The Contracts That Nearly Cost the Rams Roman Gabriel to the Raiders

By John Turney 

Roman Gabriel was one of the rare players taken at the top of both the NFL and AFL drafts. In 1962, the Oakland Raiders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the AFL Draft; the Los Angeles Rams took him second overall in the NFL Draft, behind only Ernie Davis. 

Gabriel negotiated with both clubs. 

Newspaper accounts indicate that what ultimately tipped the scales toward Los Angeles was the Rams' ability to arrange outside employment opportunities that Gabriel felt he could not afford to pass up—something more readily available in the larger Los Angeles market than in the Bay Area.

When talks with the Raiders stalled, Oakland gave Lamar Hunt and the Dallas Texans permission to pursue Gabriel, with the understanding that the Raiders could later trade his rights if the money was right. The Rams closed the deal anyway. Oakland general manager Wes Fry called the Rams' offer "a kind of fantastic deal." 

Rams coach Bob Waterfield described Gabriel as "the best college passing prospect I've ever seen." Reports at the time suggested the contract could reach "upwards of $30,000" per year and was structured in part as a personal-services agreement, similar to Billy Cannon's earlier deal with Houston, combining football salary with compensation for endorsements and media appearances. 

Gabriel himself said he had received "somewhat more than he had hoped for."  He got $50,000 or so, huge for that era but the Oakland and San Francisco papers reported the Raiders offered far more and the Texans even more than that.

For the Raiders, it was the first setback: Gabriel signed with the Rams and began his professional career in Los Angeles. 

Four years later, the NFL and AFL were at war. teams were signing players from one league to another, back and forth. And in the spring of 1966, with the AFL aggressively raiding NFL quarterbacks in a final push to force a merger, the Raiders signed Gabriel to a multi-year deal for the 1967 season. 

Reports placed the package at roughly $400,000, including a $100,000 signing bonus. Gabriel, then earning about $22,500 with the Rams and frustrated by limited playing time under Harland Svare, accepted. But claimed to have not cashed the bonus check. 

Them newly hired Rams coach George Allen stepped in. Allen, who had already named Gabriel the starter for 1966, persuaded him to return the Raiders' money and re-sign with Los Angeles. Allen promised a real opportunity to play, a raise into the mid-$30,000 range, and additional deferred or retirement compensation, $20,000 a year for five years after he retired.

Gabriel trusted him and stayed. 

After the leagues agreed to merge, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle ruled that Gabriel's rights remained with the Rams. The Raiders treated their contract as void. Gabriel did not. 

In May 1967, through attorney Edward Masry (of Erin Brockovich fame), he filed a $200,000 lawsuit in California Superior Court against the Raiders, the Rams, and both leagues. The sum represented the difference between the Oakland offer and what he stood to earn in Los Angeles. 

The complaint alleged breach of contract by the Raiders, interference with contractual relations by the Rams (including claims that he had been induced to re-sign without the benefit of counsel), and antitrust violations stemming from the merger itself as a restraint of trade. Gabriel stated he remained ready, willing, and able to play for Oakland.

The case never went to trial. 

After discussions with Rams ownership, Gabriel dropped the suit in July 1967, the day before he was due to report to training camp. As he later explained to Sport magazine, he believed something was coming his way but wanted peace of mind to focus on football and didn't want teammates blaming him if the season went poorly. 

A December 1967 New York Times report noted that the settlement included bonus provisions that could more than double his base salary of approximately $36,000 if the Rams advanced deep into the postseason, with further increases expected for 1968. Later accounts indicate the Rams also structured deferred money that effectively matched key elements of the original Raiders offer. 

True to his new promise, Gabriel reported to camp free of the distraction, started all 14 games in 1967, and led the Rams to an 11-1-2 record and the Coastal Division title. He threw for 2,779 yards and 25 touchdowns, earned his first Pro Bowl selection, and finished as a second-team All-Pro. It was the best football the Rams had played since the early 1950s.

If the MVP voting had taken place after the season rather than a week earlier, front-runner Johnny Unitas may have lost out since Gabriel surged late in season, throwing four touchdown passes against the Packers in Week 13 and 4 more versus the Colts in Week 14. In the end, Gabriel threw six more scoring areials than Unitas; both teams had 11-1-2 records, though Unitas passed for more yards. 

The Rams scored the most points in the NFL that year before falling to the Packers in the Western Conference championship game.

The episode was one of several high-profile player-contract fights that accompanied the final stages of the AFL-NFL war—John Brodie's was the most expensive. 

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For the Rams, it was a narrow escape, nearly losing their star quarterback to the Raiders. Twice.

Without Allen's persuasion and the eventual settlement, the quarterback who would become the face of their late-1960s contenders might have been wearing Silver & black. Instead, he stayed, took the job, and helped turn a long stretch of mediocrity into one of the better stretches in franchise history.

And the Raiders went with an MVP themselves at quarterback: Darryl Lamonica. 

Gabriel and Lomonica from 1970 appearance on the Jim Nabors show: