La'el Collins

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Depends on what he wants.  FLA offers no tax, but not much chance at a ring.  Team like NE or Sea offers the chance to be playing football in January.   Saints is likely the team he rooted for as a kid.  Jets, Giants offers the max money from endorsements.

depends on what he wants

[MikeO]

Depends on what he wants.  FLA offers no tax, but not much chance at a ring.  Team like NE or Sea offers the chance to be playing football in January.   Saints is likely the team he rooted for as a kid.  Jets, Giants offers the max money from endorsements.

depends on what he wants

I think he clearly wants the most money. Kid was going to be a Top 10 pick. NFL Network said a team inside the Top 10 was going to take him until this broke. I don't think he is chasing a ring right now and I don't think he is in line for any endorsements with his name tied to a murder even if he had nothing to do with it

[EDGECRUSHER]

His money won't swing much from team to team, except for the no state tax states. So, it really is who will offer him a chance to start right away and isn't a horrible team.

[Spider-Dan]

Depends on what he wants.  FLA offers no tax, but not much chance at a ring.  Team like NE or Sea offers the chance to be playing football in January.

There's no income tax in Washington state, either...

[fyo]

If Collins is completely innocent (and I'm going to assume he is until otherwise proven), this really, really sucks.

The NFL completely screws players like Collins. Undrafted Free Agents have a fixed contract length of 3 years @ NFL minimums ($435k in year 1, going up about $100k a year). Each team is allotted a total of $80k for UDFA signing bonuses.

Getting drafted in round 4 wouldn't have been much better. He'd be eligible for a bigger signing bonus, but the salary would have been about the same and he'd have been tied to a 4-year deal (as opposed to 3).

As an UDFA, Collins can pick his destination, which certainly has a lot of value. Had he been drafted, he could have refused to sign and entered the draft again next year.

The one thing Collins can hope for is that he can find a team willing to guarantee his salary (which would be about $1.5 million over 3 years).

Another thing to consider for Collins is where he will get the most playing time. The league has an extra pool of money set aside for "Performance Based Pay" (about $120 million for 2015, so it isn't exactly peanuts). This money goes to players who see a lot of playing time, but aren't paid a lot. Seantrel Henderson (BUF - T), a 7th round pick, nearly doubled his salary last year with payouts from this pool. Miami's Jelani Jenkins scored $242k on top of his $500k-ish salary. For anyone interested in the specifics of this pool, there are (official) details here:

https://nfllabor.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/03-13-15-performance-based-pay-2.pdf

[Dave Gray]

Collins kind of screwed himself by declaring what he will and won't do, before really knowing his options, too, though.  Teams don't want to draft a guy who's refusing to play.  He should've just shut up, let everything play out, and then use "not playing" as leverage to get a better contract or to, in fact, sit out once drafted.

[Rich]

Collins kind of screwed himself by declaring what he will and won't do, before really knowing his options, too, though.  Teams don't want to draft a guy who's refusing to play.  He should've just shut up, let everything play out, and then use "not playing" as leverage to get a better contract or to, in fact, sit out once drafted.

Actually, he may make more oney in the long run. Drafted rookies typically get a 4 year deal, Collins will get a 3 year deal and become an RFA in year 4 with the potential to make substantially more than those players that were drafted in rounds 3-7.

That being said, I don't think anyone was going to draft him with his situation unsettled no  matter what he said or did.

[MikeO]

Mike Tannenbaum worked at the agency where La'Ell Collins is represented.  That is the place Tannenbaum left when he took the Miami job. Hopefully Tannenbaum can call in some favors

[Dave Gray]

Actually, he may make more oney in the long run.

He very well might, but talking only served to harm his situation.  If he was drafted in any round, it opened his options.

[masterfins]

My only problem with signing him is that he comes in with a chip on his shoulder, feeling underpaid, and creates a problem in the locker room.

[Rich]

If he was drafted in any round, it opened his options.

How so? He will be a UDFA, which means he can sign with anyone. If he had been drafted later, he not only is stuck with the team that drafts him, he is stuck with the contract he gets as a late round pick for four years. This way, he can choose the team he signs with and is stuck with his rookie contract for a year less.

[Dave Gray]

Because if he were drafted, he can enter the draft again next year and get (potentially) first round money if he couldn't get a contract he liked.  If he's not drafted, he's draft ineligible next year.

[Rich]

Because if he were drafted, he can enter the draft again next year and get (potentially) first round money if he couldn't get a contract he liked.  If he's not drafted, he's draft ineligible next year.

If he were drafted, he wouldn't have much to negotiate as he would fall under a rookie scale. If he decided to sit out the year, he just spent an entire year without a paycheck. That's a year of his life lost and out of the league. That is a big risk to take.

[Phishfan]

This really has nothing to do with the Dolphins so I moved the topic.

I'm really interested in how this story is going to turn out. It certainly feels like a slow developing story.

[Dave Gray]

Rich, I might be wrong on this, but I thought that he was showing all his cards by saying he'd refuse to play if drafted after the 2nd round.