Mailbag: Players' involvement in contract talks?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

I've heard players say they don't participate much in contract talks, that they don't have much say in it. But if they want to stay with the team they're on and be successful, why don't they get more involved and really work to get the best deal for not only them but one that can help a team build a winner? – Bill McNeill/*Midland*, TX

Nick: Now, this isn't the case for every player in the league, but I would say the majority of them just really don't understand the ins and outs of the contracts and the complexity of it, compared to others around the league. Sure, they know this guy is making - let's say - $20 million per season and that's where they should be or higher than that, or whatever. But the actual structure of the deal and how to give guarantees on base salaries and workout bonuses and voidable years and all those things, it's not something they truly understand. Think of it like this, sure you're the driver of your car and you want to be the driver for many miles to come. But if something needs to be fixed, it's probably not the best thing for you to get under the hood with the mechanics and try to help and solve the issues. If that's not your strength, let the processionals do the job.

Now, saying all that, if a player truly wants to get the deal done and not let it drag on and on, then they have the say to step in. Maybe that hasn't happened enough in the past. The agents are tough but at the end of the day, they still work for the player. If the player doesn't want to miss training camp or workouts, or wants to make sure he's got at least 2-3 weeks in camp before the start of the season, then it's up to him to step in and tell his agent what his priority is.

Now, if this whole question is in reference to Pickens, then I think it's a unique situation all together. Personally, I think the Cowboys should have more talks with Pickens himself. This isn't like the Dak deals or even CeeDee, Tyler Smith, Jake Ferguson to name a few recent long-term extensions. Pickens hasn't been here a full year. Who is this guy? Does Jerry really know the person he's supposed to give $150 million to? I think Jerry should have more conversations with Pickens. Not saying the agent doesn't need to be present and not saying Pickens needs to be breaking down every line of the deal. But it would make sense to me to have them all in the room for this one.

Patrik: Allow me to begin by saying I am, have been, and will always remain an advocate for players getting as much as they've possibly earned in a league that only promises them the rep they're participating in at that exact moment, and literally nothing more. The onus is on the team to balance the books, not the player, thusly, "helping the team build a winner" is what GMs sign on to do ... not players ... and the salary cap isn't as rigid as [too] many believe (hi, Rams and Eagles). But, to answer your question, if I'm a player, I have to be wise enough to know what I don't know, and what I don't know is what I pay my agent and attorney to know, but that doesn't mean players "don't have much say" in a contract they have to agree to.

Yes, players have a ton of say, but they also have their own respective variables to consider (i.e., family, spouse, children whose future are all more important than anything, if we're being honest). If I'm a player, yes, I want to be on a winning team and I'd likely make a concession or two to see that through, but I'm not cutting my legs off at the knees to help anyone's front office do the job they signed up to do, which is to build a championship roster. Just as players should be willing to agree to a concession or two, so should teams, and fans should look at it from both sides and not simply the angle of "he's just being greedy" simply because they want what they've earned; and there's no guarantee anyone that the team they stay with or leave for will be successful.

Everyone laughed at DeMarcus Lawrence for leaving to go to what, in the moment, looked like a laughably bad team, but that worked out for him in a big way. The NFL is unpredictable, at best, so players should do what's best for them, and teams should do what's best for them, and both sides should try to see if what's best for both exists at the same time, and in the same way — the end.