Rookies this year!

[Cuse9 131]

What's up with these kids coming in and demanding all this money? Bush wants to be the highest paid running back in the NFL....don't you think LT, Portis, Alexander would like to go punch this kid in the face. Vernon Davis highest paid TE....are you kidding? Gates, Gonzalez, Heap.....they've done it on the field.

 

Every year the rookie class gets more arrogant and greedy. Whatever happened to earning your money? Why do these owners consistantly give in and pay these rookies who have done nothing? With every Edgerrin James rookie year perfromance....there are 10 JJ Arrington/Ryan Leaf/William Green stories.

 

As a fan and a guy who has to work to earn what I got, I get more and more disgusted with these kids.

[Nate Burleson's Burly Son 0]

Amen. I had a similar reaction when I saw that Davis is going to be the leagues highest paid tight end. It's absurd. Sometimes it seems like the NFL delves more into fantasy football than we do.

[pacman_fl 0]

I am probably the minority, but this is really nothing new. With the advent of the salary cap, the cap for rookies goes up each year and with "slotted salaries" this is what they get. Much of the "money" players are receiving is money they will never see (unachievable incentives, 5th/6th year money, etc). Also, players have held out for years only to claim "I am just happy to put that behind me and join the team I wanted to play for". As an NFL rookie I think it is imperative to get what you can. Realize, the likelihood of career (life?) ending injury is higher here than most sports. It is the art of negotiation and we all play it, just not to the tune of $25-50M per transaction.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

What's up with these kids coming in and demanding all this money? Bush wants to be the highest paid running back in the NFL....don't you think LT, Portis, Alexander would like to go punch this kid in the face. Vernon Davis highest paid TE....are you kidding? Gates, Gonzalez, Heap.....they've done it on the field.

 

Every year the rookie class gets more arrogant and greedy. Whatever happened to earning your money? Why do these owners consistantly give in and pay these rookies who have done nothing? With every Edgerrin James rookie year perfromance....there are 10 JJ Arrington/Ryan Leaf/William Green stories.

 

As a fan and a guy who has to work to earn what I got, I get more and more disgusted with these kids.

 

Where do they learn the arrogance and greed? From the veterans and the same agents that work with those veterans. Everybody just views it as a business now. "You got's to get yours and I got's to get mine." The teams view the players as assets or liabilities, once a player becomes a liability you cut him loose. There is no sense of loyalty towards that player for a job well done. It's what have you done for me lately. Also, the players realize the teams have all the power so they've got to get as much as they can up front. They know the team can chuck them without any warning so they've got to get what they can for that small window of time that they are in the NFL.

 

The guys you mentioned who are in the league now "doing it", would be doing the same thing if they were rookies. Guaranteed money is everything because after that, there are no guarantees in the NFL.

[jlbay 0]

I would like to throw in my two cents. This process is heavily driven by the agents whom these rookies have signed with. This is all new for the rookies, so other than what is being whispered in their ears by the agents what other "ropes" do they know? Yes the rookies have the biggest gain from a higher salary, I am not disputing that.

 

But look at the three prong motivation the agents have, one obvious the other two not so obvious. The first and very obvious is their commissions, the larger the contract the larger the commish - not rocket science. The second is the motive to get theirs while the getting is good. Often times players change agents before their rookie contract has concluded, therefore in most cases the rookie contract is the only money the agent will see, some other SHARK will get the kid his second contract. The third and I personally feel the largest motivator for holding out for every last dime is the payback in the form of next years rookie class. This isn't particularly obvious but is pretty simply, if Agent A gets the 5th overall pick $2 Mil more than the 1st overall pick, which agent would you want representing you as a first round selection in 2007? Pretty simply decision really - and for the agent this is a huge motivation to make sure his player squeezes every single penny out of the team, regardless of the time lost holding out of his rookie training camp.

[Cuse9 131]

Where do they learn the arrogance and greed? From the veterans and the same agents that work with those veterans. Everybody just views it as a business now. "You got's to get yours and I got's to get mine." The teams view the players as assets or liabilities, once a player becomes a liability you cut him loose. There is no sense of loyalty towards that player for a job well done. It's what have you done for me lately. Also, the players realize the teams have all the power so they've got to get as much as they can up front. They know the team can chuck them without any warning so they've got to get what they can for that small window of time that they are in the NFL.

 

The guys you mentioned who are in the league now "doing it", would be doing the same thing if they were rookies. Guaranteed money is everything because after that, there are no guarantees in the NFL.

 

Unfortunatly, you're right, but I still don't like it. I just don't understand how everything is backwards for sports stars/celebrities. Ryan Leaf will never work another day the rest of his life all because he "deserved" the rediculous contract he got. If he would have had to earn it, it would have been a totally different story.

[shovelheadt 71]

I don't blame them much. If you were getting hired and the company told you "We can pay you no less than this, and no more than this", you'd naturally go for the top end. This guys don't know if they'll pull a Kijana Carter and blow out an ankle on their first touch. Get it while you can.

[luckdogg17 0]

i agree that these rookie contracts are way out of whack. i guess it is only the top 5 or 8 or 11 (if you include cutler) that get the really ridiculous money. i know that an important factor is how much of the money is guaranteed, but it would be interesting to see how reallistic the incentives are in these contracts. i would have to think that they wouldn't be that unrealistic or else they wouldn't be included in the contracts but i don't really know.

 

as far as someone saying that it is money that they will never see anyway, i guess that would be true for unrealistic incentive clauses but usually i think that only applies to veteran contracts when they sign a 32 year old to a 7 year contract that is backloaded and they know that the player will either retire, get released, or be forced to restructure for less money before the final years of the contract anyway. with these rookie contracts, the player isn't going to be released or forced to restructure unless he is a total bust and the team has given up on him.

 

i just think it is ridiculous to pay these rookies as much or more than the guys that have proven to be stars in the league. the draft is supposed to help the bad teams from the previous year by giving them the top picks, but when they have to pay these rookies like star players and many of them turn out to be busts or they take 2 or 3 years before they see the field or significant playing time, then how is that helping these teams?

 

i don't blame the players for getting what they can get but i think the system needs to be changed. good luck with that though.

[FlaHawker 24]

It's called the free marketplace. If New Orleans doesn't want to pay him they don't have to. If Bush can command that huge money, more power to him.

 

What's up with these kids coming in and demanding all this money? Bush wants to be the highest paid running back in the NFL....don't you think LT, Portis, Alexander would like to go punch this kid in the face. Vernon Davis highest paid TE....are you kidding? Gates, Gonzalez, Heap.....they've done it on the field.

 

Every year the rookie class gets more arrogant and greedy. Whatever happened to earning your money? Why do these owners consistantly give in and pay these rookies who have done nothing? With every Edgerrin James rookie year perfromance....there are 10 JJ Arrington/Ryan Leaf/William Green stories.

 

As a fan and a guy who has to work to earn what I got, I get more and more disgusted with these kids.

 

 

And I'm sure that if you were the second overall draft choice of an NFL team you would instruct your agent to sign a deal for the league minimum until you paid your dues

[esoitl 0]

i could argue Davis' case here

not often is a TE picked that high and remember that Winslow was the highest paid TE after being drafted 7th

 

its just the flux of the spot, being picked 6th demands a big contract and it doesnt so much rely on position

[Parja 0]

They do it because they can the the teams pay them the rediculous salaries and signing bonuses.

 

The NFL needs a set rookie salary scale similar to the NBA.

[Raider 84 29]

C. Enis earned his $$$.

[Cuse9 131]

It's called the free marketplace. If New Orleans doesn't want to pay him they don't have to. If Bush can command that huge money, more power to him.

And I'm sure that if you were the second overall draft choice of an NFL team you would instruct your agent to sign a deal for the league minimum until you paid your dues

 

Did you not read the post?

 

"Why do these owners consistantly give in and pay these rookies who have done nothing?"

 

I think you went a little overboard on the league minimum. I have no problem when they sign contracts that pay them very well. But, for Bush to want to be the highest paid rb in the league....how is that fair to LT, Portis, Alexander.....it just seems to me you would need to be the best back in the league if you are going to get paid like it.

 

I guess I'm old school...I think you should earn your money. If he would play a couple years and earn the top salary, I would have no problem with it.

[illmadden 0]

I hate to say it, but it's part of any business. I'm pretty sure you have a person in your workplace right now that's getting paid double what you're getting paid that does half the workload that you do. I don't see anyone griping about the owner's and/or GM's salary when their not the one's putting their body through rigorous training and going out there day in, day out risking injuries? This is a billion dollar industry, why not take your cut? Bush alone, has given New Orleans hope. That's more than Tom Benson's ever done!

