Rookie contracts

Collective bargaining, the salary cap and the player's association have created the beast that now exists. Yes, it's insane to pay a guy that much money who has yet to play a down in the NFL, however, more than likely he won't be around long enough to collect it all.

If you had these 1 year rookie contracts, the league would be in more of a financial mess than it is at present. Also, the league does have incentive based bonuses in place to compensate players who exceeded their contract's worth, i.e., Reynaldo Hill.

 

i think the second idea would make everything really difficult, but the first one definately makes sense, since there are a lot of rookies that are busts

 

Sounds like the NBA system.

 

Based on your first idea what happens if the Titans take Vince with the 3rd pick and McNair comes back. Then Vince rides the pine watching Steve for a year. At the end of that year Vince has done nothing on the field. Now Dud could/would use this as a barganing tool with Major Adams (Vinces agent).

The NFLPA would never allow the slotted NBA type system to get by. Think about every time a 4th rounder turns out to be a real monster. The team that drafted him gets him for 4th round money. Under your system the team may have to pony up big money for a player they could have had on the cheap for 3 years. How do you decide who is more valuable in after year one. The "franchise" QB you drafted in the first round and sat on the bench or the 4th round RB that got a 1000 yards. Tell vince that Gerald Riggs Jr. is going to be making about what he is. Tell Dud he has to pay a 4th rounder like a 1st rounder.

 

represent.

great post there Suzie Kolbert. that was Melissa Starkish!


fitantians, what do you think the players union would say?
i'd imagine it would end there... i dunno... :hmm:

 

i dont know either bipolar

 

My thoughts:

Implement a set pay scale for rookies, with signing bonuses commensurate to their draft position, and heavy incentive bonuses. So if a 4th round RB exploded as a rookie (a la Domanick Davis or Samkon Gado), he'd end up making as much or more than a top 10 pick who flopped, or sat all year long. (This would also allow teams to let QB's sit for a year or two without getting an immediate return-on-investement.)

Now for some of the screwier ideas:

Implement a sliding scale where a player's salary jumps every year throughout his rookie contract...I'm talking 200-400% increases annually. This would provide an incentive for teams to get their guys locked down long-term after 3 or 4 years. However, just to make things interesting....I'd also stipulate that the intial rookie contracts not count against the salary cap; this would give teams a bit more flexibility under the cap, while putting more money in the players' pockets.

I'd also like to see a system implemented that rewarded teams for keeping longtime veteran players in the fold....perhaps some kind of cap relief commensurate with the player's tenure, or something like that. Or maybe allow each team to select one or two players whose base salaries are not counted against the cap...but no player can count more than once in his career.

I realize that these are little more than the ramblings of a madman...but it's a slow day, and there's nothing else going on. :kiss: