Jason Peters Deserves Every Dollar of His 2012 Salary from Philadelphia Eagles

Daffy Duck himself avoided injury better than Jason Peters has the last two months. The Philadelphia Eagles' All-Pro offensive tackle has had an unbelievable bout with bad luck this offseason, as it seems fortune has an ax to grind with Peters' right Achilles tendon.

Damage to that one band of tissue could put the 30-year-old's career in jeopardy after Peters recently re-ruptured the tendon in what he claims was a freak accident with a defective Roll-A-Bout scooter (seriously).

Previously, there was hope that Peters would return at some point in 2012, but that expectation was probably scrapped the moment he was reinjured.

The major issue at play now, apart from the obvious predicament at the left-tackle position in Philly, is that both the original and the secondary injury were suffered away from the team's facility and removed from the supervision of team officials. That makes them non-football injuries, per the new collective bargaining agreement, which could force Peters to forfeit much of his 2012 salary.

If he misses the entire season, the Eagles would have the ability to withhold his $7.9 million base salary, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. But, Mort reports that Peters might only have to take a $3.25 million hit because that's what Philadelphia is paying replacement Demetress Bell.

Peters and his agent, Eugene Parker, are reportedly in amicable discussions with the team, which is refreshing and admirable, but also dangerous.

The Eagles are allowed to give him every dollar he was slated to make going forward, but if veteran leaders like Peters and Terrell Suggs—who is in the same scenario with the Baltimore Ravens—agree to take significant pay cuts, it'll set a precedent that will put future non-football injury victims in an incredibly tough spot.

Although the players appear to have little leverage, based on the terms of the CBA, they do have voices, and Peters and Suggs have particularly loud ones within the NFL community. I never thought I'd say this about a professional athlete, but they have to fight for their money.

Peters wasn't injured doing handstands on an out-of-control motorcycle or street luging at rush hour in Manhattan. He was injured while working out.

There was no malice here. He wasn't looking for a fully paid year on the couch. He was trying to stay in his best shape in order to serve his employer to the best of his ability. 

Players have to be able to work out away from team facilities and in array of capacities (within reason). Otherwise, they could risk further injury later or might not be in top shape during team-supervised workouts, training camp or during the season (just ask Miles Austin).

I remember hearing that agents were quietly telling their clients to avoiding working out entirely during the lockout and thinking how bad that could be for the game, for the product. I figured that was something that would halt when a new CBA arrived, but situations like these could force such tactics to become commonplace.

And when you consider that the new agreement also cuts offseason programs by 36 percent (reduced from 14 weeks to nine), it's even more imperative that players train on their own time and wherever they might be.

If Peters and Suggs were to earn their full salaries this year, players would be less likely to avoid private workouts in offseasons to come, which, in turn, would result in a better overall product.

The key here, though, is that NFL players take a tremendous risk by signing contracts that aren't fully guaranteed. The least teams can do is pay them when Lady Luck sends them to the operating room.