Thread: Possible collusion between Broncos and Cowboys over WR contracts

This isn't good, if true.

Adam Schefter
2 mins ·

Story on possible collusion between Cowboys and Broncos:

NFLPA is reviewing information to determine whether there was collusion between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys on the unsettled contractual situations of franchise WRS Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, per an NFLPA official. The NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys had contact about each players’ contract when the collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA now is trying to determine if collusion did occur and when to possibly file a claim. The deadline for the WRs to sign long-term deals is Wednesday of next week.

https://www.facebook.com/AdamSchefte...85421611510480

I wonder how big the penalties could be?

I doubt that the Broncos did such a thing, though.

Originally Posted by King87

I wonder how big the penalties could be? .

Knowing Goodell, probably totally arbitrary. That's what worries me the most, actually. You don't want to do anything to get on his radar.

Good luck proving it.
NFLPA: "But, we have call logs!!!!"
Broncos: "Uh... We were just talking about swapping 7th round picks, veteran players, or something like that..."
Cowboys: "Yeah, something like that..."

Originally Posted by UnderArmour

Good luck proving it.
NFLPA: "But, we have call logs!!!!"
Broncos: "Uh... We were just talking about swapping 7th round picks, veteran players, or something like that..."
Cowboys: "Yeah, something like that..."

That's kind of my thinking as well. They would need something definitive in order to punish them

Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas are both free agents, but neither is really “free” because of the franchise tag. If one player signs a long-term contract, it could set the market and help the other in negotiations. And so it could be beneficial to both the Cowboys and the Broncos to make sure that neither team gives its franchise receiver a big-time deal.

But if the Cowboys and Broncos discussed such a deal, that would be collusion. And the NFL Players Association is investigating whether that happened: Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys had discussions about Bryant’s and Thomas’s contracts, in violation of the collective bargaining agreement.

If there’s proof of collusion, Bryant and Thomas could sue for damages. But collusion can be hard to prove.

rest - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-wr-contracts/

Two of the five remaining unsigned franchise-tagged wide receivers, the Dallas Cowboys' Dez Bryant and the Denver Broncos' Demaryius Thomas, share a lot of similar traits and have figured to land similar long-term contracts at some point.

Now the connection between the two players has deepened, as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the NFLPA is investigating possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos over their unsettled contract situations.

The CBA prohibits teams from discussing these kinds of financial matters over unsigned players, and from the NFLPA perspective you can understand why. The last thing the union wants is two teams discussing financial parameters for long-term offers for their star players. The union wants its marquee players to sign bigger-money deals because what's good for the goose — even with a finite pool of money under the salary cap — is good for the gander.

AND

The Mike Wallace deal has thrown the receiver market out of whack, and really, this offseason the entire position has seen a reshaping among the top contracts with wideouts getting cut, traded or outright released.

full article - http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...211302501.html

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

rest - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-wr-contracts/

How can they prove they had conversations? That would require someone going on record....."sources tell us" won't fly.

Originally Posted by Al Wilson 4 Mayor

How can they prove they had conversations? That would require someone going on record....."sources tell us" won't fly.

Good question.

Good. It's ridiculous that one or two players get 20-30% of the cap money.

Originally Posted by UnderArmour

Good luck proving it.
NFLPA: "But, we have call logs!!!!"
Broncos: "Uh... We were just talking about swapping 7th round picks, veteran players, or something like that..."
Cowboys: "Yeah, something like that..."

The NSA knows.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- At the moment, the deal everybody says they want to get done isn't done.

On the surface, the task of finding common ground between the Denver Broncos and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas for a long-term contract doesn’t seem all that complicated. The Broncos' top football decision-maker, John Elway, has said several times in recent months the team wants to sign Thomas to a long-term deal. Coach Gary Kubiak has said he believes a deal will get done, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who shares an agent with Thomas, said he believes a deal is "closer and closer."

AND

Calvin Johnson has the largest contract for any wide receiver in the league -- a seven-year, $113.45 million deal he signed in 2012 that includes $48.8 million in guaranteed money. Mike Wallace is in the third-year of a five-year deal for $60 million that has $30 million guaranteed, and Jeremy Maclin signed a five-year deal for $55 million with the Kansas City Chiefs in March that includes $22.5 million guaranteed.

Thomas’ representatives are thinking about something on the order of Johnson’s deal rather than the other two. Johnson’s deal averages $16.21 million per year, compared to $12 million per year for Wallace and $11 million per year for Maclin, who had the biggest deal signed in free agency this year at the position.

full article - http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-bronc...-is-closing-in

I don't think the Broncos are going to give him Calvin Johnson money...

Creative Artists Agency is finalizing a deal to acquire Todd France’s Five Star Athletes Management, according to Sports Business Daily’s Liz Mullen. France represents nearly 50 NFL players, including Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas and cornerback Aqib Talib.

Per Mullen’s sources, France, who re-acquired Five Star Athletes from Terry Pegula in September 2014 after selling it to him in 2011, has started to tell his clients that he will be joining CAA Sports as early as August.

CAA was ranked by Forbes as the most valuable sports agency in the world in 2014. Its football division, which is led by Jimmy Sexton and Tom Condon (the agent to Peyton and Eli Manning), is said to be more valuable than any other agency.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/broncos/...-report/34481/

This article was just posted on the DP early this afternoon

The Broncos have not been contacted by the NFL Players Association about allegedly colluding with the Dallas Cowboys regarding longterm contracts for receivers Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant.

ESPN reported Friday that the NFLPA is reviewing whether the teams engaged in prohibited contact about the contracts of Thomas and Bryant, who were franchise tagged in March and are seeking multi-year deals by July 15. The Broncos declined comment on the ESPN report.

Per the collective bargaining agreement that was ratified in 2011, an NFL team cannot communicate with another team "concerning the terms or conditions of employment offered to any player for inclusion, or included in a Player Contract."

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci...lusion-cowboys