Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 550 Business Capabilities
On March 2018, the free transfer market for the NFL season officially opened, which was undoubtedly the busiest and most lively day for the entire league.

According to official league statistics, more than 550 transfer transactions took place on that day, and all 32 teams were involved without exception, kicking off the new season with a bang.

Among them, the whereabouts of Smith, the main quarterback of the new Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, attracted much attention and sparked heated discussions among many parties.

Intellectually and emotionally, the Kansas City Chiefs' decision not to keep Smith was a small shock and a jolt, which the league obviously had not expected. Over the past half month, Chiefs fans have protested, demanding that the Super Bowl champions keep their hero.

However, inside information was later revealed.

The root cause of the failure of Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs to reach an agreement was salary. Smith's demands were beyond the Kansas City Chiefs' salary cap, and the Chiefs' decision to let go was a helpless move.

From another perspective, Smith should have realized that his time at Arrowhead Stadium was counting down since the Kansas Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round last season, but the Super Bowl was a surprise, and he seized the opportunity to leave Kansas City and fight for a big contract.

This is a truly wise decision.

As various analyses came out, Kansas City fans gradually quieted down.

A small number of fans spoke ill of Smith, believing that Smith's greed exposed his true face, that he betrayed the Chiefs' appreciation and the city's trust, that he only cared about money, and that he should get out of Kansas City.

But that didn't help.

The wood is done.

The point is, which team will Smith join?
Countless eyes were focused on it, sparking heated discussions.

Reality brings surprises again.

No one expected that on the first day of the free market, the heavyweights and topics were completely snatched away by a dark horse, and all eyes flocked to Minneapolis.

This time, it's not because of the Super Bowl.

The Minnesota Vikings, after being eliminated in the NFC finals last season, learned from their mistakes and launched a series of crazy operations during this offseason. After failing to compete for Smith, the team immediately changed its strategy.

And, on the opening day of the free market, he stole the attention of the entire league.

First, last season's starting quarterback and former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

Secondly, Case Keenum, who became the talk of the second half of the season after making a sensation as a substitute last season, was traded to the Denver Broncos.

In one go, the Minnesota Vikings cleared out not one, but two quarterbacks, clearing out positions and clearing the salary cap, leaving room for the vacancies.

The goal is——

Cousins.

Finally, the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins completed a trade that resulted in Cousins, who had been franchise-tagged for the past two seasons.

After all the big moves, it was just for Cousins?
Of course, if that were all, it would be explosive, but it would not cause a sensation in the entire league. Although Cousins ​​continues to be an elite or top quarterback, he has proved himself to be a first-tier quarterback in the league for two consecutive seasons, which is enough for the Minnesota Vikings, who suffered a painful defeat in the NFC Finals, to learn from their mistakes and make big moves.

The real sensation was the contract.

Cousins ​​signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. With an annual salary of $28 million, Cousins ​​instantly became the highest-paid player in the league, easily beating out a number of top quarterbacks.

He's never even won two straight games in the playoffs.

Although everyone knows that quarterbacks are overpriced, to this extent?

absurd.

What’s even more ridiculous is yet to come: full coverage.

This is the first fully guaranteed contract in NFL history.

The so-called full protection means that there are no injury restrictions, no appearance restrictions, no wins or performance clauses, nothing at all, all protected.

To explain it in the most exaggerated and extreme way, even if Cousins ​​was injured in training camp and was ruled out for the season after joining the Minnesota Vikings, and did not play once throughout the season, not even in the preseason, his first season salary of $28 million was still paid to him.

This is full protection.

Aside from the annual salary figures, the core of the tug-of-war between players and teams is the full guarantee. Teams cannot easily give in, because once they give in, under the constraints of the hard salary cap, it is equivalent to cutting off their own retreat. And it should be noted here that one move affects the whole body.

Once the first fully guaranteed contract appears, other players may follow suit, and the team will inevitably face tremendous pressure; therefore, there is an unspoken understanding among team owners that a fully guaranteed contract is basically impossible.

Even key players like Manning, Brady, Rogers and Brees need to be considered again and again.

then.

It wasn't until now that the first fully guaranteed contract in league history appeared.

But it was Cousins?
Is the Minnesota Vikings' front office crazy?

Washington Redskins: Told you so.

In the past, there were rumors among the Washington Redskins that Cousins' negotiating ability far exceeded his ability on the field, but the league was still skeptical; now it seems that the Washington Redskins did not lie.

This caused a sensation throughout the alliance.

First of all, it breaks the record for highest salary.

Second, full coverage.

Not only the players, but the entire team was alarmed.

Up and down, almost everyone's brain was in turmoil.

The first to be affected is Le'Vion Bell.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star running back has been doing his best to earn a big contract over the past two seasons, and he believes his performance deserves recognition.

Moreover, the Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer a traditional defensive powerhouse. In many cases, they need to learn to use offense to win, and Bell's value has also risen.

However, in the third year of Bell's rookie contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers rejected his request for a contract extension, which made Bell a little dissatisfied.

Despite this, Bell worked diligently to complete his third and fourth years as a rookie and became the league's top running back; but what did Bell get?
A label of exclusive privilege.

Once again, Bell put up a top-three running back performance in the league in the 2017 season, proving himself for three consecutive years. Then in the offseason, Bell hoped that he could get any corresponding compensation, but the Pittsburgh Steelers kept arguing, especially about the guaranteed money, and the two sides never reached a consensus.

Now, seeing Cousins' experience, who was also labeled with the franchise tag for two consecutive seasons and also continued to prove his ability in the past season, Bell's mind suddenly became active.

The first thing Bale did was to call his agent, but he only got some explanations and excuses, and was advised to be patient.

Jesus Christ, he had been patient for two years, how could he continue to be patient?

"Cousins?"

"Cousins!"

"Even DeMarcus Cousins ​​can get a full contract guarantee. What's his level? What's my level? I can't even get a contract with an annual salary of 20 million US dollars?"

“Don’t tell me running backs are different than quarterbacks.”

"do not want!"

"If you can't do it, I can contact Cousins' agent. I believe he wouldn't mind trying to get a historic contract for the league's top running back in the past four seasons and win more honors for him."

"Grass!"

"Go away."

"Grass!"

After a crazy output, Bell smashed the phone to the ground.

(End of this chapter)