Playing For the Money

Most players who attempt to return to the NFL after retiring are doing it for financial reasons. Some will insist that they retired too early and they miss the game. Others want to have another shot at going to the Super Bowl.

Former New York Giants RB Tikki Barber has filed papers with the NFL to start his return . He claims that he misses the game and still has gas left in the tank after seeing how much fun his twin brother, Rhonde had with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season.

Barber retired after the 2006 season with two years remaining on his $8.3 million contract. He will turn 36 next month. The Giants and Jets have declined interest in signing a player who has been away from the game for four seasons.

Some team will give him a shot in training camp. Under the old CBA, he would be paid the minimum of at least $865,000. A team could throw some incentives in, but I think he is a long shot to make a roster.

When he left the game, he stated that he wanted to retire in good health. He landed a job with NBC on the Today Show and was an analyst on Football Night in America.

That all came to a crashing end when he was linked to a 24 year old NBC intern while Barber's wife was pregnant with twins. NBC invoked a behavior clause and terminated his contract. He now serves as a football analyst with Yahoo!Sports.

It seems rather coincidental that he is talking about a comeback while his ex-wife is fighting him in court over their divorce.

In the end, it's all about the money.