NFL Players and “Holding Out” for More Money (Translation: Ignoring Contractual Obligations)

Note (Nov 2026): I used to swear a lot more in casual speech. Shortly before my first child was born, I read Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, which inspired me to clean up my language. I rarely swear now. I left this essay untouched because editing it now would feel disingenuous; this is how my younger self talked.

This was a piece I originally wrote for Jockpost.com in June 2010.

Currently, in March 2011, as the players and owners continue to not be able to divide up billions of dollars (fucking idiots) it amazes me that there is sympathetic talk regarding the players.

I’m not talking about their cause in general, I mean sympathy for their “lost wages” during the negotiations.  We are talking about people making over $1m / year (most of them) and radio hosts everywhere are concerned with “how are they going to make a living if the NFL doesn’t pay them.” GTFO!

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis might be a hell of a lockdown force on the field, but he sure as s**t doesn’t understand a goddamn thing about a contract.  Revis has a signed contract but he thinks he should be paid more because he has performed so well.  In fact, he is on record as stating that he wants to be the “highest paid cornerback” in the league.

First of all, being the highest paid cornerback doesn’t mean you are the best cornerback.  It just means you are the highest paid.  So your reasoning for wanting a new contract is either greed or stupidity.  Or both.

Either way, no one gives a f**k what you want, Darrelle. In contract law, all that matters is what you signed.  And I don’t see anything in your SIGNED DEAL that says you can demand more than what your contract specifies.  Every time an athlete pulls s**t like this, I wonder if they think about the fact that they could’ve performed worse than they recently did, and it would not have allowed the team to pay them less.

I’d love if Revis had a s**tty year and the team decided to hold his dumb ass out until he agree to take less money.  Do you see my point, Darrelle? You signed a contract.  What is so hard to understand about a “contract” ?

In case you don’t actually know what a “contract” is, we looked it up for you.

According to Merriam-Webster:

con·tract

Pronunciation: \ˈkän-ˌtrakt\

1 a : a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially : one legally enforceable b : a business arrangement for the supply of goods or services at a fixed price

Maybe athletes like Revis and Andre Johnson and Chris Johnson don’t understand words like “binding” and “fixed”.

For the record, I’m not talking about a rookie who can’t come to terms with the team that drafted him.  Surely sometimes the team is at fault and others it may be the player or agent, etc.

For a veteran who is under contract, like an Andre Johnson who has 5 years left on an 8 year, $60 million dollar deal that includes $15m guaranteed, holding out and “demanding” a new contract is absolutely unacceptable.

Some would make the case that Chris Johnson has played so well he deserves a new deal before his rookie contract is up.  If this were the case, what the f**k is the point of even having the contract in the first place?! If I were the owner of the Titans, I’d tell Chris Johnson to shut his f**king mouth and to continue to play football under the terms of his current legally binding agreement. Once the agreement is up, then we’ll talk about a new one.

As the owner of a franchise, under no circumstances would I allow a player to hold my feet to the fire. Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson and Darrelle Revis would all be sitting their b***h asses on the bench. New deal? f**k you.

Hey Darrelle Revis, You Signed a Contract, Now Fuckin’ Deal With It: http://jockpost.com/hey-darrelle-revis-signed-contract-fuckin-deal/#ixzz1IBTNmMuo