It has been reported that Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end, Jeremy Mincey, is holding out in an effort to get a new deal done before the start of the 2015 season. Mincey is currently ranked 70th on the defensive end payroll list after he signed a contract with the Cowboys as a free agent in 2014. Coming off season where he notched a career best six sacks, he now faces fines of $30,000 a day if he misses any part of the team’s training camp in Oxnard California.
I take issue with this holdout on a number of levels. Not the least of which is the fact that when you sign a contract of any kind you should honor the terms of that contract. Mincey should have been in talks with the Cowboys about a new contract, and if the Cowboys were not interested or willing to put up the money, Mincey should have played his heart out trying to do better as a free agent at the end of the season. But clearly that is not the mindset of Mincey or his agent, who apparently hasn’t been paying attention to the NFL landscape, or the Cowboys offseason moves.
The Dallas Cowboys acquired a premier defensive end in Greg Hardy. Now even with the reduced suspension Hardy is still going to be absent for four games, and a player like Mincey is going to be integral to the rotation during that time. But the key word there is rotation. The Cowboys also lucked into Randy Gregory, a pass rush specialist, in the second-round of the NFL Draft. These two key additions had a lot of people speculating that Mincey could see more time as a defensive tackle than as a defensive end. If nothing else, the decision to holdout at this juncture means that all the above players get extra reps.
Even with the recent additions, I’m sure the Cowboys would rather have Mincey than not. He understands the defense after playing in the scheme for a year and has proven he can contribute as a starter after lackluster performances in Denver and Jacksonville. Still, the notion that sitting out will get you what you want baffles me.
The reason?
Holding out actually reduce Mincey’s value to teams looking to sign him long-term, including the Cowboys. No team wants to give top dollar to a guy that bitches and complains that he isn’t getting the money he feels he deserves in the middle of a contract he already signed!
He signed a deal, and now wants more because he had a good year? Do teams get to cut your paycheck in half when you have an off-year?
It’s understandable to want a pay increase and to feel it is deserved, but this is not the way to go about it. Like most things in life, the way to get what you want is to show everyone you deserve what you want.
That goes for a pay raise, a second chance, and being fired.
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