30% rule still looms over uncapped year; Florio takes another dig at Smitty

[Dpantherman]

Posted by Mike Florio on February 21, 2010 5:50 PM ET

With the salary cap disappearing in 2010, plenty of players still under contract might be looking for new deals.

If, after all, there's no spending limit and fewer free agents are available and guys are operating under deals done when a cap was in place, some of them might expect a big raise.

But there's a problem, as one league source pointed out in response to our recent suggestion that the decision of Steve Smith (the young, good one) to change agents could be a sign that he wants to strike it rich.

The 30 percent rule applies to the renegotiation of any contracts.

It means that the player's salary in 2010 can't be more than 30 percent greater than the player's salary in 2009. For players still operating under the minimum base salaries of a slotted rookie deal, that's a problem. A big problem.

But there's a loophole. NFL director of corporate communications Dan Masonson has confirmed for us that signing bonuses won't count toward the 30 percent rule. Still, it means that the bulk of a player's compensation would have to be funneled to him via a signing bonus, with limited base salaries in future years. While the player might be fine with that in 2010, the player might feel a lot differently in the out years of the deal.

Then there's the looming lockout. Why would a team want to front load a deal with a huge signing bonus in 2010 if there might be no football in 2011? Every player who receives such a deal is one less player who will have to face the prospect of living game check to game check with no game check.

So keep an eye on this angle as the uncapped year begins. Plenty of players under contract will want more money. It's unlikely that many will get it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/21/30-percent-rule-still-looms-over-uncapped-year/

[Baschski]

Haha ok. NY can keep their Steve Smith and we'll keep ours. I'm happy with that.

[jasonluckydog]

fug Florio!!

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

He's just trying to f**k with people. Every visit to his site essentially means more cash, so he's fronting like some dude who just made his first Pro Bowl appearance in a year when the NFC and AFC rosters were gutted of some of their biggest playmakers is better than a perennial super star whose specialty has been ripping a literal path of destruction through NFL secondaries for years while playing on a team not known for big passing numbers.

[SorthNarolina]

I don't know how this happened, but I'm about 99.99% that Mike Florio is Smitty's mother in law. Passive agressive comments with little explination.

[Jangler]

Florio just wants our Smith to sex him up and can't find the guts to ask.

[therealmjl]

LoL, that dude is wierd.

[Swarly]

remove the link so people don't go to the article, it's just giving him what he wants.

Smitty would have easily broken 1100 yards had he not broken his arm, just ignorant to call him bad, and he knows it. He just wants hits on his website, simple as that.

Also, all Florio is doing is dragging NYG Smith's name in the mud. I can guarantee you he doesn't like someone using his name to insult one of the top receivers of the decade.. Not to mention he knows he didn't deserve the pro bowl since like half of the entire starting roster didn't show up.

[SorthNarolina]

remove the link so people don't go to the article, it's just giving him what he wants.

Smitty would have easily broken 1100 yards had he not broken his arm, just ignorant to call him bad, and he knows it. He just wants hits on his website, simple as that.

Also, all Florio is doing is dragging NYG Smith's name in the mud. I can guarantee you he doesn't like someone using his name to insult one of the top receivers of the decade.. Not to mention he knows he didn't deserve the pro bowl since like half of the entire starting roster didn't show up.

I geuss beason doesn't deserve the pro bowl either.

[RockyTopVol]

It's kind of funny. What is his beef with Smitty? I get that the punching joke is wide open, but it's a reach to call him old and inferior to any receiver in the league, minus about two or three of them.

[csx]

Not to mention he knows he didn't deserve the pro bowl since like half of the entire starting roster didn't show up.

no reason to insult Beason like that

[Nicbsbll2]

It's kind of funny. What is his beef with Smitty? I get that the punching joke is wide open, but it's a reach to call him old and inferior to any receiver in the league, minus about two or three of them.

And with those 2 or 3 you can still make a pretty good case for Smitty.

[Swarly]

no reason to insult Beason like that

Let's look at who was in front of Steve Smith(NYG) and Beason.

NFC WR's: Larry Fitz, Sidney Rice, Miles Austin, Desean Jackson

Fitz is obviously a top 3 WR, probably #1 next to Andre Johnson. Sidney Rice had a HUGE year, and obviously deserved it. D-Jax broke records for most long yard TD's.

NFC ILB's: Patrick Willis, Jonathan Vilma, London Fletcher

Willis is obviously the best ILB in the league, no problems there. Vilma is where the problem starts. Fletcher deserved it, and I'm happy he was elected in.

Beason: 111 solo tackles, #2 in the league. 3 ints, 3 sacks, 10 pass deflections, 1 FF

Vilma: 87 solo tackles, #20 in the league. 3 ints, 11 pass deflections.

The ONLY reason Vilma got in was because he is on the Saints. It's obvious to everyone, not only Panther fans, that the #1 ILB is Willis, and #2 is Beason and it has been that way since they came into the league.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from Smith(NYG) because he is a talented receiver. I'm just sick and f**king tired of people using his ONE pro bowl as an argument for why he's better than our Smitty, who had Jake throwing to him.

[csx]

Nobody, including Florio, thinks he's better than 89....he gets people riled up to post on his site to get ad revenue. It's nothing to get upset about.

The other Smith was 1st in receptions and 3rd in yds....it's not like he didn't deserve to be there.