I love Sam Bradford, and I hope he’s great, but he probably made somewhere between $40 and $45 million the night before last. He has not even hit the field yet and that’s a guaranteed contract. So if Sam Bradford can’t play, what good does that do any other NFL player? As much as I like these young rookies, and I do think they’re terrific, it’s crazy to give someone who hasn’t proven themselves on the NFL field $45 million.
I think over these three days, we will give $600 million in guaranteed money to these rookies that you’re hearing their names. $600 million. And if let’s just say half of them don’t make it and the money is equivalent to this, that’s $300 million out the door. It doesn’t go to veterans, it doesn’t go to owners. It goes to somebody who couldn’t play the game. That’s wasting money
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell comes down hard on the rookie salary system. And good for him for doing so. Rookie contracts will play a role in the upcoming CBA talks, and there are early indications that the rookie salary structure could be a bargaining chip.
almost 2 years ago
Ryan Van Bibber
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This is still the biggest problem affecting the NFL IMO
Until this is fixed, the biggest draw to the sport, parity, isn’t maximized. I’m not sure how much can be done about this, given the power of the moneyed interests involved, but anything that can work this problem down is a good thing for the NFL and for us fans.
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
bargaining chip
lots of talk that the NFLPA is willing to sacrifice the rookie scale in negotiations with the league. and that it might be enough to get a deal favorable to both sides done .
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by Ryan Van Bibber on Apr 26, 2010 9:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree completely with the Commissioner.
A rookie salary scale has to be put in place as part of the negotiations over the new contract. If the owners can get the union to agree to a reasonable salary scale for rookie contracts, it should make it easier to work something out with the union concerning the share that goes to the experienced players. Let the experienced guys get the same share of the total income as they do now, but those on rookie contracts get considerably less.
I don't see any way the NFLPA balks at this.
By supporting a rookie salary scale, they guarantee more money and more jobs for players currently in the union.
Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.
- John Wayne
Agree completely
I think 1st rd picks should get 3 year contracts for reasonable money. And when the contract is up the team that drafts him has exclusive rights for a new contract and the player can get a big contract if he’s proven himself.
Steve Nash plays D!!
Redirecting pay from it's newest members to veterans = vesting
Some union guys will try to make the argument that limiting pay for some (not all) of it’s members is bad. But many unions already have apprenticeships, and rising pay scales for its longer standing “journeyman” and “master” members. If I was a 3-year vet or retired player, I would be wholeheartedly in favor of this. I think the NFLPA feels like it has to fight aganst it just to end up in a better end point on all salaries, and that could lead to a work stoppage of some kind. I don’t think the Union is full of Mensa memebrs.
Stop bitching.
Does this help the Rams negotiating with Bradford this year
… or not?
If Bradford would feasibly have made 30-50% less if he signed next year, wouldn’t he be more likely to sign for less (but still more than next year) this year?
Or something like that …
Yes, I actually wore a watermelon on my head during the Rams SuperBowl victory in 2000.
Good try, but I can't imagine his agent buying it.
I’m sure he will still expect the contract to be bigger than Stafford’s from last year. I was surprised to read that the agent said he had not asked for $50 million guaranteed. The probably means more like $48 million, but at least it says their demands won’t be ridiculous. I suppose that’s why the Rams were comfortable not signing him before the draft.
I hate this Rookies making so much money!
how can they freaking make so much money this idiots and not share! when we were in Afghanistan & Pakistan, we stole some valuable crap from those Mudlims, we got a lot of money for those items and we gave away like 90% of that money away to different organizations! mostly to help the vets, i wanna punch Bradford and all the other rookies right on the throat!
Hoo-Yah
This goes in the TST comment HoF
You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.
by 3k on Apr 26, 2010 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Is that anything like the special New York file for Dwight Shrute?
This draft really brought the crazies out.
by BruinHalo on Apr 26, 2010 6:51 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I like him.
I think Rams is a pretty cool guy. eh maeks posts and doesn’t afraid of anything…
To be, or not to be, — that is the question: — Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer — The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, — Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, — And by opposing end them?
by AbsolutMoose on Apr 27, 2010 1:05 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
this is one of those threads that
reaffirms my love for the place.
