"How much money does he need?!"

[Dick Whitman]

Heard this argument from my mother-in-law this weekend. She, like lots of people in Indiana, thinks that Peyton Manning should take a substantial hometown discount to stay with the Colts - out of "loyalty."

I quote: "If they offer him $10 million and someone else offers him $28 million, what does it matter after that point?" (She wasn't quite grasping the significance of the $28 million figure in the scenarios.)

Nothing much to add other than that this argument drives me absolutely bonkers, that athletes (or actors or musicians) should sell themselves short because, "they have enough already."

Peyton Manning doesn't OWE Indianapolis anything. He performed, and they supported him because he performed. This was not some city that took a longshot under its wing and supported him through thick and thin, good times and bad.

 

[BTExpress]

If Tom Brady REALLY cared about winning, he'd cut his salary to allow his GM to get better players to surround him.

You could make this argument all kinds of ways.

If no team will pay Manning $28 million, he's not worth it. If some team will, then he is. Period. And if the Colts decide he's not worth $28 million to THEM, that's fine, too. Let the rebuilding begin.

 

[Dick Whitman]

If Tom Brady REALLY cared about winning, he'd cut his salary to allow his GM to get better players to surround him.

People in Chicago were making this argument left and right in Chicago after the Blackhawks had to dump salary after the Stanley Cup. Ninety percent of the "fans" hadn't been able to name a hockey player in Chicago for 20 years, but suddenly they wanted all the players to give half their salaries back for the next season so they could stay together.

 

[Ace]

Funny how fans of teams are real involved in what the athletes make, but some CEO makes $100 million for doing a lousy job and it's good ol' capitalism at work.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I said, "What if he wanted to start a charity with the $18 million? What if he wanted to donate it to the University of Tennessee?"

"Oh, well that would be OK then."

The Occupy Lucas Oil Stadium has apparently begun.

 

[Azrael]

How about Peyton kick back the hundreds of millions every resident of central Indiana will spend the rest of their lives paying for that stadium?

 

[Dick Whitman]

How about Peyton kick back the hundreds of millions every resident of central Indiana will spend the rest of their lives paying for that stadium?

Aren't they all visitor taxes, though?

I still vehemently disagree with public money for private stadiums. Just wanted to clarify.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I don't care at all on this topic when it comes to baseball. The money is either going to end up in the owner's or the player's pocket.

But in sports with a cap, it is relevant -- Jordan's teams wouldn't have been as good if he were demanding top dollar, because they might not have been able to fit Rodman or Kerr under the cap, and maybe Pippen goes somewhere else to max out his value.

I don't think it's anyone's obligation to play for less, and I don't put much on the whole "loyalty discount." But I do think if championships were truly these guys' #1 goal, they'd be wise to take $20M instead of $28M. If Manning had done that and allowed the Colts to get some defense years ago, he might have a few more championships.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I don't care at all on this topic when it comes to baseball. The money is either going to end up in the owner's or the player's pocket.

But in sports with a cap, it is relevant -- Jordan's teams wouldn't have been as good if he were demanding top dollar, because they might not have been able to fit Rodman or Kerr under the cap, and maybe Pippen goes somewhere else to max out his value.

I don't think it's anyone's obligation to play for less, and I don't put much on the whole "loyalty discount." But I do think if championships were truly these guys' #1 goal, they'd be wise to take $20M instead of $28M. If Manning had done that and allowed the Colts to get some defense years ago, he might have a few more championships.

The Larry Bird Exception in basketball makes it a little different, though.

As far as Manning right now, I would think that one of his motivations will actually be finding a team that is closer to a title than the Colts right now. So championships are at least part of this. Ultimately, the answer is that everyone is driven by an assortment of loyalties, some of them at odds. Family. Teammates. The Players Assocation. Titles. Ego. Stability. Change for change's sake.

 

[imjustagirl]

Peyton should come be my manservant.

 

[Azrael]

How about Peyton kick back the hundreds of millions every resident of central Indiana will spend the rest of their lives paying for that stadium?

Aren't they all visitor taxes, though?

I still vehemently disagree with public money for private stadiums. Just wanted to clarify.

www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-02/super-bowl-lands-on-taxpayers-backs-as-stadium-deal-turns-sour.html

www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-03/as-super-bowl-shows-build-stadiums-for-love-and-not-money-view.html

 

[Dick Whitman]

How about Peyton kick back the hundreds of millions every resident of central Indiana will spend the rest of their lives paying for that stadium?

Aren't they all visitor taxes, though?

I still vehemently disagree with public money for private stadiums. Just wanted to clarify.

www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-02/super-bowl-lands-on-taxpayers-backs-as-stadium-deal-turns-sour.html

www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-03/as-super-bowl-shows-build-stadiums-for-love-and-not-money-view.html

Thanks. The restaurant tax, most of all, seems like it would also fall on locals.

When all that was going on, they wanted to impose taxes state-wide on residents, because the Colts are " all of Indiana's team."

Legislators from the Chicago area went ballistic over the idea.

 

[BrianGriffin]

This mindset still doesn't address the issue of the Colts preparing to throw a bunch of money at a rookie QB and that they probably want to break up all the old players around him so they can build a team around their new investment.

Manning doesn't fit into that plan, even at a discount rate.

 

[Dick Whitman]

This mindset still doesn't address the issue of the Colts preparing to throw a bunch of money at a rookie QB and that they probably want to break up all the old players around him so they can build a team around their new investment.

Manning doesn't fit into that plan, even at a discount rate.

I raised that point. Multiple times. It got no traction.

"Why would they want to get rid of him for a rookie?"

 

[LongTimeListener]

But what if Peyton Manning were black?

(Just seems to be where these things end up going. Get Bleacher Report on it.)

 

[Boom_70]

Sounds like Irsay's plan to turn Peyton into the villan in the eyes of the good people of Indiana is working.

 

[lone star scribe]

Am I missing something? I thought the whole money question with Manning was the $28M bonus payment due him on March 8. As I understand it, that's non-negotiable. If he's on the roster, they owe him the bonus.

So the ball is clearly in the Colts' court: Decide in the next month whether he's worth the risk, release him, or make a deal to trade him.

My guess is they try to make a deal, but there's no way another team will deal before March 8 and be stuck with the bonus payment. That means the Colts would release him, unless they strike a deal after March 8 and the other team grees tp pick up part of the bonus payment.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Am I missing something? I thought the whole money question with Manning was the $28M bonus payment due him on March 8. As I understand it, that's non-negotiable. If he's on the roster, they owe him the bonus.

So the ball is clearly in the Colts' court: Decide in the next month whether he's worth the risk, release him, or make a deal to trade him.

My guess is they try to make a deal, but there's no way another team will deal before March 8 and be stuck with the bonus payment. That means the Colts would release him, unless they strike a deal after March 8 and the other team grees tp pick up part of the bonus payment.

Manning, according to ESPN "sources" who formerly played in the NFL and currently have two Super Bowl-winning sons playing quarterback, would be willing to negotiate that bonus down. Puts the heat on Irsay.

 

[qtlaw]

Tell her Irsay's "salary" for the year was $25M and that he owns all appreciation of the franchise from 1998-present, probably $500M, if not more.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Jim Irsay has never held a real job or earned a hard day's pay in his life. For all his folly, at least Jerry Jones is a self-made man.