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Jeff Nixon wrote an article for me. In it its detailed on how crazy NFL salaries and bonuses have become. This is far too long to post the entire thing on here. But I"ll post the opening text and money that 2009 first rounders made last year.. The article has all seven rounds but again its way too long for a thread.
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As we all know, the NFLPA and the NFL were unable to come to an agreement on increasing retired player pensions. The NFL proposed a new rookie wage scale for this year’s draft, with players paid a fixed amount based on draft slot and the NFLPA countered with its own rookie salary proposal, but tied it to a two-year extension of the current CBA. The savings generated from either of those proposals would have been used to boost retired player’s pensions. Any hope of that happening will evaporate on Friday, March 5, 2010….. the day the Salary Cap Dies.
The League already has a rookie salary cap within the overall salary cap, but a rookie is only a rookie for one year, and they sign contracts that typically extend between four and six years, so the rookie salary cap in its present form does little to limit the compensation of players coming into the league. The owners have opted to continue the current rookie salary cap system, but it will be interesting to see if the owners are as generous as they were to last year’s top draft picks.
For players selected in just the first round of last year’s draft, NFL teams paid $462 Million in guaranteed bonuses! They also paid another 100 million in signing bonuses to players drafted in rounds two through six. Retired Players were hoping to get at least a 100 Million to increase in their Pensions, but as usual, we took a back seat to active players, rookies and player agents.
You can bet the player agents are excited about the fact that the NFLPA and NFL couldn’t come to terms on a rookie cap. Under the NFLPA Regulations for Contract Advisors, an agent can take up to 3% of a rookies compensation. Last year, player agents received approximately $13.86 Million from their 2009 first round signings, and that’s only from the bonuses. If you factor in the salaries and bonuses, 32 first round rookies received contracts totaling a whopping $834 Million of which players agents could potentially receive $25 Million if their clients play through the end of their contracts.
If rookies were paid based on their slot in the draft, they wouldn’t need an agent and they could save themselves millions of dollars in agent fees. It might even eliminate some of the fraud we so often hear about. On its own website, the NFLPA reported that over a three year period, agents and financial advisors defrauded NFL players out of millions. One of the most celebrated cases of agent misconduct involved William “Tank” Black who was accused of misappropriating over $14 million from his clients.
It is absolutely amazing that this system of rewarding unproven players - and lining the pockets of player agents – has been allowed to continue. The current system also ensures that many of the veteran players that are near the end of their careers will be traded, asked to take a pay cut, or hit the waiver wire in order to keep the team under its cap. You would think that veteran players would be up in arms over this, but for some reason many of them still believe that “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Well, I hate to say it Vets, but the Union has thrown you overboard without a lifeboat or paddle and the rookies won’t be tossing you a life preserver anytime soon.
On February 23rd, the NFL Players Association Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith sent a memo to all player agents talking about the uncapped year. On February 26th he met with them behind closed doors …….probably to celebrate the money they will be making this year if the 2010 signings are anything like the previous year.
Here is the 2009 list of Rookie Salaries and Bonuses by Draft Round:
Round 1
1. Detroit – QB, Matthew Stafford, Georgia – Signed (6-years, $72 million; $41.7 million guaranteed)
2. St. Louis – OT, Jason Smith, Baylor – Signed (5-years, $62M max; $33M guaranteed)
3. Kansas City – DE, Tyson Jackson, LSU – Signed (5-years, $57M; $31M guaranteed)
4. Seattle – LB, Aaron Curry, Wake Forest – Signed (6-years, $60M; $34M guaranteed)
5. NY Jets (fr. CLE) – QB, Mark Sanchez, USC – Signed (5-years; $50.5M real/$60M max; $28M guaranteed)
6. Cincinnati – OT, Andre Smith, Alabama – Signed (4-years, $26M; $21M guaranteed)
7. Oakland – WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland – Signed (5-years, $38.25M real/$54M max; $23.5M guaranteed)
8. Jacksonville – OT, Eugene Monroe, Virginia – Signed (5-years, $35.4M; $19.2M guaranteed)
9. Green Bay – DT, B.J. Raji, Boston College – Signed (5-years, $28.5M; $17.7M guaranteed)
