Rookie Wage Scale

So say you work at Cosco as a stock boy. Say you make a decent hourly wage and you do a good job. How would you feel if they brought in some new guy who they thought was going to be good at his job (but they couldn’t guarantee this…not even a little bit) and they offer to pay him more than you…guaranteed? I’m going to assume you’d be mad. If you aren’t mad then I’m going to assume you have the words “Punching Bag” written somewhere on your body.

Welcome to rookie wages in the NFL. Sam Bradford of “Hi, I’m coming off a shoulder injury that prevented me from doing much prior to the draft so all you had was game film of a rather soft college schedule” fame just secured a contract with 50 million in guaranteed money. The St. Louis “we’re so awful I’m pretty sure the whole city wishes we’d pull a Lebron James and take our talents to South Beach” Rams apparently didn’t care that his shoulder was wrecked all last season and he’s never been a big game QB. To them he was worth the 50 million dollar gamble. Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell be damned.

What choice, when you consider the system, did the St. Louis Rams have? A skill position player as the number 1 pick was going to require an obscene amount of money. That’s just the way the system works these days. The top 10 picks all make money that veterans salivate for. It’s hope money. It’s money they give them in hopes they will produce because many years ago some player got more than anyone had ever had, then the next guy got more. Then JaMarcus Russell wowed the Raiders for no particular reason and was given a Kings ransom and since then every top pick conversation has went like this:

Top Pick Guy: I want a lot of money.

Team: We don’t think you’ve earned it.

Top Pick Guy: Did you see Russell’s contract, I’m better than that guy.

Team: Everyone is better than that guy.

Top Pick Guy: But I’m already less fat, and I’ve already worked harder at this contract than Russell worked at for anything.

Team: Take it back! Russell held out for an awfully long time.

Top Pick Guy: Fair enough, but I want my guaranteed money. I was actually a good pro prospect.

Team: Fine. You win.

At least that’s how I assume it goes in there. There has become such an obscenity about the way that the rookies are paid we barely bat an eyelash. Sure, it’s mentioned on sports talk radio and it gets attention in a city where the big hyped rookie is holding out but we have long ignored it.

It’s because it’s the nature of the sports world. I have long given up the fight about athletes making 100 million dollars. It’s a business and in whatever warped world it is they have earned that money. The system won’t change and you can’t ask it to. But there is a difference between Julius Peppers getting 90 million to be the consistent pass rusher he has been for years, and Sam Bradford and Matthew Stafford getting more guaranteed money than anyone in the history of the NFL before they ever took the field.

And it’s appalling and amazing that the veterans don’t care more about this issue. Every dollar Sam Bradford gets is a dollar taken away from a veteran guy. There will be very few veteran guys that will earn that kind of money but it could be the difference in a guy getting cut or not.

The fraternity of NFL players is that where you don’t get in another man’s business when it comes to contract stuff but something has to be done. Probably two things:

1. Slotting Salaries- If you are picked in a certain number you get a certain contract. All money is 50 percent guaranteed. Heck, make it a 4 year deal, and include a player opt out on the 4th year. This way if you turn out to be a Matt Ryan you can do your hold out then for more money then, once you’ve really earned it.
2. Less Guaranteed Money – This is a no brainer too. If you are going to give guys huge contracts, just make it so that you only have to guarantee 25 percent of the money. If a guy really wants the full load of his money he’ll have to play his way into it.

As the CBA gets closer the players are going to need to make smart decisions. The rookie wage scale would benefit not only owners but the players too. There is nothing wrong with making max money, we should be letting the players earn it first.