With the new collective bargaining agreement and the saved cap space I feel the NFL draft should be held first in March then have free agency start in April. Of course the language in the contracts would have to change about March roster bonuses. But I feel this way teams draft as they need and what they don't get or do get they they decide on player cuts and who to go after on the open market. What are your feelings towards this?
Isn't this being considered already ..? I thought I read an artical on Espn about it being taken into consideration by Goodie Goodwell
The draft is the second biggest event of the year for the NFL after the Super Bowl. It's the only event the NFL sponsors where every fan goes into it convinced that their team can win on the day and the worst teams have the biggest win potential. It's in April because that lets the NFL remain relevant in the news cycles during baseball's spring training and early season. I'd be shocked if they moved it up.
Following up on Br4dw4y5ux's post: NFL Draft beat NBA playoffs in TV Ratings. It's another TV draw for the NFL franchise. That date isn't moving without TV considerations. Also: The time between Super Bowl & Draft is a time for NFL to generate some mild talk/interest in sports news on who/when players get drafted. I believe combines are being televised now or they're in consideration for TV. Time frame for this pre-draft stuff is more likely to get drawn out not shortened.
No, terrible idea. Having free agency first allows teams to fill all if their needs whether it be a one year filler or a star. No team ever wants to go into the draft picking by needs. You always want to be able to pick BPA.
i don't think the union will like this. the teams get to pick a bunch of cheap rookies and then decide what $ they want to spend on vets that have been in the league and pay dues thats definitely going to ruffle some feathers
I disagree with the premise. A free agent player is already a known commodity to teams, so teams know what they're getting. It often takes from January-April for teams to properly vet the rookies and see if they fit a particular team's needs. The rookie salary cap is already a known amount, so no matter who a team chooses, they're going to fit in under that budget. Having the draft later also allows teams to better determine team needs. If Denver signs Peyton Manning in March, they don't have to draft a QB in the 1st round (although they took Osweiler), and they don't have to potentially scramble to find a trade partner come draft day.
the rookie salary cap has made this moot...the 'need' pick has lost its luster because of free agency...gm's won't change current formula...
hehe - when I saw the thread title I thought it was someone calling for us to deliberately tank the draft and FA period
NFL Network already airs the combine. The entire thing. The average person would think its boring as hell but I couldn't stop watching it last year.
The draft is not boring and it draws people who are not hardcore fans also. It's a real money-maker for the NFL and whoever airs it.
I know in some sports like hockey, the draft is before free agency. However, the difference in that sport is that 99% of the players who are drafted don't play in the NHL the year they are drafted. In the NFL, all players who are drafted either play in the NFL, get signed to a practice squad or go play in some other professional league.
No. I'd rather have FA first so you can fill holes and know exactly what you need heading into the draft rather than the other way around. If you draft a guy with an unset roster for the most part, you never know what will happen in FA and teams could get burned big time. Plus I think it would give the FA more leverage and drive contracts up.
When I first read the title of this thread, the wording of it had me thinking the OP was going to propose an argument calling for the Jets to intentionally "flop" in the upcoming draft and free agency. I was concerned.
Amazing the difference a letter makes, right? The OP is looking for a ring. He wants a RING. How can I misspell Super Bowl so it looks like GIANT PILE OF GARBAGE?
