By taking a pay cut, Ricky Ray has given the Eskimos a better opportunity to build a winner.
Was there really any doubt that quarterback Ricky Ray would be back with the Edmonton Eskimos?
Ray agreed to a contract extension on Monday, one in which he sacrificed some of his $500,000 salary for receiving another two years on his deal, which was set to expire after this season. It’s believed he has agreed to reduce his scheduled salary by at least $125,000 in exchange for receiving an added two years.
Because contracts are not guaranteed in professional football, an extension does not really mean much, but it does show a sign of commitment from the organization, and also demonstrates that Ray is a team player.
Undoubtedly, if Ray has a big season in 2011, he will likely be eligible for bonuses in the deal or, at the very least, a bump in his salary next year.
In these types of deals, it’s a give-and-take proposition by both sides.
From what I know, Ray is deeply committed to the city and the organization, and had no desire to leave Edmonton to play elsewhere in the Canadian Football League. It was believed that two teams had an interest in his services -- Toronto and Winnipeg -- both of which are not solidified at the starting quarterback spot.
Ray was scheduled to be the highest-paid player in the league this season. When general manager Eric Tillman was hired in August, 2010, he monitored the Eskimos roster and opted to pick up the option year on Ray’s contract after the season. Although he had a subpar season -- he threw only 11 touchdown passes, had 16 interceptions, totaled 3,565 passing yards, the lowest of his CFL career in which he played a full 18-game schedule, and had a career-low 82.3 quarterback rating -- Ray is only 31. Only two years ago, he totaled 5,661 passing yards, threw 26 TD passes against 17 interceptions and had a 101.8 quarterback. While his numbers have fallen appreciably since that time, the Eskimos as an organization were in a freefall, which led to the firing of football operations boss Danny Maciocia midway through the season.
Tillman gave himself some leeway, picking up Ray’s option year at the end of the 2010 season. This allowed him to do some work on the contract, which clearly could not remain the same given a big-picture plan to reshape the personnel while also taking into account the salary cap that each team has available to them.
Put it this way, Ray would have taken up almost one-quarter of the salary himself, which would have been fine had his play justified it.
But more than just whether he was worth his salary, Ray clearly had to understand that by freeing up some money by taking a pay cut, the team can now use the money, in conjunction with whatever money is available through various cost-cutting/salary adjustments by the team, to sign one or two free agents when players are officially able to sign with other teams on Feb. 16.
Ray has never been known to be a selfish player, so clearly he had to know that taking a pay cut could be worth his benefit, perhaps to acquire a Canadian offensive lineman, whom the Eskimos could use and/or a quality receiver. Cleary, the Eskimos’ offence needs to be addressed.
Had Tillman opted to play hardball with Ray and his agent and ultimately traded the player, he would have had an awful lot of explaining to do, combined with the fact the team does not have a ready replacement. Secondly, by working in a fair and understanding manner, he has established a good-working relationship with Ray and his agent.
It is not unusual in the CFL for players to be asked to take pay cuts. Back in 2007 when he was in his first full season as GM of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Tillman asked quarterback Kerry Joseph to take a cut of some $125,000 from his scheduled salary of $375,000. The team won the Grey Cup that year and Joseph was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player. He wanted his contract bumped up the next year, and when neither he nor the team could come to an agreement he was traded to Toronto. Tillman picked up some useful players, while Joseph received an upgrade in his contract but went through two years of hell in Toronto.
When he was GM of the B.C. Lions, Tillman traded quarterback Kent Austin to the Toronto Argonauts in 2005. The year before Austin and Danny McManus combined to lead the Lions to a Grey Cup victory.
Tillman understands the value of a quarterback, but he also knows that a team is only as good as the sum of its parts. Having a good, or may even great, quarterback means nothing if there is not adequate parts around him, notably a solid offensive line. The Eskimos have been lacking that for several years.
"As we go forward with this deal, it’s our responsibility to surround him with a nucleus that will allow us to play at the highest level," Tillman said in a media release. "Ricky has consistently talked about one objective: winning. Throughout the organization, we share that collective desire to win and to restore the proud Eskimo tradition."
Ray has guided the Eskimos to three Grey Cup appearances since joining the CFL in 2002 and has won two Cups (2003, 2005). He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player in 2005. He is the team’s all-time leading passer.
The Eskimos need some serious re-tooling and Ray has given the team some financial resources to do it.
