The Mankins part cracks me up. He's been screwed by the system his union collectively bargained for because at the time they didn't give a rats ass about him, they wanted 60% of Total Revenue...LOL Just like he's being screwed again this year via the franchise tag that was agreed to back in 1993 and withstood court challenge and even passed muster with Judge Doty and the union has yet to offer to swap a nickel for the elimination of because less than a dozen poor players fall victim to being paid top 5 salaries or 120% of what they were being paid if that is more as a result every season.
Peyton was a great choice too. Only been the highest paid player in the league for his entire career... Oh the humanity. I guess Mike Vick and JaMarcus Russell and Matt Leinart and Albert Haynesworth didn't fit the profile...
When Reggie White was the plaintiff he was fighting for Free Agency at a time when none existed and teams could tell players to take it or leave it and it meant leave the game. These guys have all benefitted from the settlement of that case, as has their union which promptly recertified once a jury did their negotiating for them. More unions should try this approach and see how long it remains an option... The issue a jury would be actually asked to decide this time out if it ever got that far, and it won't, is whether or not this employer has to pay it's employees whatever they demand.