🏈 If You Complain Enough, It’ll Happen

There’s always been this kind of weird vibe going on in the NFL where if players aren’t happy, they just kind of don’t play until they get their way. Which, at times, can be totally fair. Yesterday, we had BIG news relating to three NFL STARS who complained enough and got their way.

The best way to attack this story is to start together, then focus on each player, and then come back together at the end. Agreed? Agreed. Ready, break!

Whenever a player is sitting out or is visibly frustrated with his current situation there are always two sides of the story and two sides of the fans’ opinion. One fan always sides with the player, one fan always sides with the team. There’s the “yeah I get why he’s not happy” fan and the “just stop complaining and play guy”. For me, I think it’s a case-by-case basis. Yesterday we saw three of the biggest storylines of the NFL season have updates.

Amari Cooper (Browns to Bills) - Amari Cooper has been vocally frustrated about his contract situation with the Browns since the beginning of the offseason. Cooper has been vocal about it throughout the season, as well as vocal about his frustrations with the Browns’ 1-5 start. Cooper, who is traditionally an all-pro, has really struggled this year. He leads the NFL in dropped passes (9), and seemed completely out of it in the Cleveland offense. Cooper, I’m sure, was even more vocal about his complaints to staff as he was to the media. Cooper got his way, he was dealt to the Bills yesterday who are in need for a true WR1 after losing Stefon Diggs this past offseason. Cooper is in the last year of his contract and is 30 years old, but he fills a massive need in Buffalo.

Davante Adams (Raiders to Jets) - The two former Packers superstars went their separate ways three years ago when Adams left Green Bay for the bright lights of Las Vegas. Aaron Rodgers spent one more year in Green Bay before heading to New York. Both have not only struggled without each other but have also struggled to stay healthy. It was not a matter of when Adams would get traded this year, but when. He, like Cooper, was extremely outspoken about his frustrations in Las Vegas. He was the master of Instagram stories that left JUST enough to the imagination to not necessarily directly call out the Raiders, but enough to get his point across. Now, the two former All-Pros will reunite, and I’m sure there was a LOT of begging from both Rodgers and Adams to bring the two back together.

Hasson Reddick (Jets to ?) - Hasson Reddick is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL. He has four consecutive seasons of 11 or more sacks, but this year, he hasn’t touched the field once. After being traded from the Eagles to the Jets in June, Reddick decided to never show up. He hasn’t stepped foot in the Jets facility once. He’s in the last year of his three-year, $45 million deal he signed in 2022. Now, he has refused to take the field until he signs a new lucrative deal. For a long time, the Jets refused to buy into his wishes, they weren’t going to trade him, and they weren’t going to budge on their contract offer to Reddick, no matter how he felt about it. Yesterday, the Jets finally allowed Reddick and his agent to start shopping his talents to other teams in hopes that another team will trade for Reddick and offer him the contract he desires. Maybe then he’ll play again…

All three of these guys got what they wanted. Some had to wait longer than others, and some are still waiting for it to be complete, but all got the thing they wanted without really playing or playing their best. I don’t know what kind of message this sends to the rest of the league. Who should be more worried, the owners and front office or the players? If I were a GM, I’d be scared to trade for a top talent who you aren’t sure will be happy with his contract situation.

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