Is it time for a Rookie salary cap? Guaranteed moneys

by Jersquall on Nov 11, 2008 7:32 PM EST Comment 4 comments

I found an old article online about an interesting subject.. A rookie salary cap. I changed a few things to update it abit but it brings up a few good points.

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Orlando Pace had seven Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro selections. Walter Jones has eight Pro Bowl selections and seven All-Pro selections. Chris Samuels has five Pro Bowl selections.

They are among the elite players at their position. Who is the highest paid tackle in the NFL? Jake Long.

Who did Long overtake as the highest paid tackle in the NFL? Pace, Jones or Samuels? Nope. It was Joe Thomas. Thomas made the Pro Bowl in his first year, but only after replacing Buffalo’s Jason Peters. When Thomas signed his deal following the 2007 NFL draft, he was the highest paid tackle in the NFL.

What do Long, Thomas, and Williams have in common? They all got paid a ton of money before doing anything in the NFL. Thomas seems to have worked out, but Williams was a bust. Jake Long is holding his own and playing well.

Ex-NFLPA head honcho Gene Upshaw was opposed to a rookie salary cap of any kind. As it stands now, the NFL pays based on projected talent, not actual production. Try applying this system of compensation to any other industry, and the ridiculousness is evident.

Imagine a lawyer, fresh out of college, being paid more than the senior partners of a law firm, or a first-year teacher being better compensated than a tenured professor. You can’t because it doesn’t happen. Outside the NFL, even in other major professional sports like the NBA or NHL, it doesn’t happen.

Upshaw (Who died before the season began) cited the short career length of the average NFL player for keeping the existing system, but the logic fails when extended beyond the first round. As more and more guaranteed money gets allocated to the Cedric Benson’s of the NFL, the Marion Barber’s must produce far above their draft position to get their fair share.

Maybe the next union leader will recognize the insanity of eating up valuable cap space on untested boom-or-bust rookies over established veterans. Perhaps even the rank and file of the NFLPA will take a principled stand and establish a slotted compensation system..

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Guaranted money

Something else that bothers me.. Deangelo Hall 16 million in injury-guaranteed bonuses..

Ernest Wilford has signed a four-year deal worth $13 million with a whopping $6 million signing bonus considering he has not started a game..

Jake Long our left tackle was signed to a five-year contract with $30 million guaranteed,

2 of the 3 have not worked out.

What do you guys think should be done if anything?

End rant..

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Maybe this is to deep a subject for tuesday >.>

by Jersquall on Nov 11, 2008 7:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I dunno

For me…..its just something I hope gets worked out in a way that benefits everyone. Our team is going to be doing great things in the next few years, and any thing that would get in their way off the field because of money squabbles makes me nervous.

You 2nd and 3rd generation Dolphin fans probably werent’ born or remember how awful the ’82 and ’87 strikes were. They totally sucked, and I hope it never happens the rest of my football loving life.

I understand your points and what you are saying….I just don’t have it in me to speculate and debate this kind of stuff right now. There is so much money being had by the NFL, just don’t see why eveyone can’t find a happy medium and keep one of the greatest sports in the world rolling and successful. Just my opinion.

"You found that word today......and that word is Character"- Coach Sparano 11/9/08

by HuskerDolphin on Nov 11, 2008 8:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

oh gawd yes! Rookie salary cap PLEASE!

I couldn’t agree more with this concept. It is so ridiculous how this works. Being paid insane amounts of money without playing a single down or proving your true worth at all.. all the while, the truely skilled, veteran, star players of the league (who have proven themselves) get paid less then someone who’s just entering the league.. how could they allow it!? How could the anyone look at this and not realize how insanely ridiculous this is!? It blows me away.. and it must really piss off the players who have been around a while and never got the huge contracts when they entered..or were drafted lower, etc.. my goodness, there’s something VERY wrong with this system.

I know that most people on this site probably could care less about the NHL but at least they got something right!! They have the perfect system for this exact situation. A “ROOKIE MAXIMUM”..and rooks have to prove themselves before getting the bucks.. basically, have to play 1-3 years (making less then 1 million!) before re-up’ing for more cash.. even Sidney Crosby..the BEST hockey player in the league.. went through this..and they “knew” he was going to be great when he came in.. got drafted number #1…played for LESS THEN 1 MILLION for two years I believe and then he got the extension that made him the highest paid player… AFTER HE SHOWED THE LEAGUE/WORLD THAT HE REALLY WAS THE BEST AND WORTH THE MONEY…

NOW THAT’S A GOOD SYSTEM FOR ENTRY LEVEL PLAYERS!! no matter how highly touted you may come..

That’s my two cents

by dolphinsfan4life on Nov 11, 2008 11:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Rookie cap would be great

It would allow teams at the top of the draft to pick more based on need instead of finances (can’t pick a running back 1 at that price..) Set the price each year for the first 10-15 picks, and the teams after that can figure it out. Also, allow players to hit the UFA market after 3 seasons, so a high draft pick that earns his money can get paid sooner.

Either that, or keep the same system and just drop the amount of money spent. Something’s gotta happen, the rookie contracts are growing faster than the cap, meaning if it keeps up, teams will use their entire cap on a number 1 pick lol

"I throw better than anybody in college and I can throw with anybody in the pros. There, that's what I think."
"I've been a Dolphin for 17 years, and I'll be a Dolphin for the rest of my life. That will never change."
- Dan Marino aka Quarterback God

by Little Nicky 21 on Nov 12, 2008 1:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs