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Raiders draft pick drags feet over $14K bonus; eventually caves
In the end, rookie wide receiver Juron Criner was signed in time to get to training camp with the Oakland Raiders. He almost didn't make it, though, due to a $14,000 contract dispute.
I don't mean to make light of the $14K - for most folks, that's a pretty substantial chunk of income and it was apparently a big deal to Juron Criner, too. But in terms of NFL contract disputes, it seems like a pittance. Peyton Manning makes $14K every time he wipes his sweaty hands on a towel.
Criner, probably wisely, decided it wasn't worth the fight and signed the lighter contract.
Bill Williamson of ESPN.com explains the origin of the $14K dispute, according to a source familiar with the contract negotiations:
… Criner's request is based on what the players drafted directly ahead of him were paid in bonus money … From picks No. 30-32 in the round; the difference between the bonus money was in the $2,000 range for each pick. The bonus money for the No. 32 pick in the fifth round (Cincinnati safety George Iloka) was $160,000-plus. Criner wants the $2,000 bonus decline to continue.
So basically, the 165th pick received a bonus of $164,000, the 166th pick got $162,000, and the 167th pick got $160,000. Two thousand dollars less with each pick is how it went. The 168th pick, however, was a compensatory selection, and the bonus slotting for that draft position is different. About $14,000 different.
Criner wanted $158,000, which did make sense. NFL rules, though, said he got $144,000. So if he wanted to really dig in on his stance, he wouldn't be fighting against the Raiders, he'd be fighting against the NFL itself. Which is a fight that Juron Criner probably wasn't going to win.
For a rookie wide receiver, being at camp on time is way, way, way more valuable than $14K. It's especially important for Criner, who's in position to earn a lot of playing time as a rookie. The Raiders loved what they saw out of him in OTAs and minicamps.
If he continues along that path, he'll more than make up that $14K in a future contract.
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