Your favorite team doesn't give a damn about you

[CountDeMoney]

I forgot for a second who I was talking to.

I mean, really...who really seals those team envelopes? 

[Admiral Yi]

Although I suppose their draft system means it's not like the Premier League where you've got a few top teams and then everyone else is fighting for position mid-table or against relegation (the lower leagues seem far, far more competitive though).  Because (from my understanding) the last team gets first pick next time round and the best gets last it means there's more potential for all the teams in the league to do well.

Seems to me the salary cap is more important than the draft for creating competitive balance.

[derspiess]

Too many players and coaches have too many incentive-laden contracts to really allow that sort of thing;  contracts have everything built in for additional bonuses, from the number of carries to number of wins. 
It's really not a realistic scenario, especially near the end of the season, when tanking could seem plausible.

This.  I know certain players may coast towards the end of a losing season, but that's usually to avoid getting hurt.  Coaches put even more hours in towards the end of a losing season.  If not for incentives, then for job security.  If not for job security, then to build their resume for their next job.

Granted I only have one solid example to go by, but the Bengals have had several teams' worth of such seasons