Quote:
Originally Posted by sandtrapjack
Doesn't matter. Who ever has the top pick in the draft holds all the cards. If Luck pulls an Eli and does not sign with the team that drafted him, in all likelihood he will leave MILLIONS on the table.
When a player decides not to sign with the team that drafted him, he has to sign a contract by a specified date (sometime in October I think). If unsigned by that date, then his only recourse is that he re-enters the following years draft. Even after the signing deadline, the drafting team still owns the rights to him.
And when he re-enters the following years draft, he is almost assuredly going to be drafted in a later round. That means a loss of a lot of money.
Teams will not "gamble" a first or second round draft pick on a guy who already has proven that if he does not want to play for you, he won't. Best to pick him in the later rounds.
And I believe that when the player is selected in that second draft, the original drafting team gets their draft pick back.
So If the Colts select him in the first round of 2012. Luck does not sign. Enters the 2013 draft. And if he is selected by another team in the 2013 draft, the Colts get their original first round draft pick back in 2014 draft.
The only caveat being that if Luck re-enters the 2013 draft, the original drafting team in 2012 (Colts for example) are forbidden from drafting him a second time.
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Okay, I looked it up on the NFLPA web site that has the 2011 CBA in it's entirety on there.
The contract sign date is actually the tenth week of the regular season. If the draftee does not sign by week 10, then he can re-enter the next years draft. Unless, before the next draft he agrees to a deal with the club that drafted him, that deal is for the NEXT season and he is ineligible to play after week 10 even if he signs a contract. He would actually start playing the next league year.