Stop bitching.
by CoachConnors on Apr 27, 2010 1:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Agreed.
I love the TST
To be, or not to be, — that is the question: — Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer — The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, — Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, — And by opposing end them?
by AbsolutMoose on Apr 27, 2010 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions
you dont have to mention you are a vet in every post
3k is in the service and only talks about it when someone else brings it up. What does this have to do with Vietnam Walter?
Desert warfare is completely different than fightin' in canopy jungle..
Me n’ Charlie. Eyeball to eyeball. Worth fu*kin’ adversary, dude. The men in the black pajamas.
please, don't eat my potato chips.
by CrazyEyesKilla on Apr 26, 2010 11:02 PM CDT up reply actions
bonus points
for the Lebowski reference
Baseball season is back - Go Halos!
classic.
I can’t even imagine how long you’ve been at the FOB, but this is so good it can’t be made up. I’m really hoping someone gets you a dog. Maybe I can mail you one. Let me know.
Stop bitching.
by CoachConnors on Apr 26, 2010 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Punch Bradford in the throat! That is funny as hell!
Amen! I love this commish! I would lock em out if they won’t submit! I am behind him 100% even if I don’t get to see the Rams go 0-16 this season. Haha! We would be the team to draft the last 50 million guaranteed rookie QB! Niiiiiiiiiiice! Go Rams!
Hey wait! I just had a thought. Maybe our scab players will be really good and we will actually go to the playoffs! Wew! Go scab Rams!
Well I don't know about all the rookies
Ndamukong gave up 2.6 million dollars (before he was drafted). 2 million to Nebraska’s strength and conditioning program, and 600,000 dollars to form a new scholarship for engineering students.
Considering he’s going to be paying this up front, he just gave away at LEAST half his salary for this year.
And that’s quite impressive.
The House of Spears reigns supreme
... and we didn't draft him.
That was a seriously impressive move by him.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
so?
I’m sorry but those services should have no effect on his draft status
otherwise Tim Tebow would be our first pick
"You’ve got to play every game like it’s your last because it’s definitely survive-and-advance or don’t survive and school," Tiller said.
by stlcardsfan4 on Apr 26, 2010 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions
as the TFT resident hippie liberal I must add
everyone balks at players salaries being out of control, well the owners sign there checks and they do VERY well. If you impede the salaries of players, that money is not going to lower ticket prices. it is going straight in the owners pockets (who make a lot more than 50 million in 5 years) It would be like Bill Gates complaining that programmers make to much and the public completely siding with Gates. Roger Goodell is put in power by the owners, lets get that straight.
i tend to agree
but, from a fans perspective rookie contracts like that eat up a lot of the dollars and can keep a team from success on the field if the players go bust while the team is on the hook for the guaranteed money.
Of course every cent would go back to the owners, but the total salary pool would change very little. Veteran free agents would get the kind of contracts baseball free agents get. The players union won’t give up rookie salary caps without making sure teams are spending just as much on players as they were, and they damn sure won’t give the league a cap without some kind of floor.
every industry should have unions as strong as those in pro sports…but that’s a subject for another site.
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by Ryan Van Bibber on Apr 26, 2010 9:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Owners become owners
by either being shrewd businessmen, popping out of the right vagina, or marrying the right vagina. Being held hostage by rookie contracts isn’t out of control.. it’s just bad business. The owners building up goodwill with the NFLPA could be achieved by channeling that cash to pension plans, long term care, 401k etc…
As far as the union is concerned, there should be some sort of minimum years accrued, right? You can’t join a carpenter’s or plumber’s or electrical union without apprenticing. Can’t join a teachers union without teaching for 2-4 years. Make ’em earn it.
block! building kick! exploooooooosion!
by mooseknuckles41 on Apr 26, 2010 11:11 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think there's some signature worthy material hiding in this post....
okay…..maybe it’s not exactly “hiding”.
Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid.
- John Wayne
I'm not so sure the owners make big money each year
from their teams. Their big payoff comes when they sell the team for many times what they paid for it. Kroenke bought his 40% share of the Rams for, what did they say, $80 million and it’s now worth $300 million based on the sale price for the other 60%. I’m sure some of the owners make plenty of money from operating the team, but some of the others don’t.
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