Bobby Engram: Earned a Raise?

Bobby Engram is understandably upset. Any 35-year-old NFL player in the final year of his contract wants more money, especially after the best year of his career. Engram is now officially the Rod Tidwell of the Seattle Seahawks..."Show Me the Money." Engram and the Seahawks will work this out, so it shouldn't be too much of a concern, but it is worth taking a look at further than the gut reaction of "pay the man, he earned it."

NFL players get paid based on projected future output. When Engram signed his two-year extension, he had just finished a season that left him unable to play for a stretch of ten weeks in the middle of the season for non-football related health reasons. I don't recall him giving the team money back for time missed. Something to think about.

Last year Engram overperformed based on his salary. The year before he underperformed. Unfortunately for Bobby, what matters most is how you perform in a contract year. If Engram thought he was going to play as well as he did last year, then he should have signed a one-year contract and cashed in this year, but he didn't and he didn't.

The problem with wanting to renegotiate up after better than expected performance is that no player ever wants to renegotiate down after worse than expected performance. Signing a contract is making a calculated risk.

Engram is now in a position to try and squeeze some more money out of the Seahawks. The fans like him, he is coming off the best year of his career, and Deion Branch is out with an injury. He is exploiting a situation favorable to him, and he should. That is what the Seahawks were able to do a year ago. However, any negotiations need to be based on projected future performance, rather than some form of back payment for last year.

Is it reasonable to expect Bobby Engram to have the second 1,000 yard receiving season of his 12 year career in 2008? Will he even play in 2009? What is the risk that the 35-year-old will miss time with injuries or thyroid problems? Those are the questions to ponder in determining if he "deserves" a new contract. He will want more guaranteed money because he knows this might be his last season. If Engram thinks he is going to have a great 2008, then he should get paid well as a free agent next year, right?

Engram has some leverage, but not much. He will likely get a contact extension with a decently high base salary for future years, but only a modest increase for this year (or alternatively some guaranteed money for future years).

Tomorrow: Seahawks Running Back Analysis