The Dolphins opened up their offseason workout program on Tuesday and running back De’Von Achane was not in attendance. Achane is eligible for a contract extension this offseason and Dolphins General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said last month that the team’s goal is to get something done with a player he called “a building block for us.” Achane’s absence from the start of voluntary work suggests that he’d like to see things wrapped up before he gets back to work and head coach Jeff Hafley declined to update where things stand on that front. “Those are talks for another time between Achane, Sully and those guys,” Hafley said at a press conference. “I’m not going to dive into those talks right now. That’s part of the business, it’s part of what every team goes through in those situations and they’ll work it out.” Achane led the league in yards per carry while running 238 times for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
I can't see this being an issue when other teams are offering solid trade value for him. If we didn't think we could get a deal done, he'd not be here anymore. Besides, maybe he wasn't expected for day one...we don't know.
If he intentionally held out wanting more money now, then I can fault him for it for sure. He's under contract and the Dolphins are honoring that contract. He should too. In my opinion, its bad faith to not show up for work while asking for a raise. If he wants big money, then he should understand that our cap space is extremely limited for this season. I mean, we get it as fans, surely a player would have some clue how all of that worked. Hopefully this gets ironed out soon.
I cannot disagree more when considering how NFL contracts work. Teams cut players with contracts all the time. Teams ask players to take pay cuts or be cut. The NFL is it's own economic system and it is absurd to compare it to either other sports or the US labor market. Employers draft their employees out of college and force them to work without even being able to choose the city they are primarly employed in. Employers can designate specific employees as "franchise" and prevent them from working for other companies even when off contract. OSHA would shut down a company that had injury rates like the NFL. Not showing up isn't bad faith, it's an industry standard negotiation practice, and protects the employee from an injury that could destroy their future earning. That said... I don't want it changed. I love the draft. I love the drama of contract negations, hold outs, cutting players, all of it. I've explained to my wife that it's my reality TV, only less scripted, and it's the only part of NFL fandom that she gets.
Exactly. Teams can sign a player for five years and if his performance tails off in the second season, they'll force him to play for less or cut him. They also can play him less if he has performance-based incentives to suppress his pay. On top of everything else, they can use franchise tags to limit his ability to leave via free agency. They have a ton of leverage and don't hesitate to utilize it. The players' leverage is only availability and I have no problem when they use it. Contracts are two-way business deals and what's good for one is good for the other. Especially for a running back, whose will find his salary suppressed by virtue of his position. Missing a voluntary workout is just a nothing burger at this point. It's a chance for OG3 and Wright to take the opportunity to show how much the team really needs (or doesn't need) Achane. Besides all of that, Sully has gone out of his way to inform the world Achane is a foundational piece, so he's going to have to prove it.
