The NFL and Rookie Salaries

WARNING: For those who do not like cursing and those who are of a tender young age, you might not want to read this. I am not outraggous, however, there are a few words in here that might not be appropriate for you. You have been warned a head of time. Carry on!!!

My Twitter Family and close family/friends all know that I am a big fan of football. I am not talking just NFL. I mean anything football related from Pee Wee Football to the NFL I enjoy watching. My favorite NFL team is (and always will be) the San Francisco 49ers and my favorite college team is Alabama Crimson Tide.  My favorite NFL players are Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith (Ok I know that one is crazy since he was with the enemy…but cannot deny his greatness…LOL) and a few others.


Now I will admit I am not an NFL expert. I cannot give you a history lesson about the game of football. I cannot run off stats and statistics of the NFL greats. What I can tell you as a major football fan is common sense. Like most NFL fans we do know right from wrong and we can spot bullshit a mile away when it comes to the game we love. True football fans are passionate about their team and the news they hear, which leads me to the whole purpose of my blog post today.

There is one aspect of NFL (and any sport to be honest) that I just don’t understand. Every year we watch the college players make it to their dream…the NFL Draft. We watch to see who goes where and in what round. Then we wait to find out who gets what when they sign their first professional contracts. Every year they have holdouts because they just feel they deserve more than the previous year. They honestly believe that they have the right to make more money than the players that have been playing the game for years and took their teams to the playoffs and the ultimate Super Bowl. And what is worse the team owners let them believe this by having these contracts in the first place.
Yesterday we all heard the news about Sam Bradford signing a contract with the St. Louis Rams that gives him nearly $78 million over 6 years with $50 million guaranteed. That’s $13 million a year people. Do you realize that this deal alone does put Peyton Manning and Tom Brady is an excellent position with their contracts. Here is a rookie who hasn’t even thrown the football in a pre-season game. Hasn’t completed a snap or even made 1 damn touchdown yet and he is making as much, if not more than two vets who are Hall of Fame bound. The vets have to holdout and “prove” why they deserve more money than a player who hasn’t done shit. Is it just me or does anyone see something very wrong with this picture? Peyton and Tom shouldn’t have to hold out at all. They should be able to walk into the office and say this is what I want and get it. Why? Because their asses have earned it. They both have worked hard for their money and popularity. The vets should be having their asses kissed right about now. And this isn’t just for the quarterback position. I am talking about any NFL player position.
The part that really gets me about this is that they still haven’t learned from the JaMarcus Russell issue. Not only was he guaranteed $30 million and held out until after the season had already started , but after three years didn’t do anything to prove to the Oakland Raiders that he deserved the money they agreed upon. I am not a professional athlete so I can't say their job is easy, but just as many will say that sports are a business it is also a job. In any job you get paid a base amount when you start and get a raise based on what you have proven that you can do.

Look at it another way. Most great players aren’t even drafted in the 1st round. Sure John Elway, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Rod Woodson, Michael Irvin, and Warren Sapp just to name a few were 1st round draft picks. However, let’s not forget Brett Farve, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Deacon Jones, Steve Young, and so on who were not.

I agree that rookies should get paid top dollar, but they shouldn't be paid more than the vets...period. When a rookie can make more money his first three years or even his first year than a vet who went to the playoffs, Pro Bowl, and/or the Super Bowl then that is wrong. If a team goes that route then they need to put in their contract something that benefits the team as well. Make the rookies prove themselves in the first three years or else. Make their contracts a challenge and not a complete washout for the team years down the line.

Of course I might get comments about how my opinion is stupid or how I make no sense. Hell I might not get any comments at all and that is all perfectly fine, but I stand by what I say. I will always love the game of football. I will always be a fanatic about my 49ers, but when it comes down to it I will always speak my NFL truths and won’t care one bit who does and don’t like it. I know my blog will not make an impact or even make anyone really care…but it is MY BLOG, so oh well. Enough Said!!!