Hometown Discount?

by Homer J. on Feb 9, 2009 9:50 AM EST Comment 17 comments

Free agents get to choose where they play.

The Steelers are the Champs. They are a model franchise. They have the most respected ownership in the league, maybe in all of sports. They have a charismatic young coach. There is unity in the locker room, and a Nation of fans that is legendary. Who wouldn't want to become a part of all this?

Of course, agents care first about the bucks, and the Rooneys spend theirs wisely -while fools like Dan Snyder overspend on over the hill free agents. Players care about the money, but everybody likes to go with a winner, and everybody would rather work for a good boss than a bad one.

My question is this: how much of an advantage do the Steelers have over other teams...if any.....and do you believe this will translate into a Steeler discount...where players - especially free agents - will sign for less to wear the black and gold?

We all know that Steelers' players often restructure their contracts - and have taken pay cuts - to remain Steelers while keeping the team under the salary cap.

Do you see the hometown discount playing a factor in this off-season????

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Don't hear about it much with the Steelers

I think the reason the Steelers don’t get the supposed “hometown discount” is because they have really good personnel people. Just because you would have to overpay less for a player doesn’t mean you aren’t still overpaying.

The Steelers make their decisions based on the value of the player, not if they can get the player on the cheap compared to others. A lot of the players the Steelers have let go would have taken less to stay but the Steelers decided they weren’t worth the money based on internal value, needs, and evaluations rather than comparative evaluations to what price other teams pay to acquire talent.

Point: BMac is gone. He may take less to play for the Steelers, but the Steelers will not pay it because he will still ask for more than an 8 (?) game starter with flashes of talent is worth when you have a quality young guy (Willie Gay) in the hole.

by CarlWeathersMustache on Feb 9, 2009 10:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Exellent points, 'stache....agree completely...

…but do you think a player the Steelers want …. say a certain offensive lineman from another team … would turn down a slightly bigger payday from the Ravens, Lions, or Browns to play for the Black and Gold?

Working under the same salary cap as everyone else, can we get free agents for marginally less money because of six rings, Rooney, Tomlin, Steeler Nation, etc????

Also agree the front office’s determination of the value of the player is heavily influenced by who’s waiting and ready. Peezy’s value declined because Deebo was in the wings. Likewise, Foote’s value is diminished because Timmons is ready. And, as you point out, BMac can be replaced by Gay.

by Homer J. on Feb 9, 2009 10:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hate this term first of all

It aint a “Hometown” discount unless you are from the area.

Its more of a “Preferred team to play for” discount. Or possibly a “For the sake of not wasting my damn time, and keeping things the same” discount. Hometowns kinda pet peeving me.

Anyway I think of all the factors for a player to decide where he wants to play, money and prestige are huge. I think it goes without saying that most players from the Detroit Lions would have taken a lower salary to play in Pittsburgh and win a super bowl.

by Mechem on Feb 9, 2009 11:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

In this crazy world we live in where most words have lost their true meaning for the sake of a catch phraze can’t we even get the simple ones right anymore. I mean I’m “literally” steaming from this.

by NYSteelersFan4 on Feb 9, 2009 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And by literally

I mean figuritively.

by NYSteelersFan4 on Feb 9, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But I regress...

I would like to think the answer to this is yes, but I know that its no. There is very few players, in any sport, that will take less money to play for a team they want to anymore. This goes even more so in the NFL, where your career can be over on the next play, that the overwhelming thought pattern is get what I can get now. With very little discretion put to where a player is from or where they actually want to be.

Are there a couple of guys, of course, but they are few and far between.

by NYSteelersFan4 on Feb 9, 2009 4:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

True

But I think it helps that at least on this team, people HAVE done this. You look at Bettis going to the Probowl on an roughly 1 million dollar salary. And then sticking around ANOTHER year on an even LOWER salary.

You would have dozens of RB’s demanding money after a late pro bowl season. But instead Bettis acts like a pro and gets to retire in style.

So I think that example can help sell other players on the idea

by Mechem on Feb 9, 2009 6:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There are virtually no players around who will give you a discount and to be honest ..

