Rookie Wage Scale Thoughts?

[MHS]

i think the Rookie wage scale is a great idea. Rookies making 50 mill guaranteed is insane.

Then again i feel like all professional sports players are EXTREMELY overpaid.

[Garywolf001]

If you think one extreme contrast proves your point then you have no grasp of reality. If you think it's possible to correctly predict performance and pay it in advance then you have no grasp of reality. If you think even unproven QBs who have never thrown an NFL pass will be paid on the same scale as the guy who snaps him the ball then you have no grasp of reality. I could go on.

I gave up trying to argue right and wrong a long time ago. My only stake in this process is as an interested observer. It seems clear to me that any rookie salary scale that will be agreed upon by both sides will be a graduated scale with higher picks making more money and I don't think it's too big of a leap to add player positional value into the equation.

“If you think it's possible to correctly predict performance and pay it in advance then you have no grasp of reality.”

Who’s predicting anything, I said they get paid more for games they play as a Bonus on top of the cap.

“If you think even unproven QBs who have never thrown an NFL pass will be paid on the same scale as the guy who snaps him the ball then you have no grasp of reality.”

I never said such a thing, It should be because a Bench Warmer is a Bench Warmer, but of course a QB is going to get a better cap then a OL, the point is to have a OJT cap and then pay more for games played.

Your claming my reality is bad but you seem to be adding things to what I said. The Owners are tired of paying out millions to Bench Warmers and Players who look good in college but Bust as players in the NFL. Veterans don’t want any caps for anyone because why would a rookie want to play for league minimum, that is what the Owners would pay every player if they could.

[expatRick]

Kind of funny my reality is exactly what the Owners are complaining about. They are tired of paying millions to players like Leaf, they don't care about the position, all they care is about the money. Your lack of understanding is amazing.

If you think one extreme contrast proves your point then you have no grasp of reality. If you think it's possible to correctly predict performance and pay it in advance then you have no grasp of reality. If you think even unproven QBs who have never thrown an NFL pass will be paid on the same scale as the guy who snaps him the ball then you have no grasp of reality. I could go on.

I gave up trying to argue right and wrong a long time ago. My only stake in this process is as an interested observer. It seems clear to me that any rookie salary scale that will be agreed upon by both sides will be a graduated scale with higher picks making more money and I don't think it's too big of a leap to add player positional value into the equation.

[LordTrychon]

I do think that a rookie wage scale is a must.

I don't think there's a good way to make them shorter without causing other problems.

I do think that maybe setting standard playtime and other incentives heavy into rookie contracts is maybe something they should look at, as a way to allow a great immediate contributor to earn their money. Escalators, etc.

[Garywolf001]

Kind of funny my reality is exactly what the Owners are complaining about. They are tired of paying millions to players like Leaf, they don't care about the position, all they care is about the money. Your lack of understanding is amazing.

[expatRick]

And in that is the problem with a position value, that system would have Ryan Leaf still making more than a 12th round QB like Tom Brady, of course Brady has made more in the long run, but why should teams pay so much for a Leaf to have it wasted when they can pay the people who earn it?

I don't know how to argue with someone who has so little grasp of reality.

[Garywolf001]

The rookie scale is a bargaining chip. It would be foolish for any player to concede the scale as a done deal and decrease its potential value in negotiations. In the end I don't believe for one second that the vets won't sell the rookies away as long as the owners agree to leave total percentage of revenue where it is thus increasing the amount available to vets.

As for the scale itself, I would assume it will have provisions for player position value as well as draft position value. Nobody wants to pay a TE drafted 6th more than the QB drafted 7th. This way teams are more likely to take whatever player they like at the top of the draft and will make that #2 pick look better with no franchise QB to chase.

This would make just one more reason that Broncos fans should be rooting for a quick CBA.

And in that is the problem with a position value, that system would have Ryan Leaf still making more than a 12th round QB like Tom Brady, of course Brady has made more in the long run, but why should teams pay so much for a Leaf to have it wasted when they can pay the people who earn it?

[expatRick]

The rookie scale is a bargaining chip. It would be foolish for any player to concede the scale as a done deal and decrease its potential value in negotiations. In the end I don't believe for one second that the vets won't sell the rookies away as long as the owners agree to leave total percentage of revenue where it is thus increasing the amount available to vets.

As for the scale itself, I would assume it will have provisions for player position value as well as draft position value. Nobody wants to pay a TE drafted 6th more than the QB drafted 7th. This way teams are more likely to take whatever player they like at the top of the draft and will make that #2 pick look better with no franchise QB to chase.

This would make just one more reason that Broncos fans should be rooting for a quick CBA.

[Garywolf001]

How is it fair to have a cap on a player who comes out just magic and plays all 16 games or 18 or whatever, and plays so good the old vet either gets cut or sits all season still receiving his 2-3 mill, and the capped rookie makes whatever the minimum is for his spot. I think a by year cap with a bonus for games played would be the fairest way to go, if the rook sucks he'll ride the bench and the vet gets to work for his paycheck, if the rook rocks he'll play and earn his bonus. Everyone's happy, except the owners who won't be happy paying anyone no matter what the pay scale is.

[Touch_30_Down]

I think most vets think like Champ.
They really just don't care about that.

[JoRo]

it is true...with a rookie wage scale the higher picks have a bit more value... The problem is that no one moves up as high as we are unless there is a QB worth taking.... Our best bet is that Cam blows up his workouts..... we need a team to fall in love with him and have to have him. That way Carolina takes him and we get who we want (fairley), or the take our guy and we are able to trade out so another team can get Cam and we move back and get better value

I disagree, and right now the hot name for QB's is Gabbert from Mizzou. Cam is likely to go anywhere from 5-64 but I don't think someones gonna take him in the top 3. He's too big a project

[japfaff]

it is true...with a rookie wage scale the higher picks have a bit more value... The problem is that no one moves up as high as we are unless there is a QB worth taking.... Our best bet is that Cam blows up his workouts..... we need a team to fall in love with him and have to have him. That way Carolina takes him and we get who we want (fairley), or the take our guy and we are able to trade out so another team can get Cam and we move back and get better value

[LeFty087]

thats just it they will have a capped contracts that will go for 2-3 years 4 at the most then you can find out what the guy is made of then you can give him the big bucks it will put the money in the hands of the right players so that the vet get the money and teams can hold onto their players better because then they will have more money to throw into free agency and not the draft to the unproven guys this is going to be the best part of the cba

[JoRo]

I think some Vets have a lot of empathy for the old system because some of them got there money that way, and they don’t want to see players of any kind getting screwed. I like the idea because of all the 5 million dollar a year guys who sit on the bench, but at the same time it's not fair to the guys that don't "bust". Perhaps something like a rookie cap with an automatic bonus with certain expected play could work.

I think the rookie cap would be a good idea if a rookie contract was shorter.


Say your the first pick in the draft, you make X amount on a 2 year deal, then your restricted for a year with the idea being to allow your team first chance at a real deal or to tender you, then after that UFA.


If that was the way it worked, I think it'd be good for teams, so long as the money being saved went back to vet players. It would all depend on the salary floor. It's something not many fans talk about, but is a big part for some of the small market teams. It keeps teams from becoming the Clippers of the NBA or the Pirates of the MLB, raking in cash and not spending anything or really competing.

[berlownacyo7s]

The rookie wage scale can only be a good thing IMO. The contracts for top picks are just getting ridiculous, especially for QBs.