Event Date: November 23rd, 1983
Event Description: Bidding War
Source: United Press International
The New York Jets shocked the professional football world in 1965 by signing a young quarterback out of the University of Alabama named Joe Namath to a contract reportedly worth $425,000.
The signing touched off one of the most heated and competitive bidding wars in the history of sports as the American Football League and the National Football League tried to sway athletes to their respective camps by offering large contracts.
That all ended when the two leagues merged in 1969.
The war was rekindled for a short time in the '70s when the now-defunct World Football League enticed Miami Dolphin stars Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield to leave the Super Bowl champions and join the fledging league for big money contracts.
But then the WFL folded and with it went the reckless big money offers.
On Dec. 1, the war begins anew as Warren Moon -- the quarterback who directed the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League to five Grey Cup titles in his six years with the team -- begins to entertain offers from clubs in the CFL, NFL and USFL.
The former University of Washington star's current contract - reportedly worth $250,000 a year -- does not run out until March but Edmonton owner Norm Kimball has given Moon and his agent, Leigh Steinberg, the go-ahead to start fielding offers three months early.
Steinberg told UPI from his Berkeley, Calif., office that the final offer Moon settles on will likely be "the largest contract ever given to a professional football player."
“We feel that Warren is more valuable than a John Elway or Marc Wilson because of his experience and maturity,” Steinberg said. “And you know the kinds of contracts they supposedly got.”
Wilson's pact reportedly is in the neighborhood of $650,000. Elway's Denver contract is reportedly worth nearly a million dollars a year for five years.
Steinberg's claims are not idle boasts made by an overzealous agent.
Moon possesses everything a professional football team desires in a quarterback. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he has the size, speed and arm strength that makes professional football coachs' mouths water. He also has that intangible quality of of being a heady leader on the field.
Last season, Moon became the first professional quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards. This season he broke that mark by tossing for 5,638 yards. He is the front-runner for the CFL's MVP award -- the Schenley Award -- which will be named later this week.
Moon's value also has been increased by the fact that this year's crop of college senior quarterbacks is thin.
The 27-year-old QB has one thing else -- he's a pure free agent in the NFL. His USFL rights belong to the Los Angeles Express coached by his former coach at Edmonton, Hugh Campbell.
“We are in a unique situation,” Steinberg said. 'Warren signed a three year plus one option year contract with Edmonton before the NFL draft his senior season. Because of that contract, no NFL team drafted him. So now, there is no team in the NFL that has first refusal rights.'
What that means is the NFL team that signs Moon does not have to compensate any other team with a draft choice, player or money for Moon's rights.
Yet Steinberg says Moon is not interested in entering a bidding war.
“Our view is that this will not be a bidding war,” the agent said. “Warren is not interested in a meat market. He knows the dollars are going to be there where ever he goes.”
Steinberg says the fact that the NFL, with the defection of Chicago Bears quarterback Vin:e Evans to the USFL next season, will be without a black quarterback has no bearing on Moon's negotiations with the league.
“We don't think race is an issue here,” the agent said.
Moon has told reporters that the bottom line for him may well be who his coach would be.
“If the offers I get are approximately equal,” Moon said. “Then the different would be the coach.”
Steinberg says Moon likes Tampa Bay's John McKay -- “because he grew up in the shadows of the Coliseum” -- New Orleans' Bum Phillips, Seattle's Chuck Knox and Philadelphia's Marion Campbell in the NFL. He also likes Al Davis and the Los Angeles Raiders organization because “they know how to win.”
Interestingly enough, nearly all those squads could use a quarterback the caliber of Moon.
Steinberg said there had been no discussions with any of those clubs because Moon's contract has yet to run out and that would constitute tampering.
However, a number of club's have made statements saying they would be interested in Moon.
But Edmonton is not out of the running yet.
On Monday, Moon and Steinberg met with Kimball in Vancouver -- the site of this year's Grey Cup -- and the Edmonton owner made an offer.
“We felt that it was a fair offer,” Steinberg said. “Warren has been happy in Edmonton, has a lot of friends there and has a growing off-field business. Now we will see what everyone else has to offer.”
Moon says he going to take his time and weigh every offer with his wife and family before making his final decision. “I don't wait to rush my decision,” Moon said. “But I really don't want to wait too long to find out where I'll be next year.”
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