..why should they ? When I go to work I certainly don’t do it for free, I expect to be paid and so should these guys who as has already been said can lose their livelihood in the space of 10 seconds.

Also, you have to factor in the lack of guaranteed contracts in the NFL. Players know they can bust their butts for a franchise only for the team to cut them in the blink of an eye so why should they do the franchises are favours because when push comes to shove the franchises won’t reciprocate they’ll cut their asses and send them to the street ..

With the case of players like the Bus, I think you have to look at that in the context of someone who wasn’t going to be a full-time starter anywhere and who might have struggled to get a gig .. there is not a huge market for 30 + injured RB’s .. so Bettis showed his smarts and his humility by coming back on a reduced contract … but this is still the exception .. this is a job to players and they should maximise it while they can .. I wouldn’t judge any Steeler player badly if thats how he conducts his business ..because it is a business to them.

Take Faneca for example, he walked to get his $20m. Was he worth it ? No way .. can you blame him for walking ? Of course not …I’ve just been reading lots of other posts no here about we should cut Kendall Simmons .. he has a contract but we’d be ok not honouring it so players knowing that will act in a more mercenary way ..

by Rash92 on Feb 10, 2009 8:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Also, look at Rod Woodson

He was still good but coming off a major injury. He left for free agency and wound up signing for less than what the Steelers offered him to stay. A move he has repeatedly expressed regret over.

by Jonny B. on Feb 10, 2009 8:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

he has a contract but we’d be ok not honouring it so players knowing that will act in a more mercenary way ..

When the contract says you can be cut then canceling the contract is part of the contract. Sticking with it is not “honoring” it.

I agree with you though. Most won’t take a hometown discount, nor should they be feel obliged too. If they do, that’s awesome. If they don’t, understandable. I think you are underestimating the amount of players that do take discounts though, or BIG names that are willing to restructure their contracts for the sake of the team (Brady, Fitzgerald, etc.).

Don't worry about the haters. Haters only hate.

by steelguy99 on Feb 10, 2009 9:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I may be wrong ..

but my “impression” of when big name players restructure their contracts is that they’re moving money around between salary & bonuses, etc rather than the player reducing the overall amount of money due to them ? Is that not the general case ?

by Rash92 on Feb 10, 2009 9:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My point is that it doesn’t matter what the FO does. If it’s allowed by the rules of the contract/NFL then it is not “dishonoring” the contract, otherwise there would be lawsuits. The players and the FO both know this jig well.

Don't worry about the haters. Haters only hate.

by steelguy99 on Feb 10, 2009 10:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I get your point ...

but the players don’t like the fact that they can only count on the signing bonus from their contracts so I think it factors into players decisions big-time …

I mean a player could say well I’ll take a lower offer to play at team A cause its great there but when he signs for 5 years he can’t count on being there so he doesn’t really know how much money he’s committing to be getting paid .. agents and players are focused on getting as much cash and as much as possible up front .. that’s the just the cold hard facts …

by Rash92 on Feb 10, 2009 10:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That’s the truth.

Don't worry about the haters. Haters only hate.

by steelguy99 on Feb 10, 2009 1:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Location vs. Money

In the NFL world though I believe where you play does matter.

Now granted if you gave me 20 million bucks, I’m gonna play for Detroit instead of the burgh for 4 million. But still players want to be winners too.

@ Rash, If you could have your dream job for 75k/yr, would you pass on it to take a boring ass job for 120k/yr?

I wouldnt. If I could have my perfect job, I would take a paycut to get it over a boring one. Life is all about the experience.

But like I said, if the difference is a bajillion dollars then I’ll spend a few years to secure myself forever financially.

by Mechem on Feb 10, 2009 11:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Sh*t, I think I already I went for the boring job ..

over the lower paid but more fun option :-)

I sold out .. hahaha

by Rash92 on Feb 11, 2009 5:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Obviously its not always going to happen

I mean granted there arent usually times where you CAN pick and choose. Same goes for NFL players. They might only have a handful of teams interested. And maybe the only one able to pay big money just has a lot of other shitty parts to it.

Anyway I think Pittsburgh runs their team better, has the best management, best coaching, more legit wins. I’d love to play there over many other places

by Mechem on Feb 11, 2009 8:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs