It's not the worst thing we can do, but it should be structured to a lower salary (he makes $250k) and performance clause, i.e. number of minutes played, with an option to transition to assistant coach or an office position, to open up his roster slot, should he suffer another concussion in season.
For his leadership from the bench alone he deserves more than the league minimum 44K. (Now if he gets anywhere above the halfway point on the salary ladder, $167K, then we have a problem)
For once I actually agree with you. Pablo is an aging star with concussion problems; and in a salary cap league on a low spending team that's bad news. He's earned the right to go out how he sees fit, I just hope he decides to go out this offseason.
Jason, does the MLS allow contracts that are loaded up with incentives? And if they do, how do they impact the salary cap?
They do allow some incentives, but I think the Players Union probably has a limit on how much they'll allow (similar to the limits in other sports). If the incentives are achieved they do count against the cap.
As a Rapids fan I've earned the right to have a team that strives to win unburdened by sentimentality towards former stars. It's time to retire, and if he doesn't realize it, then it's time for the Rapids to exercise some leadership by easing him into it.
I'm going to partially disagree with you. I don't know if its time for Pablo to retire, I suspect it is, but none of us really know what the doctors are telling him. If the doctors are telling him and/or the Rapids, that things are better then I believe Pablo has value to this team given his level of play prior to the concussions. If the doctors are saying he should quit and Pablo is ignoring them then yeah, its time for him to retire and time for the team to encourage that.
I don't want Pablo to come back. Not because I don't want to see him play again, but because I don't want to be in the stands watching when he goes down with a permanent brain injury.