He’s also at the heart of some of the issues now. Condon represents Peyton Manning, who reset the rookie market with a groundbreaking deal in 1998, altered the price of quarterbacks with a record contract in 2004, and now has the leverage to force another sea change with that contract expiring. He also has six of the last seven No. 1 overall picks in his stable, a group that has momentously changed the way NFL neophytes are paid.
So he knows the landscape of what caused prior problems in labor, knows the issues now, and doesn’t feel good about where things are going. Hence, the comparison to 1987.
“I just think the attitude from owners is much more aggressive,” Condon said. “And I think they’ve made the determination that this is the time for them to make some gains. …
“It’s interesting that the owners aren’t claiming that they’re losing money. My understanding is there’s just not enough of a return on the investment. So you’re the players, and you reduce it to simple terms, it’s management saying, ‘We’re not doing well enough, we’d like to redistribute the money, and take from the players, and have more come to us.’ But how do you determine if that’s all accurate if you haven’t seen the books?”
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