[madstork]

Originally Posted by RaiderintheUK

Signing bonuses, option bonuses etc are all guaranteed money credited to the player's bank balance as soon as they have completed their signature at the bottom of their new contract. And the only way a team can ever hope to get that money back is to take that player to court and sue him for breach of contract. However I doubt you could successfully sue any player for feeling banged up and who just wants to retire. Also I have never heard of the Raider sueing their players for the repayment of their signing bonuses - I think Al shows a lot of loyalty to his players and therefore wouldn't pull a stunt like that. Unlike the Donkeys who have and will continue to sue their players for breach of contract.


Assuming this is true (and I don't know if it is), if Howie's contract had come to an end and he made no noises about feeling his time was due etc and, instead, signed a new contract worth millions in guaranteed signing bonuses. But then just 12 months into his new contract he walks away, then basically that was a poor deal for the Raiders. It's impossible to say if Howie genuinely felt he could see out his new contract but just broke down considerably in the first 12 months of it, or if he kinda suspected he would never see the end of it and planned to walk away just a short time into it. That we will never know. I hope it's the former. Either way, the Raiders would've lost millions in bonuses paid.

I think you're confusing eras. There's no way the contract Howie signed in '93 had millions of guaranteed dollars in it.

I think one reason people don't realize the beating he took is that he looks healthy. He looks like he could still play. But as Dr. Z noted, the Raiders always gave Howie the dirty work and he did it well without complaint. He never got the glamourous job of lining out wide and exploiting a TE or tackle one on one like Townsend did. That's why idiots like Sal Palontonio can say he was "overrated" because his sack numbers weren't as impressive as some other big name players. I've always given Dr. Z credit for understanding Howie's importance to the Raiders and greatness as a player...