As much as they do not want us to notice, professional football is the basis of a business. And Travis Hunter’s dream of playing full -time attack and defense is a fascinating development of football. If it withdraws it, it will arouse even more fascinating commercial consideration.
The Hunter recruit contract will be determined by its draft post and its recovery post only. If he is second in the general classification, he obtained the contract allocated to the second overall choice. The position he plays and how much he plays does not matter. The remuneration of the recovery picking is led only where the player is selected.
And so, during the first four years of his career, Hunter’s salary will not be relevant to find out if he plays the offense or the defense or the offensive and the defense or the offensive, the defense and the special teams even if he never leaves the field, his contract will be the same. (That said, he will get a payroll check based on the end of the season.)
Things will become interesting when it is time to sign it for a new agreement. If Hunter can play in both directions, and if he can do it at a high level, what should his contract look like? In theory, it should be paid twice. A contract to be a high -end receiver, one to be a high -end cornerback.
Unfortunately, the system is installed against it. His fifth year option will be motivated by the position he takes the most shots, not on the position on each side of the ball to which he could play. And if it is time to apply the franchise tag, it will be based on a position – receiver or cornerback – not two.
The team will keep the cards, if it is still playing in both directions full time. Why not browse your recruit contract? Why not use the franchise tag twice before letting the market free to determine its value?
If Hunter is in fact able to play like a Top 10 receiver and a Top 10 cornerback, it deserves the first 10 days of pay. But it will be very difficult to obtain it.
Beyond a work agreement that has never really considered a return to the time of Chuck Bednarik, long-term transactions change their risk of injury from one player to another. The Hunter team will be much less likely to be willing to assume the risk of improved injury which has just put double eggs in a single basket. Because an injury to a player will withdraw from the field, the two players that the team pays, in a package.
The player also presents this risk, if he is not paid to play two positions. Twice the risk of injury, for the same salary.
There is a long way to go before the challenge of finding the second contract for Hunter. First of all, he must be drafted by a team that will let him try. Second, he must be able to do so. Third, he will have to do it at a level high enough to justify being paid for each of the two jobs he works.
If each of these boxes is checked, things will become very interesting with regard to the quantity of hunter. At one point, it could become a good business decision for him to simply refuse to play in both directions. If he is not going to be paid fairly to do so, why should he?
