Reshad Jones has no leverage
By Josh Pickett
Reshad Jones’ holdout is ridiculous and selfish. The Dolphins would be wise not to cater to his whims.
There is no need for a hostage negotiator in Miami as Reshad Jones has essentially held himself for ransom, from himself. If Jones does holdout he would very easily be hurting himself much more than the team. Reshad Jones is slated to make 8.2 Million dollars in 2016 which is the highest payout year of his contract.
The details include a base salary of 7.2 million and a bonus of 950,000 dollars. So not only would holding out eliminate his earnings for every game he missed but then he would have to pay Miami back 950,000. That gives Reshad Jones roughly 8.2 million reasons to play football for a team that would love to have him.
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Reshad Jones has 2 years left on a very fair deal that he signed in 2014 which totaled 4 years, 28 million with over half of it guaranteed at 15 million. Even as 2 years of new contracts have passed, he is still the highest paid strong safety in the NFL and it is not even close.
This year Reshad will make 2.1 million more then the next highest paid strong safety (Da’Norris Searcy) who is set at 6.1 million dollars. However, none of this is the most maddening part of the entire situation.
We may recall a recent similar high profile holdout in Seattle last year that involved strong safety Kam Chancellor. Both players had multiple years remaining on their current deal and both were willing to go on strike.
The difference between the 2 situations is like night and day. Kam Chancellor was a crucial part of a team that was built on a dominant secondary that was in its prime window of competing for the Lombardi Trophy. Chancellor was an absolutely critical part of the teams success and without Kam a potential Super Bowl season was being wasted.
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The Seahawks dug into there trench and waited for Kam to surrender knowing he was punishing himself financially and that he would fold eventually. They were right and both sides were negatively affected by the net result but the team came out in better shape then he did. Chancellor’s boycott cost him an estimated 2.3 million dollars between fines and lost earnings.
Reshad’s reality is a much different scenario. Despite his incredible season the Dolphins were 6-10 and dead last in the AFC East earning a 1-5 record against division foes. Even when Reshad is on the field this team is not anticipating any Super Bowl victories this year. Or playoff appearances for that matter.
Actually, most media pundits predict Miami having a photo finish for the first overall pick in the 2017 draft. That is WITH Reshad on the field. (I don’t think the team is that bad, but it is not good either)
One can easily understand what Jones is thinking. Jones had an astonishing career year last season with numbers he will likely never repeat. He set career highs with 135 tackles, 10 pass defenses, 5 interceptions an 2 pick 6’s. He also tied a career high with 2 sacks. What more could a team want from a safety?
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So he is thinking he will never produce at this level again and in 2 more years he will be the dreaded 30 years old when it is time for his new contract. Also one can speculate that he is trying to command more respect and league wide recognition after he was openly upset about not being selected to the pro-bowl initially which all Dolphin fans knew was a crime.
It is understandable that he is attempting to strike while the iron is hot, but he has forgotten the team has already agreed to an excellent deal with him that made him the highest paid player at his position. If he holds out he would certainly be hurting himself way more than it would hurt a team with already low expectations.
Reshad has no leverage and I hope he comes to his senses soon. He has become a very good player and is earning more to play sport in one year than most people earn in a lifetime.