Post by TheShadow on Apr 20, 2009 16:59:41 GMT -5
www.examiner.com/
by Patrick A. Patterson
Now that the collective bargaining agreement is in the process of being renegotiated, the NFL has a golden opportunity to do something to bring the salaries of top draft picks under control.
The Detroit Lions will hand a card to commissioner Roger Goodell that will bear the name of a player fresh from college who will be getting a contract that will rival a Powerball jackpot. This player, whether its Matthew Stafford, Aaron Curry, or Jason Smith will instantly become one of the highest paid players in the league before he will play a single down in the National Football League.
As the current system stands, the draft pick has the bulk of the leverage, as they can hold out until they get the deal they believe they expect. JaMarcus Russell held out for his entire rookie training camp, which cost him an important piece of his transition from the NCAA to the NFL.
The following year, not wanting to play Russian Roulette with their top pick, the Miami Dolphins signed their top pick to a contract well before the draft, ending any suspense as to whether or not they would get Jake Long.This also ensured the 'Phins that they would not face the same fiasco that befell the Raiders the year before.
The NFL draft order was designed for the worst teams to get better by getting the first crack at the best players coming out of the college ranks. However, with the financial investment that goes into these unproven players, it takes away resources that could be used to improve the team in free agency. In fact, having a pick in the top ten has become more like a punishment than an avenue for improvement.
In mots jobs, the new hires start at the bottom of the wage scale and work their way to the top. This is because it is expected that it will take time for them to learn their jobs, and prove their worth. In the NFL, when a player is selected with a top pick, they are instantly set for not only their lives, but their next generation as well. They have no incentive to prove themselves or work hard because they are already set.
Despite this being the close of the salary cap era, the teams are still going to have budgets they will have to stay under, and with the disproportionate amount given to the top pick, then they will have less money to spend in free agency and on their own veterans. It creates an upside down situation where the proven players are the ones making less than the players yet to play a down.
It would seem that the owners would be unanimously in favor of controls on the salaries of the draft picks. Each season those salaries are accounting for ever larger portions of the the team's salary budget. It would also seem that the current players would be in favor of the rookie salary controls, as it would increase the amount of a team's budget that would go to veterans. This would also force the top picks to earn their big paydays, rather than having it handed to them on a silver platter based on the dreaded p word: potential.
The biggest winners in this current paradigm is not the rookies, but their agents. Sure, it helps the top picks initially, but once their initial contracts are up, they are then part of the group that loses out because of the insane contracts given to the top incoming rookies. The agents, however, keep profiting by recruiting the top rated picks coming out of college by showing the ridiculous contracts they got for their clients the previous year. They then get their cut of the of the pie from the current crop. The agents gain by playing hardball, even if it has potentially long term negative effects for their clients, such as the Russell fiasco.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed in the coming negotiations between the NFL and the NFL players association. This should be a point that would make for an easy agreement. The NFLPA could use it for some leverage to get concessions from the league, but in the end it should be agreed upon that rookie contracts will be limited.
The agreement should be similar to the situation in place in the NBA where the player is paid a certain amount based on the position where they are drafted, regardless of any other factor. These slots should be set so even the top picks would be paid near the middle of the salary range of a team. However, as a trade-off for the slotting system, the contracts would be shortened so the players would be able to parlay their success into a larger contract, or if they don't have success a team won't be saddled with them for as long.
This would be a win-win situation for the current players as well as the owners. This way even the top draft picks would have a financial incentive to work hard and get better, as that is what it would take to get their big payday, which would benefit the teams that drafted them. It would also eliminate any possibility of hold outs which hurt both sides. It would also benefit veteran players, as there would be a bigger share of the pie that would be available to them.
by Patrick A. Patterson
Now that the collective bargaining agreement is in the process of being renegotiated, the NFL has a golden opportunity to do something to bring the salaries of top draft picks under control.
The Detroit Lions will hand a card to commissioner Roger Goodell that will bear the name of a player fresh from college who will be getting a contract that will rival a Powerball jackpot. This player, whether its Matthew Stafford, Aaron Curry, or Jason Smith will instantly become one of the highest paid players in the league before he will play a single down in the National Football League.
As the current system stands, the draft pick has the bulk of the leverage, as they can hold out until they get the deal they believe they expect. JaMarcus Russell held out for his entire rookie training camp, which cost him an important piece of his transition from the NCAA to the NFL.
The following year, not wanting to play Russian Roulette with their top pick, the Miami Dolphins signed their top pick to a contract well before the draft, ending any suspense as to whether or not they would get Jake Long.This also ensured the 'Phins that they would not face the same fiasco that befell the Raiders the year before.
The NFL draft order was designed for the worst teams to get better by getting the first crack at the best players coming out of the college ranks. However, with the financial investment that goes into these unproven players, it takes away resources that could be used to improve the team in free agency. In fact, having a pick in the top ten has become more like a punishment than an avenue for improvement.
In mots jobs, the new hires start at the bottom of the wage scale and work their way to the top. This is because it is expected that it will take time for them to learn their jobs, and prove their worth. In the NFL, when a player is selected with a top pick, they are instantly set for not only their lives, but their next generation as well. They have no incentive to prove themselves or work hard because they are already set.
Despite this being the close of the salary cap era, the teams are still going to have budgets they will have to stay under, and with the disproportionate amount given to the top pick, then they will have less money to spend in free agency and on their own veterans. It creates an upside down situation where the proven players are the ones making less than the players yet to play a down.
It would seem that the owners would be unanimously in favor of controls on the salaries of the draft picks. Each season those salaries are accounting for ever larger portions of the the team's salary budget. It would also seem that the current players would be in favor of the rookie salary controls, as it would increase the amount of a team's budget that would go to veterans. This would also force the top picks to earn their big paydays, rather than having it handed to them on a silver platter based on the dreaded p word: potential.
The biggest winners in this current paradigm is not the rookies, but their agents. Sure, it helps the top picks initially, but once their initial contracts are up, they are then part of the group that loses out because of the insane contracts given to the top incoming rookies. The agents, however, keep profiting by recruiting the top rated picks coming out of college by showing the ridiculous contracts they got for their clients the previous year. They then get their cut of the of the pie from the current crop. The agents gain by playing hardball, even if it has potentially long term negative effects for their clients, such as the Russell fiasco.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed in the coming negotiations between the NFL and the NFL players association. This should be a point that would make for an easy agreement. The NFLPA could use it for some leverage to get concessions from the league, but in the end it should be agreed upon that rookie contracts will be limited.
The agreement should be similar to the situation in place in the NBA where the player is paid a certain amount based on the position where they are drafted, regardless of any other factor. These slots should be set so even the top picks would be paid near the middle of the salary range of a team. However, as a trade-off for the slotting system, the contracts would be shortened so the players would be able to parlay their success into a larger contract, or if they don't have success a team won't be saddled with them for as long.
This would be a win-win situation for the current players as well as the owners. This way even the top draft picks would have a financial incentive to work hard and get better, as that is what it would take to get their big payday, which would benefit the teams that drafted them. It would also eliminate any possibility of hold outs which hurt both sides. It would also benefit veteran players, as there would be a bigger share of the pie that would be available to them.