Latest news with #NFLPA-certified
NBC Sports
16-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
It doesn't matter if the Cowboys and Micah Parsons have a "handshake deal"
A social-media dustup (not the Del Rio kind) broke out on Thursday regarding the question of whether the Cowboys and linebacker Micah Parsons have a 'handshake deal' on a new contract. Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of All City DLLS reports that a handshake deal exists. However, Parsons disputes it. It doesn't matter. Handshake deals are meaningless. They're unenforceable. They're not worth the paper they're not printed on. The NFL has a specific procedure for executing player contracts. The document must be reduced to writing. The player's NFLPA-certified agent must be involved. The deal must be approved by the NFL. No informal agreement matters until the final deal is done. And if, as it appears, owner/G.M. Jerry Jones threw an arm around Parsons's shoulder and spouted off a few numbers and Parsons nodded along, it doesn't mean jack diddly squat. Even if they capped it with a handshake. The law of every state requires certain types of contracts (e.g., real estate transfers) to be reduced to writing. The law of the NFL, as set forth in the Collective Bargaining Agreement and by the mandates of the NFL's Management Council, requires every player contract to be in writing. And signed. And approved. Even if Parsons verbally agreed to every single term of the deal, it does not matter until the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered to 345 Park Avenue for final approval. Until then, the player can change his mind. The team can change its mind. The entire issue of whether they shook hands on it obscures the deeper problem with the Cowboys' way of doing business. Why dick around with a handshake deal when it's fairly simple to sit down and hammer out a formal agreement? The Cowboys love to wait for a ticking clock. Maybe they think it makes things more interesting. It definitely doesn't make things cheaper. And it doesn't create cap space that can be used on other players. Again, we're not saying there was or wasn't or is or isn't a handshake deal. We're saying that it doesn't matter, one way or the other. All that matters is whether the Cowboys and Parsons's agent agree on the key terms, print out the paperwork, sign it, and send it in. In the time it took me to hunt and peck this blurb, they could have gotten half of the work done.
New York Post
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Meet Pilar Sanders, Shedeur Sanders' mom and Deion's ex-wife
Pilar Sanders is ready to see son Shedeur Sanders make his mark in the pros. The mother of the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is eagerly awaiting the moment her son's name will be called in the 2025 NFL Draft, which begins April 24 in Green Bay, Wis. 6 Shedeur Sanders and his mom, Pilar Sanders, in April 2025. Pilar Sanders/Instagram Advertisement Before Shedeur's eventual NFL landing spot is revealed, get to know the quarterback's biggest supporter. She shares three kids with ex-husband Deion Sanders In addition to Shedeur, 23, Pilar and NFL great Deion Sanders welcomed son Shilo, 25, and daughter Shelomi, 21, during their marriage. Pilar, a health/wellness creator, married the Buffaloes head coach in 1999 before their 2013 divorce. Advertisement Deion, 57, and Pilar, 50, were engaged in a child custody battle in 2013 that resulted in the NFL Hall of Famer receiving sole conservatorship of their sons and a joint conservatorship of their daughter. 6 Pilar Sanders is a mom of three. Pictured here with son Shedeur and daughter Shelomi. Pilar Sanders/Instagram Shilo was a safety at Colorado and could be selected in the later rounds of the draft. Should he go undrafted, he could potentially sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. Shelomi is a guard on Alabama A&M's women's basketball team. She regularly cheered on her sons at Colorado Buffaloes games Advertisement Throughout the college football seasons in 2023 and 2024, Pilar frequently shared photos from game days in Boulder, where she sported custom Colorado gear to cheer on Shedeur and Shilo. 6 Pilar Sanders with son Shilo Sanders, who played safety for the Colorado Buffaloes. Pilar Sanders/Instagram Pilar was present for Shedeur's jersey number retirement in April 2025 at Folsom Field in Colorado. 'What an honor and a privilege to have spent two years in Boulder, Colorado with them, it's been amazing and to see these sites everyday nothing short of Fun, Gratitude and High Vibes!' she exclaimed on Instagram. Advertisement How she's supporting her sons' NFL dreams When it comes to her children pursuing their goals, Pilar is 'always' there to help. As part of an April 2025 profile on Shedeur, Pilar spoke to ESPN about how her sons were preparing for their future and why they opted not to sign with an NFLPA-certified agent. 6 Shedeur Sanders with mom Pilar. Pilar Sanders/Instagram 'If you know the game, and you've been around the game your entire life, on both sides, on all sides, and you've seen a lot of contracts happen, you know what you want,' Pilar told the publication. 'I don't think there's a reason to have anyone have to speak for you when you're confident in what you have, what you can do and where you want to go.' 6 Pilar was married to Deion Sanders, the coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. AP As for whether she's taken on an agent-like role for Shedeur and if she's conversed with NFL execs about the polarizing QB, Pilar said: 'No, I won't say any of that.' Advertisement 'In general, I always help [my kids] with anything they need, so I'm always around, trust me, in every area,' she said. Where will Shedeur land? 6 Shedeur Sanders during his Colorado Pro Day in April 2025. AP NFL draft analysts and experts are stumped about where Shedeur will eventually land. He's been linked to the Giants, with whom he worked out last week, and also visited the Steelers. Miami quarterback Cam Ward is anticipated to be the No. 1 overall selection by the Titans.
