It’s good Snyder’s time finally up
Dan Snyder didn’t really get his comeuppance, because he walks away from the NFL $6 billion richer after selling the team last week to Josh Harris. But at least he has finally been kicked out of the NFL’s Oligarch’s Club, and he can fade into obscurity.
The only people upset about Snyder leaving the NFL are the owners of the other three rivals in the NFC East, because Snyder’s team was an easy foil during his 24-year tenure. Washington’s .427 win percentage from 19992022 ranks 27 th in the NFL, and the franchise won just two playoff games in 24 years, none since 2005. He killed off a passionate fan base and saw a seasonticket wait list dwindle from 100,000 names down to 0.
And Snyder was an exponentially worse human being. He leaves the NFL amid dozens of allegations of sexual abuse and harassment throughout his organization. He treated cheerleaders like prostitutes. He doxed reporters and sued fans. And in his final act, the investigation led by Mary Jo White sustained that he made unwanted sexual advances at a female employee, and that the Commanders had been hiding money that was supposed to be shared by the 31 other teams, forcing Snyder to pay $60 million in restitution as he walked out the door.
Good riddance. Snyder’s exit is the best thing to happen to that franchise since it won the Super Bowl in 1991.
Running out of time
It’s hard not to feel for running backs like Saquon Barkley and Austin Ekeler, who are integral pieces of their offense and take a lot of pounding on their body, only to be told by the league that they don’t have much value.
But if there is anyone for running backs to be mad at, it’s with the NFL Players Association and its previous leader, DeMaurice Smith. The reason running backs don’t have any leverage is because Smith and the PA gave it all away in the 2011 labor negotiations. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement now forces rookies to sign fouryear, low-paid contracts with no choice of renegotiating until after Year 3.
Considering teams also have the franchise tag and fifth-year option for first-round picks, running backs use up all of their worth before they can even get to a second contract. The answer would be for the PA to push for a carveout for running backs to get shorter rookie deals, but the new CBA won’t be negotiated until 2031.
As for Barkley, if he and the Giants were only $2 million apart as reports suggested, he should probably have just taken the deal. Running backs are like cars, with straight-line depreciation, and Barkley is going to have a tough time getting a better deal next season.
It sounds like Barkley tried to sell himself as more than a running back, but the Giants weren’t buying it.
Extra points
The Jaguars opened a $120 million practice facility last week, with the team and city of Jacksonville splitting the costs 50-50 for the Miller Electric Center. “Jacksonville is rising,” owner Shad Khan said. “Our football team has great promise, and downtown Jacksonville is beginning to fulfill its potential.” It’s a nice investment and much-needed for the team, but still won’t quell rumors of the team eyeing London as an eventual relocation . . . It’s great that the Bengals are making Boomer Esiason and Chad Johnson the seventh and eighth members of the team’s Ring of Honor during halftime of their Monday night game against the Rams on Sept. 25. But a) What took them so long to induct Esiason? And b) Couldn’t they have given each player his own night? Why cram both into one ceremony instead of giving each player his due? . . . The Patriots may have been 27th in cash spending last year, and 31st this year, but don’t worry, they were still
No. 3 in special teams spending last year, and No. 5 this year, per Spotrac. Who needs offense anyway?