These two guys have two of the best jobs in pro football. Jim has five young kids that he gets to raise them and be home regularly. Both of these guys are worth in the seven figures already, they make around 500k each and are not slaving 12 months out of the year as they would in the NFL.
If someone gave me the choice between job security and living at home with months off a year and a 500k salary a year that I can hold on to long term or go make 1 or 2 million a year on a gamble and lose pretty much all my freedom and not see my kids for more than a few minutes a day for months on end. I'd keep my established job in the CFL. I have a business that gives me much freedom and I've turned down corporate jobs where I would make more money but I enjoy my freedom and if you have enough money to enjoy it, your living the dream !
Jim lost his mom last year while he wasn't there when she passed she got to spend time with her son and grand kids and now he can spend time with his dad regularly. What is that worth ? You can't put a number on that.
Of course that's not everybody and at some point they will leave and it is normal that part of you wants to measure yourself against the best and be recognized in your homeland for your abilities and body of work, nothing is forever Marc's daughters are in College and Jim's kids will grow up one day but as is my case all of a sudden there are a bunch of new reason's to enjoy that time and freedom. One thing is for sure if and when they leave, they will leave behind a culture and tons of knowledge and it will be up to Abrams, Desjardins,Brady, Ozumo and all the others to take over the mantle. Just like someone took over from Chiu, Philion, Cahoon and soon Anthony.
Good points, Hfx, but sports is a young man's profession. For those who are coaches, or players who become coaches, the career can be longer - i.e. Joe Paterno. However, an old adage has it that "you have to make hay while the sun shines". A career in sports can be very fickle. The salary, contract, adulation, media attention...are all good while things are going well, namely when you are winning and racking up impressive stats. BUT! - all of that goes south tout de suite if things start going badly - poor performance on the field, losing streaks...or injury, as in a career-ending injury for a player.
I therefore cannot expect players and coaches, even those who have re-signed, to stay here forever. I am not trying to suggest that the CFL has an inferior product, but the contracts and salaries are not in any way comparable to those of the NFL. As I have lamented many times on this forum, I just wish that contracts and salaries in our league were at least comparable to NHL salaries; that would still be lower than the NFL, but would be that much more an enticement to keep "a good thing going" here as you suggest. Perhaps some day....!
Salaries in the CFL will never ever come close to that of the NFL. Jim and Marc are two of the highest paid individuals in the league if not the highest and its probably a quarter of what they would make in the NFL. What I can say is that the next TV contracts for the NFL will not be anywhere close to what they are now. The US is going through a transformation of their economy and that kind of money is simply not there anymore. I am not suggesting that it will come down to CFL levels but it is about to experience a dramatic change and they know it.
I do a lot of business in the US and right now their government is keeping their economy from falling in a depression by printing phoney money and spending it in infrastructures like schools, roads and creating big government (TSA)... New York City alone is spending 2 billion dollars renovating its schools ! Its a fake economy and reality is about to set in. The future of the CFL is extremely bright.
The NFL is a money making machine, one of the best (if not the best) run professional sports entity from a business standpoint. Even with the US economy the way it is has been and looks to be trending, the money is still there.
Corporations will still spend money on advertising especially if people are watching the televised games.
Maybe the tv contracts will not rise next go around but they will be significant enough.
Trestman has also been involved in QB development camps at points during the CFL off season as well. Who knows if he would choose to pursue that on a full time basis at some point down the road as oppose to opting for a HC in the NFL.