The marriage between LSU football fans and Patrick Peterson is expected to come to an end relatively soon.
Whether it be Jan. 1 at the Capital One Bowl or Outback Bowl, or Jan. 7 at the Cotton Bowl, the junior cornerback will most likely suit up in LSU purple and gold one last time.
It seems like a no-brainer, as Peterson is projected as a top-five pick and currently sits on Scouts Inc.’s board with a bold No. 2 next to his name and No. 4 on NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board. The average payout for top-five picks in last year’s draft was a succulent $65.8 million.
While all the aforementioned facts are music to the ears of players like Peterson, the brutal truth of the future of the NFL brings it to a screeching halt.
The current NFL collective bargaining agreement expires March 3, and as of today, the owners and the NFL Players Association are far from an agreement. Many experts are split down the middle as to what direction the future will entail, but NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith told a New York newspaper last week a work stoppage was a “near certainty.” Regardless, a lockout by the owners would mean no money for Peterson, along with everyone else eligible for the draft.
“It’s definitely something to worry about, but he’ll still probably come out,” said Albert Elias, NFL agent and president of Elias Sports Management. “Right now, it doesn’t look like an extension will get done, so if that’s the case, the last order of business will be the NFL draft to where the teams can draft players but they won’t pay them.”
Under that scenario, Peterson wouldn’t be paid until a new CBA was agreed upon, which could range anywhere from March to next fall. In the meantime, Elias, who is the agent of former Tigers Kyle Williams, Randall Gay, Herman Johnson and Al Woods, said whatever agency Peterson chooses — if he decides to declare — could front him money in the event of a lockout.
Pete Roe, a NFL financial adviser in Asheville, N.C., said this practice is highly common, even though it is illegal in accordance with NFLPA and NCAA laws.
“It happens all the time,” said Roe, whose list of clients includes Philadelphia kicker David Akers and Chicago defensive end Israel Idonije. “I have an intense opposition to that, though. … If it doesn’t work out, then you owe money to the agent. … You have no way of paying back the loan.”
Peterson, along with all LSU players and LSU coach Les Miles, were not available for comment this week.
The Pompano Beach, Fla., native has only 36 tackles but has an impressive four interceptions, considering most offenses refuse to throw his way.
“He’s the best cornerback in the [Southeastern Conference] since Champ Bailey, and in my 27 years, he’s the best defensive player I’ve seen at LSU,” said local NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier. Detillier currently ranks Peterson tied for third with Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers on his draft board behind Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green.
The current talk of a lockout has even Green thinking twice.
“If they’re talking about a lockout, there’s no point in me leaving … [if] they’re not going to play for a whole season or a half-season or whatever it is,” Green told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov. 24.
Conversely, Detillier said the current labor talks could lead to a record amount of underclassmen who declare.
In the current CBA, which was formed in 2006, there is a de facto scale for rookies. One of the biggest ongoing issues between the NFLPA and owners is to enforce a hard rookie cap with slotted scales to prevent overcompensating players who have unproven pasts. If this were to happen, first-year players would lose a tremendous amount of money, which makes it more enticing to come out now while the money is hot. Ironically, the top four ranked prospects by Kiper and Detillier are all juniors.
As talks continue to heat up this month, Peterson has until Jan. 18 to decide his fate.
 
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]