that now tilts so heavily toward the teams.

So what if the Patriots did it with tight end Aaron Hernandez in 2010? It doesn’t make it fair and it doesn’t make it right for Jenkins or anyone else, including Hernandez.

The problem is that the player has no real options, especially under the new CBA. Prior to 2011, the player could simply accept the one-year, minimum-salary tender, playing year to year and hoping to get a long-term deal by holding out while not under contract. Under the new CBA, the alternative is agreeing to a three-year deal for the minimum salaries. Which makes it impossible to hold out as an exclusive-rights free agent.

The other alternative for Jenkins is to sit out the season and re-enter the draft and hope that he’ll be picked at least that high in 2013 by a team that will pay the full signing bonus. With no income in the interim.

And so, as a practical matter, Jenkins has no other options. And so the Rams are squeezing Jenkins because they can. But they shouldn’t. If they didn’t want to pay Jenkins what he deserves as the 39th player taken in the draft, they should have picked someone else and hoped Jenkins would still be available at a time when the financial risk would have been much lower.

Instead, the Rams are trying to have it both ways. Given that the NFLPA was poised to push the frivolous proposition that the Saints were screwing Drew Brees because of his union activities in 2011, let’s see whether the union scours the CBA for ammunition to support an argument that the Rams are trying to railroad Jenkins.

I totally disagree with his take....

I agree that the above is hog-wash. As discussed ad nausium, Coach Fisher and Shareef broke the rules by making a pre-draft "agreement". Since the player and agent broke that "agreement", they have forced the RAMS into this spot. The RAMS would have chosen him lower, and the offer above is better than what he would have got if Shareef had declined the "agreement". Shareef has to do one of three things. Accept this offer, accept the "agreement", or loan his client money to hold him over until next years draft. Should he choose option 3, he's lucky I don't have a say, or I'd select Jenkins in round 1 or 2. I'd then offer this same deal. Sure it would waste a pick, but it would teach him a lesson about keeping your word; I hope.


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[AvengerRam]

Jason Cole over-dramatizing a story?!?!?!

Mike Florio opining without first getting all the facts straight!?!?!?!

Who woulda thunk it!?!

I think Jenkins needs to get with his agent and get this stuff resolved ASAP if he wants to be at the top of the depth chart when the season starts.

[DE_Ramfan]

How many times have we heard a draftee mutter something to the effect of: "I'm just happy to be drafted. I'm ready to do whatever they ask me to do." Now's the time to walk the walk and show the organization that you're Rams first. He's going to get all of his money, the only question is when. Don't start bad blood over a trivial rookie contract that could affect you when it's time to sign the next one.

As for the Rams, I'm much more comfortable knowing that they're protecting the team even if what they're doing might seem a little heavy handed.

[Goldenfleece]

As MDS pointed out on Wednesday, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Rams want to divide the $2 million signing bonus to which Jenkins is entitled by virtue of his slot into four annual $500,000 roster bonuses. (Technically, the signing bonus should fall between $2.03 million and $2.14 million, based on the guys taken immediately before and after Jenkins.).

The original Cole piece and the follow-up Florio article differ on the signing bonus amount. Guess we'll have to see what Jenkins ultimately gets, but I wonder if Florio's thoughts would change if the bonus was in fact one million more in total than he thought.

I don't know. He's making a lot of fuss over the guarantee being $2 million instead of at least $2.03 million over a four year contract. Who raises a stink about whether $7500/year is guaranteed on a professional athlete's contract?

[NJ Ramsfan1]

The Rams are well within their rights to protect themselves with behavior clauses regarding Jenkins. It is not unlike any number of other instances in all sports where a team takes a chance on a guy with skeletons in his closet and puts language in the contract that safeguard the team. AV would best clarify this, but I believe the term is "moral turpitude clauses". The Rams would be foolish to do anything differently in this regard.

If anyone wants to have it both ways, it's Jenkins' agent and/or Jenkins himself. The Rams were up front with what they wanted to do in exchance for selecting him as high as they did. Now all of a sudden they're insulted. Ridiculous.

[RealRam]

You've got it right, NJ.

