Lions Go With Stafford
 

Saw it on the bottom line after the rockets game. 6 yrs, 78 million, 41.7 guaranteed. That's effing ridiculous. Good thing Goodell is looking hard at the rookie salary structure. I say model after the NBA, with annual slotted salaries. Of course things are a little trickier in the NFL, what with your services only being required as long as it doesn't cost them more to dump you (should you not pan out), but that's a great starting point. how many rookies hold out in the NBA? zero.

Stafford will be making more money next year than Tom Brady. Ridiculous. He could be the next Ryan Leaf for all anyone knows.

Stafford gets more "guaranteed" than Haynesworth did in his new megabuxxx FA contract from the Redskins.

It really is a broken system right now. Slotting rookie salaries a bit more like the NBA would help the vets pocket the money they earn. It would also lessen the role agents would play for these rookies.

Check this link if you're interested in learning more about the specifics of Stafford's contract guarantees. It's written in a blog by a former salary cap analyst with the Redskins.

The problem is the NFLPA (and possibly the owners after listening to Goodell) doesn't see it that way. I saw interviews with DeMaurice Smith and Kevin Mawae and they both said they feel it's an ownership issue. The NFLPA takes the stance that the rookie pool only consists of ~4% of the annual salary pool so no adjustment is needed. Mawae also said it's only the top 5 or 6 rookies that get the big money and the rest of them get about what they should. He said, in general, veteran players are OK with the rookies who get the big bucks and feel it's the rookie's responsibility to go out and prove they deserve the money.

Of course, the NFLPA would cry holy hell if the owners were to band together and start low-balling these top draft picks. I'm sure there would be cries of collusion. So yes, the issue will need to be resolved in the CBA despite what the NFLPA says. However, it won't get resolved until ownership makes it a priority and offers some concessions to the players. Perhaps tweaking the FA system so that veterans can cash in or achieve FA status sooner would be an option.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a bigger issue with fans than with the NFL. I know it ticks me off seeing these rookies get that sort of money and the destruction of the draft process.

the biggest issue on this one is not financial but competitive. If you are picking in the top 5 you are a bad team. If you keep dumping huge gauranteed money into unproven players it stacks the deck against you ever getting better.

The current rookie pay scale minimizes the benefit of drafting high and makes it harder for a bad team to turn it around and makes it easier for franchises to stay bad. That is the real problem.