[jjtgotts 0]

I hate to say it, but it's part of any business. I'm pretty sure you have a person in your workplace right now that's getting paid double what you're getting paid that does half the workload that you do. I don't see anyone griping about the owner's and/or GM's salary when their not the one's putting their body through rigorous training and going out there day in, day out risking injuries? This is a billion dollar industry, why not take your cut? Bush alone, has given New Orleans hope. That's more than Tom Benson's ever done!

Ithink the league should tell all players,if you want to play in this league you new guys will be payed 75.000 the first year, 2nd yr 125.000, 3rd yr200.00 up to league highest of 500.00, no higher. If you don't like that, hope you like your new job out in the world. Just my thoughts.

[esoitl 0]

Ithink the league should tell all players,if you want to play in this league you new guys will be payed 75.000 the first year, 2nd yr 125.000, 3rd yr200.00 up to league highest of 500.00, no higher. If you don't like that, hope you like your new job out in the world. Just my thoughts.

thats just a slap in the face

with your logic, teams will pay rookies low salaries and then after 2 of their 5 year contracts when those guys that perform at or above expectations want a new deal to reflect this, half of the league will be holding out just like Branch is right now because the team brass won't restructure

 

i can see your point of rookies earning a big contract but give it up, its not going to happen

Bush is an exeption this year since his demands aere ludicrous but look at the contracts that have been signed so far, most say right in the article that their deals are pretty much the same as the guy signed in their slot last year

 

players get paid for where they are drafted, Davis got 6th overall money which just so happens to make him the top paid TE

stop crying about this cause Gates, Gonzalez, and all the other top TEs will use this contract as a base line when they next start negotiating

 

 

have you already forgotten that Portis was the highest paid RB when he went to Washington, then LT was when he resigned with SD, SA leapfrogged him, and i have no doubts that LJ will leapfrog them all when he reworks his deal next

 

for QBs: Cpepp got 100+, Vick went to 110+, Manning went higher...... it goes on and on

next time Palmer is up for a deal i will bet he becomes the highest paid QB in the league, then the next top QB to rework bumps that number up higher

 

IT HAPPENS ALL THE FOCKING TIME!!

if Bush gets his contract it will last for a max 2 years since someone will rework and gey a better deal, all he is doing really is giving those guys out there that have proven themselves a higher baseline to work with

[jjtgotts 0]

thats just a slap in the face

with your logic, teams will pay rookies low salaries and then after 2 of their 5 year contracts when those guys that perform at or above expectations want a new deal to reflect this, half of the league will be holding out just like Branch is right now because the team brass won't restructure

 

i can see your point of rookies earning a big contract but give it up, its not going to happen

Bush is an exeption this year since his demands aere ludicrous but look at the contracts that have been signed so far, most say right in the article that their deals are pretty much the same as the guy signed in their slot last year

 

players get paid for where they are drafted, Davis got 6th overall money which just so happens to make him the top paid TE

stop crying about this cause Gates, Gonzalez, and all the other top TEs will use this contract as a base line when they next start negotiating

have you already forgotten that Portis was the highest paid RB when he went to Washington, then LT was when he resigned with SD, SA leapfrogged him, and i have no doubts that LJ will leapfrog them all when he reworks his deal next

 

for QBs: Cpepp got 100+, Vick went to 110+, Manning went higher...... it goes on and on

next time Palmer is up for a deal i will bet he becomes the highest paid QB in the league, then the next top QB to rework bumps that number up higher

 

IT HAPPENS ALL THE FOCKING TIME!!

if Bush gets his contract it will last for a max 2 years since someone will rework and gey a better deal, all he is doing really is giving those guys out there that have proven themselves a higher baseline to work with

You don't get it, stop the high paying. Pay the guys a set amount, just like a real job. If they don't like it find a better paying job. They went to college for an d-gree. Right Also the ticket prices would be cheeper. who wouldn't work for that kind of money and 6-8months?

[illmadden 0]

You don't get it, stop the high paying. Pay the guys a set amount, just like a real job. If they don't like it find a better paying job. They went to college for an d-gree. Right Also the ticket prices would be cheeper. who wouldn't work for that kind of money and 6-8months?

 

 

It's just easy to say that when you're on the outside looking in. I don't know what your income is, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to work for minimum wage, would you? And I know that's a stretch from them making millions, but who's to say when making too much money is acceptable or not. Again, GM's get paid for what exactly? Look at Matt Millen. His decision making hasn't done anything except made the Lions one of the worst teams in the NFL. He gets paid millions. So they based his salary on what again???

 

I mean, why are you so against the athletes salary when it's because of them we watch sports?