In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 275 Draft Day; Team America (8k)

Generally speaking, Ethan can only choose the time to land in the NFL, but not the team he lands on.

Theoretically, unless the team is willing to take the initiative to trade him away, Ethan can only waste one year of his career and wait for the second year's draft.

The corresponding team must also give the rookie a guaranteed contract in the first two years.

"If you can perform well enough to deserve your salary, Troy Aikman's position may be yours in the future." Stephen Jones continued.

Troy Aikman currently has a contract with the Cowboys worth a total of 70 million, and his salary can definitely rank among the top three in the league.

As the No. 90 pick in the late s, Troy Aikman helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowl championships in the s, which is totally worth the price.

It's just that the dynasty fell much faster than expected. After winning the Super Bowl championship for two consecutive years in 92 and 93, and winning the fifth Super Bowl trophy in team history in 95, due to internal strife between the teams, many... Due to serious off-field problems and the aging of a group of meritorious players, the Cowboys immediately lost their competitiveness and missed the playoffs for the first time last year.

And Troy Aikman has gradually lost his competitiveness after frequent injuries.

Not long ago, Jerry Jones had fired head coach Barry Switzer, and former offensive coordinator Thomas Gailey Jr. took his place.

Obviously, this is just the beginning. The next step is to let Ethan O'Connor gradually replace Troy Aikman and complete the construction of a new generation of Cowboys.

"At this time next year, you will know how good the deal decided today is." Ethan said.

"I hope so, then we'll see you in the new season." Stephen Jones shook hands with Ethan.

·

After sending the other party away, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

The unexpected injury did not have a big impact on his draft. In a sense, it was a blessing in disguise. After all, there are not many bosses in the league like Jerry Jones who do everything by himself and have first-class money-making abilities. Ethan can learn from him how to run a club.

In the past few years, when other team owners such as El Davis of the Orlando Raiders were still trying to move to a better city with the league, Modell directly loaded all his belongings onto a truck and drove away from Cleveland overnight. Jerry Jones is going to court with the NFL. Not only did he win the battle, he also successfully forced the NFL to release the team's commercial development rights to the stadium it holds.

In the past, the NFL was a typical big pot, with all revenue shared equally by the thirty team members. In other words, the first place in the regular season this season received the same amount of revenue as the last place. The only difference was the tickets. Income, that's why teams in the NFL often move to their home stadiums.

As the number one money printer in the league, the Cowboys, who sit in Texas, the most powerful city in the universe, obviously cannot accept this situation. Ethan knows that the battle between Jerry Jones and the NFL has just begun... …

Ethan told Lisa, Catherine and others about the news one by one. Of course Catherine was the happiest. After all, she is now in Texas and will work in Texas for some time to come.

Lisa is more concerned about the conditions offered by the other party. She will have to go into battle personally as Ethan's agent to secure the contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

"No less than the total contract price of 3500 million that the Cowboys previously signed with Deion Sanders, and an additional signing fee of no less than 1300 million."

Lisa didn't even believe the price at first.

"Kobe Bryant's three-year rookie contract with the Lakers is only about 100 million US dollars per year. I think this is high enough. After all, Brazil's Ronaldinho only earns 20 US dollars per year."

"The NFL is like this. It's highly polarized, and most of the salary cap is occupied by quarterbacks." Ethan shook his head.

"Then do you still want to participate in the pre-draft training camp and pro day?" Lisa then asked.

These are the showcase sessions before the draft.

"You have to ask the doctor for his opinion." Ethan said.

"Also, has Peyton Manning's team contacted him?" Ethan asked.

Lisa is now not only responsible for Ethan, a football player, but Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson will also participate in this year's draft.

"Of course, the college personnel directors of many teams have visited him..." Lisa was originally not prepared to tell Ethan this news.

After all, these people were supposed to visit Ethan first.

Ethan nodded after hearing this: "It's great. The Tennessee Volunteers he led this year won all 12 games, and he also won the Heisman Award as he wished. He has won these. I think his contract amount will exceed mine."

"You seem very happy?"

"Why are you not happy? At least you can earn more than a million dollars in total income from his negotiations. Of course I am happy." Ethan said.

As a player agent, the commission rate is generally 3%-5%.

"Besides, the more Payton can take, the more I can take, and vice versa." Ethan continued.

Although there is a distinction between high and low on the playing field, off the field, Ethan and Payton are not enemies. On the contrary, they are real class comrades who are both team owners.

In addition to the brilliant Peyton Manning this season, Tom Brady's performance in the big ten is also very impressive. He has secured the starting position at the University of Michigan this season and refreshed the record set by his teammates just last year. Single-season passing yardage record.

