List of NFL players who missed season due to contract issue

[SixtiesFan]

Dan Fouts held out until Week 10 of the 1977 season. He was a Howard Slusher client (so was Todd Bell later), whose tactic was for a player to sit out the season. Fouts had been mediocre his first three seasons until Bill Walsh coached him in 1976.

The Chargers traded for James Harris from the Rams after the 1976 season. It turned out Harris had a much bigger contract than Fouts, who promptly held out. Fouts made several interesting remarks upon announcing his holdout.

Fouts claimed to be better than Terry Bradshaw and Fran Tarkenton. He said his coach Tommy Prothro "couldn't motivate a bear to leave a burning forest." Fouts said the Chargers weren't good enough to make the Super Bowl. An ironic statement as it turned out.

Fouts then announced his retirement from pro football.

James Harris became the Charger starter for 1977 but didn't play well and suffered a season-ending injury as did backup Bill Munson. Fouts then returned to the team and did well the rest of the season.

Some of the above information I remembered, some I picked up from the internet.

[Gary Najman]

I don't know if it qualifies, but what about Bo Jackson not signing with Tampa Bay in 1986? I never understood why he was drafted again the following year while the Bucs received nothing. Meanwhile players who were drafted by the NFL and went to Canada (Tom Couisineau, Bruce Clark, David Overstreet and Keith Gary) their rights belonged to the team that drafted them.

[BD Sullivan]

I don't know if it qualifies, but what about Bo Jackson not signing with Tampa Bay in 1986? I never understood why he was drafted again the following year while the Bucs received nothing. Meanwhile players who were drafted by the NFL and went to Canada (Tom Couisineau, Bruce Clark, David Overstreet and Keith Gary) their rights belonged to the team that drafted them.

Pretty sure the clock stops once they sign with another league--post AFL, that is. If they just sit out the season, there's an expiration date.

[Rupert Patrick]

I don't know if it qualifies, but what about Bo Jackson not signing with Tampa Bay in 1986? I never understood why he was drafted again the following year while the Bucs received nothing. Meanwhile players who were drafted by the NFL and went to Canada (Tom Couisineau, Bruce Clark, David Overstreet and Keith Gary) their rights belonged to the team that drafted them.

I think in Bo's case because he did not sign any sort of contract to play football at all (CFL, Arena, USFL if it had existed, Semi-Pro, etc) between the 1986 and 1987 drafts, he was no longer contractually bound to the Bucs by the 1987 Draft, nor did any team owe the Bucs a thing for drafting him in 1987. This was similar to the threat John Elway made when the Colts were going to draft him with the first pick in the 1983 Draft, that he was going to play baseball in the Yankee organization and (it is presumed) wait for the 1984 Draft and the Colts would therefore waste a number one draft pick and get nothing in return for him. The Colts went ahead and worked out a deal to trade Elway to Denver on Draft Day.

[BD Sullivan]

I don't know if it qualifies, but what about Bo Jackson not signing with Tampa Bay in 1986? I never understood why he was drafted again the following year while the Bucs received nothing. Meanwhile players who were drafted by the NFL and went to Canada (Tom Couisineau, Bruce Clark, David Overstreet and Keith Gary) their rights belonged to the team that drafted them.

I think in Bo's case because he did not sign any sort of contract to play football at all (CFL, Arena, USFL if it had existed, Semi-Pro, etc) between the 1986 and 1987 drafts, he was no longer contractually bound to the Bucs by the 1987 Draft, nor did any team owe the Bucs a thing for drafting him in 1987. This was similar to the threat John Elway made when the Colts were going to draft him with the first pick in the 1983 Draft, that he was going to play baseball in the Yankee organization and (it is presumed) wait for the 1984 Draft and the Colts would therefore waste a number one draft pick and get nothing in return for him. The Colts went ahead and worked out a deal to trade Elway to Denver on Draft Day.

Had Elway sat out, he would have been in position to be drafted by Cincinnati, who had acquired Tampa Bay's first round pick. Indicative of the Bucs incompetence, they gave up that first rounder to get QB Jack Thompson--shortly after Doug Williams bolted for the USFL. The Bengals traded that pick to NE, who took Iving Fryar, while Cincy waited until the second round to draft Boomer Esiason.