WARHORSE
04-18-2011, 06:05 PM
Lots of people are talking about the rookie wage scale and how once in effect it will open up draft day trades due to greatly curtailing the risk involved with top 10 picks to date.
Since its pretty much a given considering what we've heard so far, we can assume that a rookie wage scale is a definite with the coming of the new CBA, WHENEVER that gets done.
The talk about this years draft though, is that the same huge salaries will be involved if theres no CBA in place.
I for one, dont believe that will be the case.
Agents are sweating right now. They know the big money at the top of the draft is quickly disappearing. This draft may be their last ditch effort to cash in big. This adds more dysfunction to an already sickly dynamic between NFL teams and the agents of top tier drafted players.
Theres only an unwritten rule right now concerning the 'properly' inflated contracts that accompany each years new draft picks. You inflate a certain percentage from the years prior contracts, and you hold out till you get it. Unwritten....but written.
I dont believe that will be the case this year. Why would I sign a draft pick to an huge mega deal when I know if they hold out all year and re-enter the draft next year, they will lose far and away more money than signing a contract that while it wont be the mega deals of the past, it will be more than you would get once a rookie wage scale is in place.
What will agents do? They'll do the same thing they always do......they'll wait till someone else signs first, then try to break that deal.
There would only be one team that could screw that up, and that would be Oakland. Al Davis would sign them to an even bigger contract..............just to stick it to everyone.
Since its pretty much a given considering what we've heard so far, we can assume that a rookie wage scale is a definite with the coming of the new CBA, WHENEVER that gets done.
The talk about this years draft though, is that the same huge salaries will be involved if theres no CBA in place.
I for one, dont believe that will be the case.
Agents are sweating right now. They know the big money at the top of the draft is quickly disappearing. This draft may be their last ditch effort to cash in big. This adds more dysfunction to an already sickly dynamic between NFL teams and the agents of top tier drafted players.
Theres only an unwritten rule right now concerning the 'properly' inflated contracts that accompany each years new draft picks. You inflate a certain percentage from the years prior contracts, and you hold out till you get it. Unwritten....but written.
I dont believe that will be the case this year. Why would I sign a draft pick to an huge mega deal when I know if they hold out all year and re-enter the draft next year, they will lose far and away more money than signing a contract that while it wont be the mega deals of the past, it will be more than you would get once a rookie wage scale is in place.
What will agents do? They'll do the same thing they always do......they'll wait till someone else signs first, then try to break that deal.
There would only be one team that could screw that up, and that would be Oakland. Al Davis would sign them to an even bigger contract..............just to stick it to everyone.