Ethan doesn't know if next year's Tom will be as neglected as what happened in his previous life.

·

April 4, New York, Madison Square Garden Theater.

"Big Apple, if I remember correctly, your great-grandfather should have invested in and built this place?" Ethan, who was wearing a formal suit, looked at Catherine beside him.

"When he participated in the investment and construction of Madison Square Garden, this theater did not exist." Catherine mentioned with a smile.

After learning about her life experience, she had contact with the Walker family in the past two years and attended a family gathering at Walker's Point Manor in Maine.

However, in Catherine's words, the party was very boring, and it was like a year for her.

As for the reason why Ethan's father brought young Catherine back, this matter has always been a mystery. Catherine's biological father died in an accident when Catherine was in middle school.

But one thing is certain, Katherine's biological father and Ethan's father were roommates in college, and the two had established a deep relationship early on.

Ethan speculated that Catherine's mother was not honorable, and Catherine was sent away due to some pressure.

In addition to Catherine, Lisa also came at this important moment and was communicating with Peyton Manning's parents.

Previously, Lisa had gained the trust of the Payton family relatively easily as a partner of ICM, one of the four major brokerage companies.

As a way to add new blood, the current head of the NFL, Paul Tagliabue, naturally came to the scene.

His title is "League Commissioner" and he actually takes on the work of presidents in other leagues. He is the CEO of the NFL, a sports company that monopolizes professional football. In fact, similar to FIFA, the NFL is nominally a non-profit organization and has continued until 2015.

The entire draft process seemed a bit boring to Eason, after all, he had previously made a deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

I'm curious at which pick other talented players will be selected.

The Indianapolis Colts, who held the No. 1 pick, had not made up their minds until the results were announced, so Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had to take the stage again and chat for another five minutes.

Ultimately, the Colts made their decision and selected Peyton Manning.

The San Diego Chargers with the second pick also directly locked in another quarterback, Ryan Leaf.

The Arizona Cardinals have taken Florida State defensive end Andre Wadsworth.

The Orange Raiders did not hesitate to announce their answer, cornerback Charles Woodson.

The Chicago Bears drafted Penn State running back Curtis Ennis, the St. Louis Rams drafted Nebraska defensive end and the New Orleans Saints drafted San Diego State offensive end Kyle Turley.

Next it was the turn of the Dallas Cowboys, who held the eighth pick.

Ethan saw Stephen Jones appear on the big screen.

"The player we drafted in the first round was quarterback Ethan O'Connor from the University of Alabama."

As for Randy Moss, who later became one of the greatest wide receivers, he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick in the first round.

Next, Ethan started paying attention to his teammates.

In the second round of the draft, Dallas selected one of Eason's losers, offensive end Florzel Adams from the University of Michigan.

The Dallas Cowboys traded away the third-round pick, and in the fourth round, Dallas actually selected Eason's teammate at Alabama, defensive end Michael Myers.

The next day, the last three rounds were announced, including linebacker Darren Hambrick, offensive end Oliver Ross, and safety Izel Reese.

Dallas selected a total of nine players this year. Except for Ethan, the quarterback, of the remaining eight rookies, only one compensatory draft member is a running back, and the rest are all forwards and defensemen.

After returning to Alabama, teammate Michael Myers found Eason immediately.

"Ethan, now we have to continue fighting side by side!" Michael Myers looked very excited.

As a defensive end, he has done a lot of pass rushing training with Ethan in the past few years, and he has a good relationship with Ethan. Fellow teammates also knew something about Ethan's recovery, and he officially became a professional player, which made him very happy.

"We can continue our previous cooperation and training."

"No." Ethan shook his head.

"Maybe you can get the starting job soon, but I may not." Ethan said.

He knew that when he entered the team, he would not get the starting quarterback position.

Instead, these forwards are plug-and-play.

"Ethan, Troy Aikman has entered the twilight of his career. I believe you will be the main player soon. In addition, regarding the contract...Ethan, you have to help me." Michael Myers said at this time Business.

As a rookie defensive end, his annual salary is about hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the total contract is only about one to two million dollars.

Next, Lisa wanted to talk about the big contracts of Ethan and others. Such a "small contract" was obviously not enough, but for the purpose of helping his teammates, Ethan still agreed to Michael Myers' request.

"In this case, you can earn tens of thousands of dollars a month!" Michael fell into a state of reverie, with longing on his face.

Earning tens of thousands of dollars a month will still be a high salary even thirty years later.

Michael Myers grew up in Mississippi and went to an ordinary public school. He had many brothers and sisters in his family, and his family background was not very good.