10. San Francisco – WR, Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech – Signed (6-years, $32M; $17M guaranteed)
11. Buffalo – DE, Aaron Maybin, Penn State – Signed (5-years, $24.6M: $14.24M guaranteed)
12. Denver – RB, Knowshon Moreno, Georgia – Signed (5-years, $23M max; $13.125M guaranteed)
13. Washington – DE, Brian Orakpo, Texas – Signed (5-years, $20M; $12.1M guaranteed)
14. New Orleans – CB, Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State – Signed (5-years, $19M; $11M guaranteed)
15. Houston – LB, Brian Cushing, USC – Signed (5-years, $18M; $10.435M guaranteed)
16. San Diego – LB, Larry English, Northern Illinois – Signed (5-years, $17.95M; $9.905M guaranteed)
17. Tampa Bay (fr. CLE/NYJ) – QB, Josh Freeman, Kansas State – Signed (5-years, $36M; $10.245M guaranteed)
18. Denver (fr. CHI) – DE, Robert Ayers, Tennessee – Signed (5-years, $15.5M; $9.7M guaranteed)
19. Philadelphia (fr. CLE/TB) – WR, Jeremy Maclin, Missouri – Signed (5-years, $15.6M; $9.5M guaranteed)
20. Detroit (fr. DAL) – TE, Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State – Signed (5-years, $14.6M max; $9.3965M guaranteed)
21. Cleveland (fr. PHI) – OC, Alex Mack, California – Signed (5-years, $15.175M max.; $9.265M guaranteed)
22. Minnesota – WR, Percy Harvin, Florida – Signed (5-years, $14.25M max; $8.425M guaranteed)
23. Baltimore (fr. NE) – OT, Michael Oher, Mississippi – Signed (5-years, $13.795M max; $7.82M guaranteed)
24. Atlanta – DT, Peria Jerry, Mississippi – Signed (5-years, $13.25M max; $7.555M guaranteed)
25. Miami – CB, Vontae Davis, Illinois – Signed (5-years, $13.3M max.; $7.345M guaranteed)
26. Green Bay (fr. NE/BAL) – LB, Clay Matthews, USC – Signed (5-years, $13.725M max; $7.105M guaranteed)
27. Indianapolis – RB, Donald Brown, UCONN – Signed (5-years, $12.835M; $6.845M guaranteed)
28. Buffalo (fr. PHI/CAR) – OC, Eric Wood, Louisville – Signed (5-years, $12.335M; $6.575M guaranteed)
29. NY Giants – WR, Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina – Signed (5-years, $12.225M; $6.575M guaranteed)
30. Tennessee – WR, Kenny Britt, Rutgers – Signed (5-years, $12.25M; $6.527M guaranteed)
31. Arizona – RB, Chris Wells, Ohio State – Signed (5-years, $11.8M max.; $6.345M guaranteed)
32. Pittsburgh – DE, Ziggy Hood, Missouri – Signed (5-years, $11.3M max.; $6.1M guaranteed)
-------------------------
As we all know, the NFLPA and the NFL were unable to come to an agreement on increasing retired player pensions. The NFL proposed a new rookie wage scale for this year’s draft, with players paid a fixed amount based on draft slot and the NFLPA countered with its own rookie salary proposal, but tied it to a two-year extension of the current CBA. The savings generated from either of those proposals would have been used to boost retired player’s pensions. Any hope of that happening will evaporate on Friday, March 5, 2010….. the day the Salary Cap Dies.
The League already has a rookie salary cap within the overall salary cap, but a rookie is only a rookie for one year, and they sign contracts that typically extend between four and six years, so the rookie salary cap in its present form does little to limit the compensation of players coming into the league. The owners have opted to continue the current rookie salary cap system, but it will be interesting to see if the owners are as generous as they were to last year’s top draft picks.
For players selected in just the first round of last year’s draft, NFL teams paid $462 Million in guaranteed bonuses! They also paid another 100 million in signing bonuses to players drafted in rounds two through six. Retired Players were hoping to get at least a 100 Million to increase in their Pensions, but as usual, we took a back seat to active players, rookies and player agents.
You can bet the player agents are excited about the fact that the NFLPA and NFL couldn’t come to terms on a rookie cap. Under the NFLPA Regulations for Contract Advisors, an agent can take up to 3% of a rookies compensation. Last year, player agents received approximately $13.86 Million from their 2009 first round signings, and that’s only from the bonuses. If you factor in the salaries and bonuses, 32 first round rookies received contracts totaling a whopping $834 Million of which players agents could potentially receive $25 Million if their clients play through the end of their contracts.
If rookies were paid based on their slot in the draft, they wouldn’t need an agent and they could save themselves millions of dollars in agent fees. It might even eliminate some of the fraud we so often hear about. On its own website, the NFLPA reported that over a three year period, agents and financial advisors defrauded NFL players out of millions. One of the most celebrated cases of agent misconduct involved William “Tank” Black who was accused of misappropriating over $14 million from his clients.
