OpIv37
09-30-2004, 11:18 AM
Every off-season, newly drafted players piss and moan about their contracts, despite the fact that the first-rounders end up making more in a year than many of us will make in our lifetimes. They don't consider the fact that they have yet to play a single game in the NFL or prove their value beyond running up the score against backwater colleges. Case and point: Kellen Winslow Jr demands extra money from the Browns, they give in, then he gets injured. They have millions in dollars and cap space tied up in a player who's useless until next season.
So, what if rookies were only allowed to make the league minimum their first year, and the current rookie salary cap would apply to 2nd-year players? Yes, I fully understand that the chances of this actually happening range somewhere between "highly unlikely" and "friggin impossible". But I think it would solve several problems:
1. Teams would not have to risk millions on players until they had at least one full season to evaluate them in the NFL
2. We wouldn't have to listen to 22-year-olds crying that their multi-million dollar contracts aren't enough
3. College players would be more likely to stay in school for the extra year since they wouldn't be able to make the big bucks immediately.
4. Young players wouldn't be innundated with more money than they know how to handle and wouldn't immediately fall victim to the lavish NFL lifestyle.
Don't forget that the league miniumum is still something like $200,000, so these guys would still have more than enough to pay the bills. Any thoughts?
So, what if rookies were only allowed to make the league minimum their first year, and the current rookie salary cap would apply to 2nd-year players? Yes, I fully understand that the chances of this actually happening range somewhere between "highly unlikely" and "friggin impossible". But I think it would solve several problems:
1. Teams would not have to risk millions on players until they had at least one full season to evaluate them in the NFL
2. We wouldn't have to listen to 22-year-olds crying that their multi-million dollar contracts aren't enough
3. College players would be more likely to stay in school for the extra year since they wouldn't be able to make the big bucks immediately.
4. Young players wouldn't be innundated with more money than they know how to handle and wouldn't immediately fall victim to the lavish NFL lifestyle.
Don't forget that the league miniumum is still something like $200,000, so these guys would still have more than enough to pay the bills. Any thoughts?