NBC Sports
02-04-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
On Micah Parsons, Jerry Jones wants to ignore the CBA
History has a way of repeating itself. Especially when it comes to the team with a 30-year history of not competing for a Super Bowl win. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed on Tuesday a desire to negotiate a new Micah Parsons contract directly with the player, without dealing with his agent, David Mulugheta. Jerry has done it before. During Ezekiel Elliott's holdout in 2019, Jones made it clear that he prefers cutting out the middleman. "[T]hat's always been the issue with me and my approach to managing the Cowboys,' Jones said in 2019. 'When you cut out the people in between the money and the player, we all know that agents, attorneys have their agenda. By the way, they are all taking money out of the pie too when they're there. The straighter it goes from the source to the one receiving it, nine times out of 10 that's more efficient.' The NFL Players Association looked into the issue at the time. It's unclear whether anything was done. If it was, it didn't take. This time around, Jones has been even more strident when it comes to his desire to sidestep the agent and negotiate with the player. Among other things, Jones openly disrespected Mulugheta by saying he doesn't even know his name. Regardless, the Collective Bargaining Agreement requires Jones and the Cowboys to deal with Parsons's NFLPA-certified agent. Whenever a player asks a team to negotiate contract terms with his representative, the team must comply with that request. That's because the NFLPA is the ultimate bargaining entity on behalf of the players, and the union has delegated those responsibilities to contract advisors for individual contract negotiations. Cutting out the agent means cutting out the union. Which violates the CBA. The NFLPA currently has no comment on Jones's latest attempt to sidestep the agent and do a deal with the player. And the union might not need to do anything, because Parsons knows what Jones is trying to do. 'David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without [David Mulugheta] involved!' Parsons said on Twitter. 'Like anyone with good sense I hired experts for a reason. There is no one I trust more when it comes to negotiating contracts than David! There will be no backdoors in this contract negotiation.' Parsons couldn't make it any more clear than that. Which means that if Jones doesn't know Mulugheta's name, he'd better learn it. Fast. No deal is getting done for Parsons until Jones engages David Mulugheta. To his credit, Mulugheta has taken the high road. 'I agree with Jerry—it's never been about me,' Mulugheta told PFT via text message on Wednesday morning. 'The only person that matters here is Micah, and, at the end of the day, our goal is for Micah to be able to do for generations of Parsons what Jerry has done for generations of Jones.' Jones earned his generational wealth in part by doing good deals. He hopes to do even better deals by dealing directly with someone who isn't an expert in negotiating NFL player contracts. It's been part of his modus operandi. It hasn't worked in the past. As to Parsons, it won't be working in the present.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pittsburgh's negotiating proposal doesn't go far enough
Last week's collection of team proposals for the upcoming league meetings included a suggestion from the Steelers to put a little more legal tampering into the legal tampering period. Pittsburgh wants two things that are already happening to be officially permitted: (1) direct communication between teams and players during the negotiating window; and (2) travel arrangements during the negotiating window for players who have agreed to terms. Currently, the rules permit direct communication during the 52-hour window only with players who are not represented by NFLPA-certified agents. Also, no travel arrangements of any kind can be made until after the official start of the league year. Both rules are routinely violated. Last year, Penn State coach James Franklin let the cat out of the bag regarding direct communications between running back Saquon Barkley and G.M. Howie Roseman. (The league investigated and found no violation.) Also, travel arrangements are routinely made before the ball drops on the New League Year. This year, for example, word of planned trips by quarterback Russell Wilson to the Browns and Giants emerged minutes after 4:00 p.m. ET on March 12. If the rules are going to change, we'd suggest something more meaningful. Before the negotiating window opens, why not allow visits? As it stands, players agree to contracts without ever, in plenty of cases, setting foot in the team facility. They don't meet the team, the team doesn't meet them. It's a crappy way of doing business, but it's the way business traditionally gets done. Because free agency is always a feeding frenzy of matching available players with available jobs. It would make sense for everyone to make a change that is more than cosmetic. So while we like the idea of the Steelers thinking about new ways to handle the pre-free agency process, they (and everyone else) should be thinking bigger. Have a week (or so) for visits. Then allow formal negotiations that result in deals being down.
NBC Sports
23-03-2025
- Politics
- NBC Sports
Pittsburgh's negotiating proposal doesn't go far enough
Last week's collection of team proposals for the upcoming league meetings included a suggestion from the Steelers to put a little more legal tampering into the legal tampering period. Pittsburgh wants two things that are already happening to be officially permitted: (1) direct communication between teams and players during the negotiating window; and (2) travel arrangements during the negotiating window for players who have agreed to terms. Currently, the rules permit direct communication during the 52-hour window only with players who are not represented by NFLPA-certified agents. Also, no travel arrangements of any kind can be made until after the official start of the league year. Both rules are routinely violated. Last year, Penn State coach James Franklin let the cat out of the bag regarding direct communications between running back Saquon Barkley and G.M. Howie Roseman. (The league investigated and found no violation.) Also, travel arrangements are routinely made before the ball drops on the New League Year. This year, for example, word of planned trips by quarterback Russell Wilson to the Browns and Giants emerged minutes after 4:00 p.m. ET on March 12. If the rules are going to change, we'd suggest something more meaningful. Before the negotiating window opens, why not allow visits? As it stands, players agree to contracts without ever, in plenty of cases, setting foot in the team facility. They don't meet the team, the team doesn't meet them. It's a crappy way of doing business, but it's the way business traditionally gets done. Because free agency is always a feeding frenzy of matching available players with available jobs. It would make sense for everyone to make a change that is more than cosmetic. So while we like the idea of the Steelers thinking about new ways to handle the pre-free agency process, they (and everyone else) should be thinking bigger. Have a week (or so) for visits. Then allow formal negotiations that result in deals being down.
