It looks like the NFL has finally wised up about rookie contracts. According to the Rocky Mountain News, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is apparently ready to take action to get a better system in place so teams aren’t spending ridiculous amounts of money to sign players who haven’t even taken one snap in an NFL game.
“There’s something wrong about the system,” Goodell said Friday. “The money should go to people who perform.”
Goodell referred to Michigan tackle Jake Long’s five-year, $57.75 million contract — with $30 million guaranteed. Long was the first overall draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in April.
“He doesn’t have to play a down in the NFL and he already has his money,” Goodell said during a question-and-answer period at the end of a weeklong sports symposium at the Chautauqua Institution. “Now, with the economics where they are, the consequences if you don’t evaluate that player, you can lose a significant amount of money.
“And that money is not going to players that are performing. It’s going to a player that never makes it in the NFL. And I think that’s ridiculous.”
Goodell said he favors lowering salaries offered to rookies, but allowing a provision for those players to renegotiate their deals after proving themselves on the field.
Amen! This has been a long time coming and Goodell deserves plenty of praise if/when he gets a new system in place. He hit the nail on the head: Why are these rookies being paid more than veterans making the Pro Bowl on a yearly basis? It’s a domino effect that has bad teams using large chunks of their cap space to sign rookies that haven’t proven themselves, therefore leaving those bad teams in worse shape because they can’t spend to improve other positions and all the while pissing off veterans who feel underpaid.
Good work Mr. Goodell – fix the system.
