Walker has no leverage at all. Here's his options.
a) He can sit out and get a further label as a malcontent.
b) He can be a professional, come in and play for cheap knowing full-well that the Packers can franchise him next season.
c) He can retire.
(a) is just wishful thinking on the behalf of Packer fans. There will be 31 other NFL Franchises who will not consider Walker a malcontent for wanting fair market value.
With all due respect I don't think you appreciate the term nor the ramifications of "Fair market Value". Lets say you work in an industry that may be on the cusp of a boom in salaries. Let's say your salary average for your skill is $100,000.00 with an industry average historical increase of 7% per annum. You find yourself cash strapped with a young family, a pregnant wife, student loan bills, and a fresh mortgage. You ask your boss for the following accomodation.
You would like a cash payment, an advance on future years salary, of $200,000.00. This will be difficult for your boss but because he likes you he makes it happen. You agree that the loan will be interest free, but that you will compensate for that by not recieving anticipated or any yearly salary increases while you pay the loan back through salary reductions of $40,00.00 over each of the next five years. Your boss asks you if you really want to do this, after all if there is a boom maybe salaries will rise by 10% per annum, or even 15%. You insist you need the money now. Hardship or not your boss makes the deal happen, perhaps by taking out a loan upon which he will have to pay interest.In year five you are getting paid $50.000.00, as per your negotiation.
Your coworkers are now being paid 3 times that. Are you underpaid? The answer is no because your paycheck does not reflect your purchasing power or economic position which you freely negotiated earlier. You are still acruing the benefits of that earlier money by not paying interests and principal payments on loans you retired. You had advance use of the money that reflects, along with your apparently smaller paycheck, actual fair market value.