He relied on his sports skills to enter the University of Alabama. Now he has not only obtained a degree certificate in construction engineering, but also directly received a high salary. He can be regarded as a typical example of changing his destiny through his own efforts.

As for Ethan, he already has enough credits, the rest is internship, and he will be able to graduate early in the near future.

·

In the bar where the team members often go, Ethan and the team members got together for the last time.

Among this group of people, the happy ones are naturally those who succeeded in the draft, such as two defensive ends, Michael Myers and Paul Pickett, who were selected by Jacksonville in the seventh round.

Another example is the team's backup wide receiver, Calvin Hall, who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round.

As for the tight end who has cooperated with Ethan many times, he was taken away by the New England Patriots with the 54th pick in the second round, and the gears of fate have begun to turn.

Some people are happy and some are worried, such as Rice. Although his playing opportunities increased due to Ethan's absence in his senior season, and he occasionally performed brilliantly under Ethan's remote control, he still lost the selection.

"Maybe you can sign with the team as a free agent." Ethan tried.

Entering the NFL is not just the draft. Every year, some people sign with teams even if they are not drafted. Although the annual salary is often relatively low, at least they can enter the professional circle.

Rice shook his head.

"For me, it's time to wake up from this dream." Rice smiled bitterly.

"If you can, Ethan, please help me continue to dream." Rice continued.

Ethan's other friends, such as Adam, also had a similar experience with Rice. He had completely left the football circle after graduation.

As for Pat, he successfully joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, but has not played even one minute in a professional game.

"Have you decided where you want to go after graduation?" Ethan asked.

"My mother asked me to work in her agency, and I'm still considering it," Rice said.

Lisa had complained to Ethan before that he was too busy. After all, he was now a player in the Southeastern Conference and a magazine girl. Lisa was not enough on her own, so Susan did many things for her.

Agents are different from other professions in that the more clients the better, rather than improving “quantity” agents prefer to improve “quality”.

Ethan thought for a moment and gave Rice a new direction.

"You can totally follow Lisa's path and become an agent, how about starting with... Michael Myers?" Ethan suggested.

Lisa will only be responsible for star players in the future. Ordinary players such as Michael Myers will be handed over to Rice. The two have a clear division of labor and expand as much business as possible.

"This..." Rice looked at Michael Myers, showing hesitation.

It is not easy to change careers and become an agent. Rice also needs to familiarize himself with the relevant work under Lisa.

"That's it." Ethan agreed.    ·

"When are you leaving?"

"About next month, we will go to Wichita Falls, Texas, to participate in pre-season training." Ethan said.

"From now on...will I never see you again?" Mary said suddenly, with a solemn look on her face.

"We'll see you again, maybe three years, maybe two years, maybe five years. I think you are very suitable as the team leader." Ethan said.

"There's no way I could apply for the Dallas Cowboys." Mary laughed.

"Maybe not the Dallas Cowboys? Maybe by then, I will be more than just a player." Ethan said for no reason.

Mary obviously did not realize the meaning of this sentence.

"See you later."

·

Early summer, Dallas-Wolfsburg conurbation, Irvine.

Ethan was sitting in the car and saw the huge egg-shaped building from a distance.

Texas Stadium, with 6 spectator seats and an exaggerated 5 boxes, is the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the location of the Dallas Cowboys offices.

This trip with Lisa was to sign a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

After a long period of back-and-forth negotiations, the Cowboys finally agreed to add additional incentive clauses to Eason's contract.

If Ethan can be selected for the Pro Bowl and maintain 7% of the games played, he will receive an additional $ million in incentive bonuses.

After completing the final signing, Ethan shook hands with Stephen Jones, one of the team's top executives.

"Welcome to Dallas," Stephen Jones said.

He is also flanked by his younger brother Gerald Jones, who currently serves as the club's chief sales and marketing officer.

The Dallas Cowboys is a typical family-owned company. Jerry Jones is deeply involved in the operation of the team and is involved in all matters. As for his three descendants, they are also executives of the Dallas Cowboys and are involved in the daily work of the Dallas Cowboys.

In addition to these two, Jerry Jones' second daughter, Charlotte Jones, who would later be called the most powerful woman in the NFL by the media, did not appear.

Ethan took a photo with the two of them, and the signing ceremony was successfully completed.

Ethan signed with the Dallas Cowboys with a four-year base salary of 4 million, plus a 2000 million signing bonus and an additional 1300 million incentive bonus.

The first two years of the contract are guaranteed years. If Ethan cannot meet the conditions for debut in the second two years, he will only receive a small part of the guaranteed salary.

In addition to Ethan, Lisa also mentioned Michael Myers' contract.

