Protest season: Examining why players act out against their teams

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The NFL, much like the calendar year, is made up of distinct seasons. There's the preseason, the regular season, the postseason and, of course, the offseason.

But the increase in players either publicly griping or failing to show up for certain activities to express displeasure with their contract status has spawned a new term. Welcome to protest season.

Never before, perhaps, have so many felt so compelled to reveal their frustration through either public words or personal absences. Kellen Winslow wants an extension in Cleveland. Anquan Boldin says he may skip training camp if he doesn't get a new deal from Arizona. Heck, some teams -- like the Bucs with Jeff Garcia, Earnest Graham and Chris Simms or the Giants with Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey -- have more than one player sitting out or spouting off.

It has become commonplace for players frustrated with their current lot to skip any and all voluntary activities, from offseason workouts to Organized Team Activities (OTAs), both critical building blocks for a team as it progresses towards training camp. If that doesn't work, and it rarely does, the next step is to sit out a mandatory event, even at the risk of being fined. Giants wideout Plaxico Burress is adding a new twist to that ploy by attending minicamp but not participating in any activities as he seeks an upgrade of the $10 million he has remaining over the next three years. Bengals receiver Chad Johnson appeared to be subscribing to the same plan last weekend before reversing his field and participating in the final practice session.

The other alternative, of course, is that players and their agents speak out -- both publicly and privately. The war of words usually starts how it should, with a player's agent talking with management, making sure the team realizes the player is unhappy with his current situation. Typically, if the agent senses a lack of progress, he tries other methods, which can include leaking word to the media or an all out verbal offensive against the organization by the player, like the recent outburst by Jets tight end Chris Baker.

"It was really a last resort type of thing," Baker said on Sirius NFL Radio. "We had tried to talk with them earlier. This is not something I wanted to do at all. They kind of left me with no choice."

Most NFL fans have a tough time understanding players griping about their contract status, especially when they are already earning such large sums.

"People think that if you sign a contract, you should honor your contract," said Bengals safety Dexter Jackson, who has had a bird's-eye view of the Chad Johnson saga playing out in Cincinnati. "But the team can release you anytime."

Therein lies the crux of the problem and the major reason for frustration among NFL players, who are well aware of their football mortality. They recognize the contracts are one-sided in nature and the team can always ask a player to take a pay cut or release them outright should they have a subpar year or get injured. If a team can alter the contract if the player has underperformed, why can't a player attempt to alter the contract in a positive fashion if he has clearly outperformed his deal.

"Part of the reason I'm in this situation is I got hurt in the last year of my original contract," Baker said. "If I get hurt this year I would be right back in the same boat."