Moral turpitude is a legal concept in the United States that refers to "conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals." -- Moral Turpitude: West's Encyclopedia of American Law Answers

Of course, from there the 'concept' could be looped one way or the other and applied to various degrees, manipulated, exonerated, etc., all the legal jazz.

As long as Jenkins doesn't make a 'turp' of himself he -- and we -- should be fine. Knock on wood.

[HUbison]

$3 million signing bonus

$2 million signing bonus

Well, at least one thing's for sure: At a minimum, one of these guys SUCKS as a journalist.

[tomahawk247]

If I'm understanding this correctly, Jenkins stands to make $1.25 million/year for the next four years if he can avoid being cut, and he has no one to blame but himself for having given the Rams reason to be cautious. He didn't want to take the financial advisor, so now he's being asked to take personal responsibility to ensure that he doesn't become a liability to the team. It's kind of hard to take the player's side on this one.

The bolded part is simply not true. Jenkins already has a financial advisor in place. The issue the Rams had is that they wanted him to have a particular advisor, different to the one he has.

[Goldenfleece]

The bolded part is simply not true. Jenkins already has a financial advisor in place. The issue the Rams had is that they wanted him to have a particular advisor, different to the one he has.

Okay, yes, he hired an advisor, but the team wasn't happy with his choice, so that kind of brings us back to square one. Jenkins' camp rejected the solution that the Rams proposed to alleviate some of the risk. The team wanted him to hire someone they had faith in, and he understandably didn't want his finances to be chaperoned by someone with links to his employer. So option two was to tie bonuses to his ability to stay out of trouble enough to stay on the roster for his whole contract. We're not talking anything too radical here--just make the team for four years, and he gets his bonus money.

[swatter555]

Well, it is true that Mr. JJ has little choice. It never ceases to amaze me when people are shocked that there are consequences to their actions. I hope this drama is over soon and JJ has enough sense to just shut up and play.

[svh01]

Well, it is true that Mr. JJ has little choice. It never ceases to amaze me when people are shocked that there are consequences to their actions. I hope this drama is over soon and JJ has enough sense to just shut up and play.

I find funny how people are critical when it comes to other peoples money. Here is the deal, Fisher made it a point to say how much he believed in Jenkins. Jenkins was drafted and deserves to be treated fairly. The Rams drafted him despite his past. THEY MADE THE CHOICE! They have to live with it. Pay the man his money let him make his choices of the people handling his finances and move on. Just put language in contract stating that if he screws up and is released because of it he has to pay a portion of his bonus back. If they can't tough. The way are breaking his bonus up, if he is released because he sucks, but was on his best behavior he loses that money. What other rookie on the team faces that danger? The Rams knew who they were drafting all they hope is that turns out to be the man that they say that they believe him to be.

[r8rh8rmike]

I find funny how people are critical when it comes to other peoples money. Here is the deal, Fisher made it a point to say how much he believed in Jenkins. Jenkins was drafted and deserves to be treated fairly. The Rams drafted him despite his past. THEY MADE THE CHOICE! They have to live with it. Pay the man his money let him make his choices of the people handling his finances and move on. Just put language in contract stating that if he screws up and is released because of it he has to pay a portion of his bonus back. If they can't tough. The way are breaking his bonus up, if he is released because he sucks, but was on his best behavior he loses that money. What other rookie on the team faces that danger? The Rams knew who they were drafting all they hope is that turns out to be the man that they say that they believe him to be.

Obviously, this situation can be judged from different perspectives. As you said, the Rams stated they were behind him and made the choice to draft him, but only after Jenkins and his agent agreed to specific safeguards. The Rams made it clear if the safeguards were not agreed to, they would not draft him, so in that sense, it was Jenkins who made the determining choice.

As far as paying Jenkins, they want to do exactly that, but they want some kind of safeguard, which again, was something he agreed to in order to get a higher draft spot. Spreading out bonus money is the safeguard, and is a common practice in the NFL. The same was done with Robert Quinn. In addition, the Rams have offered to pay Jenkins interest on the deferred payments, so he actually makes more money.