Please be careful, NFL, with the Rookie Salary Cap.

[Drithe]

Guys. Playing in the NFL is not some blue collar working job where senority matters. The ONLY THING that matters is performance. The younger guys generally give the better performance in alot of positions. Im sorry some vets feel it is NOT FAIR to them that rookies make more than them. Hey. YOU SIGNED THE DEAL. YOU ARE OLDER NOW. DID YOU THINK THEY WOULD PAY SOMEONE MORE WHO HAS A CHANCE TO GET HURT AND CANT PERFORM AS QUICKLY, MORE AGILE, AND BETTER AS A YOUNGER GUY? This is life. This is not some UNION for a blue collar job and a fight about senority.

The NFL OWNERS are using the older NFL PLAYERS against the younger NFL PLAYERS and they should be ashamed. Some of the better players would leave to play another sport if the NFL capped rookie salaries? Let me explain.

In the NFL you have a VERY SMALL window to play in in terms of time. Baseball you can play until 45 or even older. Same for golf too. Basketball you can play a little longer too. In all these said sports they have a far lessar chance of GETTING HURT AS WELL. Longevity in any sport usually means MORE MONEY as well. So with that said ......

If a rookie cap in football limits them to 1 million or less a year for the first 5 years, do you really think the NFL owners are going to pay 10 milliion for the next 4 to make up for it? No. Im sure that there are alot of players who will still play, but in my eyes, and alot of others, the OTHER SPORTS would be the way to go in terms of longevity and play time and more importantly .... MONEY.

If you want anything to be done, MAKE THE OWNERS have a limitied to0, but no less than 15 to 20 mill a year contract for the top 10 picks. I know alot of people think, "WELL THEY HAVENT DONE ANYTHING IN THE NFL!". No they didnt. But they wouldnt be picked in the top 10 if they werent the top 10 coming out of college. Playing college ball is NO picnic.

End of Line.

[Jase]

What'll be interesting is if the UFL salaries come up and offer more money to rookies...

[Darth Biscuit]

I agree with the sentiment of your post and it makes a lot of sense, but on the flip side, they gotta stop this 40 and 50 million dollar deal stuff with unproven talent... it's out of hand and it's hurting the game with all the hold outs and negotiations that go on during training camp.

[pstall]

Some of the vets have shown resentment about this. It's funny how the owners were all for this in the boon years. But it's not a smart model going foward.

Check out ESPN the Mag breaking this down. Very in depth.

[thefuzz]

I don't like the idea of having to cut veteran players because the past two years you drafted in the top 10.

Something needed to be put into place.

[Scrumtrilescent]

If you base pay scale off of NFL experience, rookies should be at the bottom of the bracket, no?

[theDIRTYcode]

Make all rookie contracts three years, put RFA on them in the 4th year, and let them become UFA in the 5th. That assures them of getting the big contract just as they hit their prime and have proven themselves.

Rookie salaries are out of control and the NFL is the only league that guarantees 21 year old kids 30+ million dollars before they have done a damn thing. You will see more trades at the top of the draft with a rookie scale. Franchises won't go bust because of 1 bad pick, and players will still be able to get the big payday. It's a win win.

[Mesmer]

Rookie salary cap is more important if they're going to continue without the salary cap after this season with a new CBA. You start getting into teams with radically different budgets, and it becomes a real problem without any kind of set in stone rookie pay scale.

[Bobby]

What'll be interesting is if the UFL salaries come up and offer more money to rookies...

Yea, but they have to be careful because they could easily go broke.