It is absolutely amazing that this system of rewarding unproven players - and lining the pockets of player agents – has been allowed to continue. The current system also ensures that many of the veteran players that are near the end of their careers will be traded, asked to take a pay cut, or hit the waiver wire in order to keep the team under its cap. You would think that veteran players would be up in arms over this, but for some reason many of them still believe that “a rising tide lifts all boats”. Well, I hate to say it Vets, but the Union has thrown you overboard without a lifeboat or paddle and the rookies won’t be tossing you a life preserver anytime soon.
On February 23rd, the NFL Players Association Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith sent a memo to all player agents talking about the uncapped year. On February 26th he met with them behind closed doors …….probably to celebrate the money they will be making this year if the 2010 signings are anything like the previous year.
Here is the 2009 list of Rookie Salaries and Bonuses by Draft Round:
Round 1
1. Detroit – QB, Matthew Stafford, Georgia – Signed (6-years, $72 million; $41.7 million guaranteed)
2. St. Louis – OT, Jason Smith, Baylor – Signed (5-years, $62M max; $33M guaranteed)
3. Kansas City – DE, Tyson Jackson, LSU – Signed (5-years, $57M; $31M guaranteed)
4. Seattle – LB, Aaron Curry, Wake Forest – Signed (6-years, $60M; $34M guaranteed)
5. NY Jets (fr. CLE) – QB, Mark Sanchez, USC – Signed (5-years; $50.5M real/$60M max; $28M guaranteed)
6. Cincinnati – OT, Andre Smith, Alabama – Signed (4-years, $26M; $21M guaranteed)
7. Oakland – WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland – Signed (5-years, $38.25M real/$54M max; $23.5M guaranteed)
8. Jacksonville – OT, Eugene Monroe, Virginia – Signed (5-years, $35.4M; $19.2M guaranteed)
9. Green Bay – DT, B.J. Raji, Boston College – Signed (5-years, $28.5M; $17.7M guaranteed)
10. San Francisco – WR, Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech – Signed (6-years, $32M; $17M guaranteed)
11. Buffalo – DE, Aaron Maybin, Penn State – Signed (5-years, $24.6M: $14.24M guaranteed)
12. Denver – RB, Knowshon Moreno, Georgia – Signed (5-years, $23M max; $13.125M guaranteed)
13. Washington – DE, Brian Orakpo, Texas – Signed (5-years, $20M; $12.1M guaranteed)
14. New Orleans – CB, Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State – Signed (5-years, $19M; $11M guaranteed)
15. Houston – LB, Brian Cushing, USC – Signed (5-years, $18M; $10.435M guaranteed)
16. San Diego – LB, Larry English, Northern Illinois – Signed (5-years, $17.95M; $9.905M guaranteed)
17. Tampa Bay (fr. CLE/NYJ) – QB, Josh Freeman, Kansas State – Signed (5-years, $36M; $10.245M guaranteed)
18. Denver (fr. CHI) – DE, Robert Ayers, Tennessee – Signed (5-years, $15.5M; $9.7M guaranteed)
19. Philadelphia (fr. CLE/TB) – WR, Jeremy Maclin, Missouri – Signed (5-years, $15.6M; $9.5M guaranteed)
20. Detroit (fr. DAL) – TE, Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State – Signed (5-years, $14.6M max; $9.3965M guaranteed)
21. Cleveland (fr. PHI) – OC, Alex Mack, California – Signed (5-years, $15.175M max.; $9.265M guaranteed)
22. Minnesota – WR, Percy Harvin, Florida – Signed (5-years, $14.25M max; $8.425M guaranteed)
23. Baltimore (fr. NE) – OT, Michael Oher, Mississippi – Signed (5-years, $13.795M max; $7.82M guaranteed)
24. Atlanta – DT, Peria Jerry, Mississippi – Signed (5-years, $13.25M max; $7.555M guaranteed)
25. Miami – CB, Vontae Davis, Illinois – Signed (5-years, $13.3M max.; $7.345M guaranteed)
26. Green Bay (fr. NE/BAL) – LB, Clay Matthews, USC – Signed (5-years, $13.725M max; $7.105M guaranteed)
27. Indianapolis – RB, Donald Brown, UCONN – Signed (5-years, $12.835M; $6.845M guaranteed)
28. Buffalo (fr. PHI/CAR) – OC, Eric Wood, Louisville – Signed (5-years, $12.335M; $6.575M guaranteed)
29. NY Giants – WR, Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina – Signed (5-years, $12.225M; $6.575M guaranteed)
30. Tennessee – WR, Kenny Britt, Rutgers – Signed (5-years, $12.25M; $6.527M guaranteed)
31. Arizona – RB, Chris Wells, Ohio State – Signed (5-years, $11.8M max.; $6.345M guaranteed)
32. Pittsburgh – DE, Ziggy Hood, Missouri – Signed (5-years, $11.3M max.; $6.1M guaranteed)
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