After Ethan and Lisa left, the Jones brothers chatted.

"I saw the agent next to Ethan at the draft, and he seemed to appear as a family member." Gerald Jones said.

"Ethan O'Connor is different from other players. He is a business-minded guy." Stephen Jones responded.

Then Stephen Jones received a call from his father.

"Yes, the signing has been completed." Stephen Jones said.

·

"Many fans expressed doubts and confusion about your selection in this year's draft. The Dallas Cowboys held the eighth overall pick, but selected in the first round, Ethan O'Connor, who was injured and missed the entire season for four seasons. Shooting guard, on the other hand, Randy Moss was selected by the Vikings with the 21st overall pick. Why should they spend a lot of money to recruit a quarterback again when Troy Aikman is on the team? Does it mean that Dallas will Kicking Troy Aikman out soon?"

At the opening press conference of the new season's training camp, some fans asked team owner Jerry Jones a question.

At this time, Jones is sitting in the middle of the stage. He is 55 years old. His hairstyle is very similar to that of Sir Anthony Hopkins of the movie industry. He is a little old man with deep eyes.

Jerry Jones is not only the owner of the team, but also the team's general manager. Since he acquired the Dallas Cowboys nine years ago, he has appeared in every training camp conference.

"Dallas will never expel any player, let alone a veteran who helped the team win three Lombardi Trophies. But the painful lessons of last season made me understand that only a company that is good at developing new players The team can always be competitive for the Super Bowl. So I brought Ethan O'Connor to Texas Stadium."

Jerry Jones gave a very candid answer to the pointed question.

"In other words, the Dallas Cowboys will build a team with Ethan as the core in the future?"

"I'm not going to make any firm plans and if Ethan O'Connor doesn't perform well, I'm going to just trade him."

“So what are the goals for the Dallas Cowboys this year?”

"The team is still in the process of rebuilding. We only got 6 wins last year. Dallas' goal this year is to win more games and try to hit the playoffs." Jerry Buss did not set any ambitious goals. , the pace is very solid.

·

At the same time, Ethan drove his Porsche GT to the parking lot of Midwestern State University, the training camp venue.

Fans and school students have been waiting here for a long time.

When Ethan got out of the car, he saw someone holding up a camera to take a picture of himself.

"Smile!"

"Can Ethan sign your autograph for me?"

"Come on Ethan! You're going to be the best quarterback in the league."

Ethan heard the voices of people around him.

While the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick didn't satisfy all fans, there were still many who supported Eason joining the Dallas Cowboys.

"Ethan, come here." Several Cowboys staff members who were in the parking lot immediately came over to help Ethan out. They are the team's personnel assistants.

Then someone took Ethan to the closed training ground.

The road has been decorated into a sea of ​​blue, and the iconic blue five-pointed star symbol of the Dallas Cowboys is everywhere, which is the visual identity of the Cowboys.

The star looks exactly like the lone star on the Texas state flag.

There is no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys have been deeply bound to Texas and have a strong local color.

For a similar sports club, Ethan first thought of Barcelona in Catalonia.

The Cowboys never lack for fans, especially in a place as crazy about football as Texas. As the de facto second largest state in the United States, Texas loves football more than California. And since the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee, the only football team left in Texas is the Cowboys.

There are now 30 teams in the league, and the Cowboys' IP-licensed product sales once accounted for 28% of the league's total product sales. In the five seasons before 2002, the Cowboys' average sales per season accounted for an average of 5% of the league's total product sales. 16%.

No matter where the Cowboys go, you can see fans wearing cowboy hats at any away game.

In terms of fan count, the Cowboys are way ahead of the rest. In a 2018 report, Cowboys fans accounted for 7% of American adults.

This situation has already emerged when the team was founded. It is no wonder that during the highlight moment in 1978, the commentator would use "America's Team" to describe the Cowboys. This title has continued to this day and is used by many media.

In terms of popularity, the Cowboys never lost.

Today is the day of reporting, and Ethan saw that there were already many players waiting in the arena.

As an old teammate, Michael Myers was naturally the first to greet him.

Eason also saw last year's loser, offensive end Florzel Adams from the University of Michigan.

Then his eyes swept across the remaining veteran players of the Cowboys, but he didn't see those well-known figures...

"Hey, Ethan! Alabama genius."

A middle-aged man came to Ethan. He looked to be at least thirty years old and had a deep "Chuan" pattern on his forehead.

This man is a white man who calls himself Daryl Johnston and is the fullback (FULLBACK) of the team.

Under the general trend, the guard system has completely declined, and even running backs have received less and less attention, and they are even said to be the extension position of running backs.

