I've read a few things that suggest that the No.1 draft pick will get x amount of dollars regardless of position (in other words, an offensive tackle will get the same contract that a quarterback gets). I haven't looked into this yet but it got me thinking. With the overall No.1 pick getting ridiculous money now, it puts even more pressure on the team drafting first. Not only do they need to be as certain as possible that they aren't getting a bust, they also need to pick a player at a position that justifies the money, which narrows them down even more on their options. Is this draft bubble about to burst? The No.1 pick is like a curse now, and the next three or four are quickly getting that way. How many mocks do we now see that are littered with the phrase 'they may look to trade down' throughout the first half dozen or so picks? The draft isn't supposed to be like this and I'm amazed the teams have allowed it to get to this state. Bad teams are supposed to get first crack at the best players, but they are now paying prohibitively for them. A scale needs to be set up which rewards a player for being the No.1 pick, but not ridiculously so. $30 million in guaranteed money? It's ludicrous for someone who hasn't played a down in the pros. Would it be possible to have a framework of basic salary numbers, with bonuses added depending on where a player is drafted? The top college players deserve some reward but not the level they currently get. By having everything carved in stone there would be no holdouts and teams would be freed from the potential financial calamity of a bad pick - they player would still be bad, but they wouldn't have $30 million in cap money tied up for the next few years. I can anticpiate the complaints from players about this not being fair and I'm sure there would be legal issues, but these young men are becoming millionaires overnight and I have no sympathy. They can get 'what they're worth' when they've actually proved what they're worth - after four seasons in the NFL.
Ever heard the phrase..."You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time." I think that sums up the top 10 picks. Franchises just seem petrified of failure and ridicule. If they stopped listening to the media hype of players being fed by the agents they would have a much clearer view of what they are getting.
I agree, but I also think the ridicule would be easier to handle if it didn't come with a $10-30 million price tag!
The drafting advantage in the later rounds is what I think helps as much as in the 1st. You get a nearly 1st rd pick in addition to your top pick, nearly 2nd rd etc. Nobody wants to be the team that negotiates too hard and doesn't sign its 1st pick. hmy: How do you explain that to your fans? The players know they have the negotiating advantage. Just read posts around here and you'll know what some people will say about "not being active".
I think if ALL First Round players get X amount All second round gets X, etc... Then trading down for price reasons go away and the teams don't get penalized for having several bad years. After that bonuses should be layered on the draft picks. Start a game get X Start all 16 get X Certain benchmarks hit, get X Then rookies need to prove themselves. The good ones will be rewarded. There's incentive to excel. Then after your rookie contract of 3 years, THEN the negotiations begin.
I certainly like the idea of rookies needing to prove themselves before getting the really big money. Something will have to be done eventually because their money is just getting out of hand.
Honestly it should be a fairly set deal on the signing bonuses. No rookie should walk in and have the LARGEST contract on the entire pro team. they should set a maximum signing bonus for each selection in the top 10. pick 1 gets a max bonus of 15 million pick 2 gets 13 million pick 5 gets 10 million pick 10 gets 8 million. Something along those lines. 30 million garenteed for signing my name? good god, what is the incentive to actually give a damn on the field? I also enjoy the idea that they should be clearly incentive based, and after 5 years, all first round contracts are up, and after 4 years, all others are up. that way the teams can resign people for money they actually have earned...
