How does the NFL expect teams like the Rams and Lions to compete?
Quick math question to start your Saturday morning: If Sam Bradford is worth $50 million guaranteed, then how much should Peyton Manning make?
I know it’s a tough question, so I’ll throw out some facts to better assist you while you think:
Peyton Manning:
- 50,128 career passing yards
- 366 career passing touchdowns
- 95.2 career passer rating
- 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 championship
Sam Bradford:
- Went to Oklahoma
Look, nobody blames Bradford for cashing in (six years, $78 million). It’s not like any of us would have said, “You know what, Rams? I haven’t proven anything yet, so to be fair why don’t I just accept a modest starting salary of $40,000-a-year plus dental?”
The system is broken in the NFL and it’s one of the many things that the NFLPA and owners need to resolve before signing a new collective bargaining agreement (assuming they do sign one, of course) in the next couple of months/year. And it’s not just a Bradford vs. Manning financial thing, either.
How can the league expect a team like the Lions to field a competitive roster when they gave quarterback Matthew Stafford over $41 million in guarantees last year and they still have to sign No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh this year? Last year, the Rams signed offensive tackle Jason Smith (the No. 2 overall pick) to a $61.775 million contract worth $33 million in guarantees. Between Bradford and Smith, the Rams now have $83 million in guaranteed money wrapped up in two players.
And they don’t even know if Bradford and Smith can play yet.
Again, how does the league expect teams like the Lions and Rams to compete with the likes of the Colts and Saints when they have to break the bank for unproven players? What happens when Calvin Johnson (a player the Lions actually know can play) needs a new deal in two years? Will the Lions be able to sign him? What if they can’t? They let one of their best players go because they have all of their money tied up into high draft picks?
Talk about a vicious cycle – it needs to end.
Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @TheScoresReport. You can also follow TSR editor Gerardo Orlando @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom, and you can follow TSR editor Anthony Stalter @AnthonyStalter.
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It actually works pretty well. This way, bad teams have more consequences if they want to tank. Getting a first overall pick is a blessing as much as a curse. If you’re a well run team, you can turn it into the cornerstone of your franchise like Mario Williams. But if you’re not a well run team, then it will hurt significantly salary wise. Because the teams in the NFL don’t tank like the NBA, the NBA still needs a lottery system. That’s why the NFL has much more parity and every game is earned, making it much more entertaining.
There are definitely a few things that I’d change about the NBA’s salary cap rules, but one thing they get right is the way they handle rookie salaries. It’s a sliding scale based on the player’s draft position and is pretty arbitrary. Per the NBA Salary Cap FAQ.
There’s a strict salary scale for first round draft picks and their first contracts. They do this because it was previously common for rookies to hold out, not signing with their team until they got the contract they wanted. There was also backlash from the veteran players who saw rookies with no NBA experience getting more money than they were.
One problem with applying this directly to the NFL is that positions are valued differently. (The top QBs, LTs and CBs are paid more than the top FBs, guards and safeties.) Maybe make the rookie contract 3-4 years which would be enough time for the player to prove his worth, but short enough of a duration that he won’t be playing at a huge bargain for very long.
Big men are typically valued higher in the NBA, and the rookie salary scale doesn’t cause much of a stink there. They know they’ll get paid when their rookie deal is done.
They have to go to a rookie scale, as the amounts are getting ridiculous. I think that’s pretty much a done deal, as many veterans feel the same way.