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Is Rookie Money Hurting The NFL?

In the wake of the NFL Draft, I thought today would be a perfect opportunity to discuss how veterans feel about the size of the contracts first-round rookies are expected to sign this year — and tell you why it’s killing the integrity of the game we love. Matt Bowen

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In the wake of the NFL Draft, I thought today would be a perfect opportunity to discuss how veterans feel about the size of the contracts first-round rookies are expected to sign this year — and tell you why it’s killing the integrity of the game we love.

The Deals

Do rookies make too much coin in the NFL?

I’ll leave that up to you for a moment, but before you answer, think about this: The contract signed by Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 overall selection in the draft, guarantees him $41.7 million. If he hits all the escalators, it will average about $13 million per season.

Folks, that’s more money than New England QB Tom Brady makes a year.

What? Exactly. A rookie who has never stepped on an NFL field (and that includes a practice field) will make more than a guy who’s won three Super Bowl rings.

Do you see where I’m going here?

Sure, I hear the argument that Stafford is the No. 1 pick in the draft. So what? Does that mean he should make more cash than a guy like Brady, who is heading into his 10th season as a pro with a resume that has people in Canton already beginning to plan his Hall of Fame induction ceremony?

It’s getting out of control. There’s no reason to pay a guy that type of money based on potential. What happened to earning your money in this league? What happened to working your way through the ranks like all of you do at your jobs?

Because I guarantee when you came out of college, your salary wasn’t equal to — or higher than — the CEO with the mahogany desk, the $2,000 suit and the expensive leather chair.

But this is just the money the Lions are forced to pay Stafford. What about the implications — for all of these rookies — that are going to drive veteran players and coaches to the brink of pure madness next season?

Let’s talk about it.

The Vets’ Reaction

I’m just going to come out and say it in the nicest way possible: Veteran players in the NFL don’t like rookies — especially high-priced rookies.

Besides the fact these rookies are brought in to take their jobs, there’s something deeper we need to discuss.

Veterans are great for the game, and great for rookies, because they’ve been there before. They’ve handled adversity on and off the field, and these college kids have no idea what lies ahead for them during training camp and the demands of a 16-game season.

But how do you tell a rookie that he has to listen to what you say — as a veteran player — when he makes almost twice as much as you do every week? I’ve seen it firsthand, and I will continue to say this until it’s changed: When you pay a rookie top dollar, he doesn’t have to listen to anybody.

Why? Well, for starters, rookies aren’t getting cut this year. They’re going to be on the football team and they’re going to play, and if doesn’t happen on opening day, then soon after — because in this league, guys with money play on Sundays.

And rookies with money don’t care if a veteran player comes down hard on them for their play, their attitude or their lack of respect for the game. Because they will still get that big check every week signed by the owner — and it has plenty of more zeroes in it than the guys who’ve been playing for almost a decade.

And that’s wrong. That’s bad for the game.

The Coaches’ Reaction

I bring up coaches in this discussion because their hands are tied when it comes to rookies with big contracts.

They’re told to play them. They’re told by a guy in a suit sitting in a plush skybox upstairs to give them every chance to get on the field come Sunday.

This is very important, in my mind, to the integrity of the game because more times than not, the owners of these teams are not “football guys.” They’re businessmen who aren’t in the film room, the weight room, the practice field or the sidelines on Sundays (with the exception of Jerry Jones in the fourth quarter).

Coaches make decisions based on football, and owners make the decisions based on money.

If their first-round pick is struggling, coaches will be instructed to stay after practice, after meetings and after games to baby them along until they get it. Look, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Coaches are told by the owner to do whatever it takes to make sure the first-round pick is on the field every week — even if that means putting a veteran (who might be better for the team) on the bench.

That doesn’t sound right, does it? Of course not, but coaches in this league don’t always play the best player -- they play the rookies making the big money because they have to.

The Bottom Line

What bothers me is how it affects the integrity that holds the game together. We need a rookie salary cap, we need a system, and we need a way to make these young kids prove themselves — like Tom Brady did as a sixth-round pick — before we hand them the keys to the bus.

Sure, I’d be the first guy to admit that I would have gladly taken first-round money when I was drafted. Wouldn’t you like $41.7 million? Heck, who wouldn’t? And that’s why I’m not berating Stafford, because he’s just a product of the current system.

But we have to be careful of this system because it’s bringing the game down. It’s forcing veterans to exit the game earlier than they should, and it’s creating rookie “divas” both on and off the field before they even put on a jersey.

The game deserves better when it comes to the system that encompasses it. Go ahead, ask any veteran in the NFL right now. They’ll tell you the same thing — it isn’t working.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been under the impression that you’re rewarded for production in the job market — after you produce.

Join me this afternoon when I discuss NFL mini-camps, which open up this weekend around the league. Why rookies struggle, why veterans can’t wait for them to end and why they aren’t as important as we think.

Comments

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Joe
Apr 30, 2009
11:09 AM

Agree 100%! A rookie salary cap seems like a good idea. I'm sure somebody out there will shoot a few holes in why it won't work, but something needs to be done. Any other ideas?

