NFL rookie salary cap (your opinion)

[dave]

I absolutely agree with the NFL rookie salary cap, but IMO it hurts guys drafted late.

Russell Wilson
Alfred Morris
Richard Sherman
etc...

These guys are penalized incredibly because personnel guys may have gotten them wrong. These kinds of players are making their teams millions, but paid based on their draft status for four years.

Should the NFL do something about this ... maybe like a re-draft process where player evaluation experts allow them to re-negotiate on a year basis if they've moved up in the re-draft?

I find cases like Wilson and Sherman horrific. Wilson will make less than Terrelle Pryor next year.

Just curious about your opinion on this one (again, I am in favour of the rookie cap, it stops insane deals before anything is proven).

[Primetime]

No.

[dave]

No.

Why?

[JeremyHight]

If players are consistently good and healthy, they will get their money. Hell, sometimes you don't even need to be either of those and you still can get paid (Mark Sanchez). Yes, the NFL is a cutthroat league and anyone and everyone can be released, but rookie salaries were out of control beforehand. There is no need to go back to that.

[dave]

If players are consistently good and healthy, they will get their money. Hell, sometimes you don't even need to be either of those and you still can get paid (Mark Sanchez). Yes, the NFL is a cutthroat league and anyone and everyone can be released, but rookie salaries were out of control beforehand. There is no need to go back to that.

I'm not saying get rid of the cap. I am saying a group of personnel experts do a re-draft every year and allow those low picks to be slotted where they should be and get that pay.
If Richard Sherman is rated the #2 overall pick 2 years later, he shouldn't still be making 5th round money until he's past the cap.
That's all I'm saying.

I absolutely agree with the rookie cap. I just don't think players like Alfred Morris, Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman should be stuck playing for NFL minimum wage because personnel directors got them wrong.

And you're "good and healthy" tag simply does not apply to Alfred Morris by the end of his rookie contract. He's screwed. Good and healthy, he's lost $20 million after four years of production and teams seeing him as used goods by year five.

[Matt]

Sherman was a project player who busted his ass off to be a big time player which now leads to $13 million a year.

Russell Wilson will make his money for being a SB winner

Alfred Morris won't make any money because RB are interchangeable. Plus he would make the same amount with or without the capped picks.

Terrell Pyror was a 2nd round pick which is why he makes more money than Wilson. Who care if he's making more money than Wilson for a year. Pryor will be done in a year or so and Wilson will be making 15 million a year.

[dave]

Sherman was a project player who busted his ass off to be a big time player which now leads to $13 million a year.

Russell Wilson will make his money for being a SB winner

Alfred Morris won't make any money because RB are interchangeable. Plus he would make the same amount with or without the capped picks.

Terrell Pyror was a 2nd round pick which means why he makes more money than Wilson. Who care if he's making more money than Wilson for a year. Pryor will be done in a year or so and Wilson will be making 15 million a year.

But, again, why should Sherman be making 5th round money this year? Why should Wilson be making less than Pryor (who was a 3rd round supplemental pick btw)?

I get your point about Morris, but at the time he was drafted, RBs weren't relegated to punter salaries (and weren't last year either).

And I get both Sherman and Wilson will get paid, but what if either suffers a career-ending injury before they sign those deals?

I just believe some guys are getting screwed by how the rookie cap is set up. It was designed with good intentions but is screwing some very good players.

[Warner2BruceTD]

The NFL CBA is a disaster & failure in all areas. Nearly as bad as the NBA. It's particularly terrible for the players.

Either dump the salary cap, or force teams to be on the hook for the theoretical money for the life of any deal signed. Until then, roster stability will continue to be non existent.

[JeremyHight]

So you are saying that NFL teams should be punished for drafting smart? The Seahawks could have had Wilson in the first round, but knew he wasn't worth it at the time, so they waited, risked not getting him at all, and got him later for a lower pick and a lower contract. So because they drafted smart, they should now how to pay out above his contract value. Eh... no, I'll pass.

The NFL is simple, produce and you will be paid. Stop producing and you won't be paid. Hence why Peyton Manning can make 15+ million a year while a running back who hits 30 is lucky to find a team.

[Guest]

There isn't an easy way to do it, and the current system is much better than the older one, where rookies were immediately given $20-million plus in guarantees, and missing on a 1-5 overall pick could really screw up your salary cap situation.

It's easy to say that players, once the hit certain statistics or markers, should see a raise. I could agree to that, but how do you measure those metrics for a cornerback, or an offensive lineman? How about a nose tackle, a position where someone rarely accumulates statistics?

If you did that, how many teams do you think would pull players in advance so they don't hit those metrics? You see it in MLB where teams are trying to manipulate service time, or they are limiting players at-bats so they don't reach vesting options for various statistics.

The only way you could really fix what the OP is describing is by having a system where draft choices at the top get longer contracts, and those near the bottom (say rounds 5-7) only get two year deals.

[Hasselbeck]

The only thing they should maybe look into is allow a team to extend a player earlier in the deal. As it stands now, you cannot even negotiate until 3 years have accrued on that players rookie contract. This would be particularly interesting in that it would give players some leverage for once... Wilson, Kaepernick, Foles, Sherman, etc.. all guys that have already probably outperformed their cheap rookie deals that would have a very good case to ask for a raise.

I agree.. it is pretty unfair for a guy like Sherman, who is the best at his position, to be playing on a very cheap deal in a sport where the lifespan of a player is far less than that of any other sport.

[number_55]

The rookie cap is great for the league and that is more important than Wilson and others as individuals. The overall salary cap needs to increase though.

[Hasselbeck]

The rookie cap is great for the league and that is more important than Wilson and others as individuals. The overall salary cap needs to increase though.

Well yeah.. guys like Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman are the anomaly, that's why they should at least allow a team to negotiate a contract extension earlier in the deal. Then it's up to that team if they want to pay it, how much they want to pay for a year or two of quality play, etc.

More 5th round picks wind up never amounting to anything but roster fodder than they do becoming the best corner in football... so not like every mid round pick would start getting paid $13M a year