Twin Cities-based NFL agent Blake Baratz has been preparing his clients for months in the event league owners initiate a lockout.
"We started eighteen months ago," Baratz says, "because we knew the owners could opt out of the agreement a long time ago."
Baratz feels it is his obligation as an agent to make sure his clients are prepared in the event of a work stoppage. Players will not be covered under NFL Players Association health insurance, nor will they be paid during the lockout.
"If a player chooses not to pick up his COBRA (health insurance) account and tears his ACL working out... he's on his own. But that should not happen," Baratz says.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards, who is not among Baratz' clients, says he received the same advice from his agent.
"I will have health insurance, my financial advisors take care of all that," Edwards says. "I have insurance for myself and, as a soon-to-be father, for my son who is about to come into the world."
Baratz has also advised clients to carefully consider big-ticket purchases that are not essential, but points out as long as the NFL doesn't miss regular season games, most players wont wind up missing any paychecks.
"A lot of the people we've had these conversations with might be in the middle of a contract, but they're not getting paid March through August anyways," he says, "They had been budgeting their money through the season whether there's a lockout or not. In their head they say, 'I wasn't getting paid in the offseason anyway so when September comes around, I'm going to get paid again'."
With all the talk coming out of the labor dispute about a looming lockout deadline - currently 11:59 Eastern Time Friday - Baratz admits it means very little to football fans.
"I care about a March 4 date, the Vikings might care about a March 4 date, but the average fan that just wants to watch a game, they care about September when they step back on the field," he says.
Baratz thinks the players union and the NFL owners will come to an agreement by then.
"I don't think anyone believe that football games are going to be missed," he says, "The only way it doesn't get done by (September) is is one or both sides say 'We're too far off, we're not even talking'. If they're not talking, that's the stalemate that becomes a scary situation."
But Edwards is still being careful, just in case.
"I always save my money," he says, "because tomorrow's never promised."