But within the Cowboys, there are many tactics related to full-backs, and Daryl Johns was selected to the Pro Bowl for two consecutive years in 93 and 94. He is currently the back with the third-highest number of catches in Cowboys history. 294 catches totaled 2227 yards, averaging 7.6 yards per carry.

But as a running back, he only advanced 232 yards in 753 runs, averaging only 3.2 yards per run.

He is mainly responsible for opening the way for Emmitt Smith in the team.

As one of the meritorious players who won three Super Bowls, and the oldest among all the current players, his status in the team goes without saying, as he is like everyone's big brother.

"Maybe I can't wait for the day when you kill everyone on the court." Daryl Johnston is preparing to officially retire this year or next year.

"Maybe Ethan will surprise everyone in the first year." Michael Myers next to Ethan said at this time.

"Maybe." "Old Man" Darryl Johnston patted Ethan on the shoulder.

At the same time, another young man came into the gymnasium with a confused look on his face.

His name is Patrick Jeffers, who graduated from the University of Virginia. He was a fifth-round pick in 96. He won last year's Super Bowl championship with the Denver Broncos, but he was only a backup running back in the team and spent most of his time on special teams. group work.

This summer he was officially traded to Dallas as a backup wide receiver.

What's more special is that he is a white wide receiver.

At this time, Ethan looked at a strong black man not far away.

His body is huge, his face is covered with flesh, and his weight is obviously more than 300 pounds. His exaggerated figure once made Ethan think he was a center, but in fact he is an offensive left tackle who specializes in blind testing of quarterbacks - Larry Eye Lun. He is known as the best left tackle in the league. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl for three consecutive years and his contract is the third highest salary in the team.

The other party also noticed Ethan's gaze and took the initiative to come over and shake hands with Ethan.

"You look taller and stronger than Troy Aikman." As the defensive fence for the quarterback and the door panel on the offensive line, he is used to observing the physical condition of the players at the first time, and currently Ethan He is more than two meters tall and weighs more than 230 pounds. It can be said that he has reached the ultimate position of quarterback. If his body continues to develop, his too heavy body will start to slow down Ethan's pace.

"You don't look like you need my protection at all." Larry Allen joked. As one of the top left tackles in the league, although his face looks so ferocious that it would scare children to tears when they walk on the road. , in fact, he is still an enthusiastic guy.

"That's not necessarily the case." Ethan smiled and shook his head.

There were at least thirty-five players around, and Ethan greeted most of them and introduced each other.

"Look who's here!"

"Emmett Smith, how are you recovering?"

"Let's not talk about anything else. Your weight seems to be a bit over the standard. The physical fitness coach has seen it and asked you to lose weight."

The team members said in a hurry.

Ethan forgot about the past. The person who came was a black man, wearing diamond earrings, a crew cut, and a beard. It was Emmitt Smith who missed last year due to injury.

He is the current running back single-season yardage holder, running 95 yards in the 1 season. This record has stood for 773 years.

The firepower is stable, and he has averaged more than 1000 yards every year in the Dallas Cowboys.

He is a true star running back. In addition to his stable performance, he is also known for his long standby time. His running back career lasted for a full fourteen years, and he performed stably most of the time, which is very rare in the running back position.

In front of such a big bowl, the current Ethan is naturally nothing. He saw the players swarming up and asked about Emmitt Smith's current physical condition.

Immediately afterwards, another meritorious figure in the team's offensive trident appeared, the wide receiver, Michael Owen, who also just returned from a collarbone injury. In the Cowboys' three previous Super Bowls, he repeatedly passed the ball at critical moments to help the team open up the situation. He was the real key player.

But the frequent recurrence of injuries has tortured him throughout the season.

Finally, Ethan and the Cowboys team welcomed the most important team leader, the current main quarterback-Troy Aikman.

A super quarterback with three Super Bowl championships, a Super Bowl MVP, last year's NFL Player of the Year, and six consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 91 to 96.

He is tall and has regular features. He is wearing a blue five-pointed star T-shirt and a peaked cap. He looks very approachable. He was nicknamed "the best bachelor in Texas" by the media.

In addition to this trident, Dallas also lacks Rich Cunningham, a top-notch kicker who scored the most goals in the league last year.

A top left tackle, a top running back, a top receiver, a top quarterback...

Ethan suddenly realized that this team didn't seem to need him that much.

The next thing he saw was Troy Aikman walking towards him.

"You're finally here, Ethan O'Connor, it seems the boss listened to my opinion." Troy said with a smile.

He actually took the initiative to ask Ethan to come over...

(End of this chapter)