May

27

It’s a Young Man’s League

Posted by Brandon Judeh under Future Stars, Off the Cuff 

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If there is one thing that the tough economic times have taught the NFL it’s that it is a young man’s league, especially at the skill positions.

Veterans such as Shaun Alexander, Warrick Dunn, Ahman Green and Marty Booker are still free agents. And these are just a few of the former stars that are still free agents.

And the market does not seem to favor them.

Why are these great players still free agents? All signs point to two things.

1. They are asking for too much money.

2. All of these players are over the age of 30.

Whether this is right or wrong, the league is changing and teams are less willing to take a chance at signing a veteran to a long expensive contract.

There are many reasons for this, but the main reasons are, potential injuries and the possibility of that particular player not performing to the level he once did.

A perfect example of this was with Shaun Alexander, who in 2005 ran for 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns, but the following year, at age 29, had an injury plagued season and ran for less than 1,000 yards.

When it came time for a new contract the Seattle Seahawks did not want to commit to Alexander long term, so he signed a short-term contract with the Washington Redskins to be a backup. And after only playing in four games, he is now a free agent.

This is a startling trend that the NFL is starting to form.

Sure this will not happen to every player once he reaches the age of 30, but it seems that now, more than ever, once you turn 30 in the NFL your chances of “cashing in” or signing a long-term contract are slim.

It will be interesting to see in the next 20 years or so what the average retirement age will be for stars of the NFL.

The average retirement age for the entire NFL is 30-years-old, which is highly skewed because of players retiring early due to ability. Though most superstar players play well into their 30s and sometimes make it until they turn 40.

If the economy does not turn around and teams have to continue to watch their spending, will superstars start retiring early? well before they are physically unable to play?

It will be interesting to see.


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