Da Coach
Apr 30, 2009
11:16 AM

Great read Matt from a player's perspective.

I agree that guys like Stafford get paid way too much cash before they even prove that they deserve to be drafted that high.

How about a rookie cap that makes them sign for 3 years at a reduced rate? It makes them prove themselves before they sign a monster deal.

Northwoods Tom
Apr 30, 2009
11:25 AM

Yep, make more than Brady?

Something wrong with the system. Wonder if the NFLPA is over going to just put an end to this?

It makes the word "bust" that much more powerful, because there is a lot of money lost by a guy looking like garbage

David
Apr 30, 2009
11:25 AM

What bother's me most is DeMaurice Smith's whole "we don't write the checks" response. If the owners were to get together without the union and create their own rookie cap, the Union would scream collusion. I know he's just trying to politic through the media, but I hope that's not what he really believes. The union needs to work together with the owner's to fix this problem, because it really is a problem

Scot
Apr 30, 2009
11:31 AM

Matt;

How do you feel about the point Boland made in a post several months ago that the top salary's at the top of the draft act as the "irrational" escalator that ultimately lead to higher salaries for veterans? Stafford's contract will be a data point for the negotiation of future contracts.

I definitely see where you are coming from with the excellent points you make about rookies not taking advice from veterans, but it seems to me that a rookie that is unwilling to take advice from a veteran will be unlikely to ever see a second contract.

And aren't we really only talking about the top fifteen picks or so where this dynamic occurs? Certainly the picks in the bottom half of round one and after aren't making the same serious money that mandates their presence on the field, and consequently aren't as "uncuttable" as the top 15.

So in my mind, it really comes down to whether the league/teams/players want to deal with the pain in the ass of the top 15 guys making too much money relative to their contributions, in exchange for the benefits those large contracts bring as data points in contract negotiations for veterans.

Bob
Apr 30, 2009
11:33 AM

Matt what have your past NFLPA reps had to say about the system? Are they subscribing to a "high tide raises all boats" philosophy, where the more rookie money sets a higher target point for everyone's next contract? Some individuals will of course get screwed over but I'm betting the NFLPA thinks it's for the greater good, and looking at the esclation in player compensation it's hard to argue. Doesn't the next "proven vet" QB now have a new contract benchmark?

I mean, who's responsible for the driving the prices up if it's not veteran players or coaches? Surely not the owners. It's the NFLPA with giant support from agents.

Matt Bowen
Apr 30, 2009
11:34 AM

Scot-

I see your point, but the vets that benefit from the size of rookie contracts are a select few in this league. There are 52 other guys on the roster who won't benefit from it and will be pushed out of the league because a rookie will play over them based on money.

ScottR.
Apr 30, 2009
11:38 AM

Is the drum beat on this issue FINALLY going to result in a rational policy regarding rookie salaries? It should be so obvious that 90% of the players would benefit from a rookie cap.

It's the AGENTS who have a lot of de-factor power within the Union that are not going to want to give up there huge commissions on this issue. Hey NFLPA--who do you work for? The PLAYERS or the AGENTS?

Devin
Apr 30, 2009
11:51 AM

I touched on this when I wrote a winners/losers article about the draft. I don't think I've ever agreed more with one single article, and doubt that I ever will again.

Matt is 100% correct with this. It's completely out of control.

I'm not positive on this, but I want to say the NBA has some sort of system in place that limits the rookie contracts and basically makes the players earn their money first. The NFL needs this so bad.

Eddie
Apr 30, 2009
12:00 PM

I dont think a Cap is a good idea. That will only give the owners more money. They are not going to give the money they save (if they have on a rookie cap) to the veterans. They will just put the money in their pockets.

Wes
Apr 30, 2009
12:02 PM

The NFL need to have a salary cap model much like the NBA for two reasons. The first is it immediately solves the issue of the veteran to rookie payscale. But I think the biggest factor would be in getting the first rounders to be more successful. With the NBA, the rookies know that for 3 years they'll make the lower pay but IF they perform on the court, they will get that fat second contract. Most people are driven by money and I think that is why you see those late round/UFA make it in the league and the top picks be "busts".

Cheddar Head
Apr 30, 2009
12:06 PM

Matt,
I agree with your article 100% but if I were to play devils advocate for on second I would say that the teams could fix the problem without the NFL stepping in and maintain the free market.
If the owners were serious about getting this fixed they could band together and take care of it in no time.
If Detroit would pin players vs. each other multiple weeks before the draft and go with the cheaper player (Curry) they would lower the Fair Market Value and allow St. Louis to start negotiating with the 2nd pick and so on. If you could get ten picks signed before the draft all for a discount then the market value will have dropped.
It would take organization and commitment from the owners but it can be done. The NFL teams are oligopolies and have the ability to band together and bring the price down, no different from any other free market enterprise. The NFLPA can put pressure on a couple guys to hold out for bigger contracts, but after the first couple guys are signed...watch them all come running.

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