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Matt Ryan can pick up the check at dinner with his offensive lineman for years to come, but he's not particularly popular with veterans around the league. It's not as much Ryan, as the simple fact that rookies are getting contracts that make the average solid NFL veteran jealous.

NFL Association President Kevin Mawae is clearly ready to push for some changes:

"As a guy who has been in the league for 14 now going on 15 years and being around other veteran guys, for a young guy to get paid that kind of money and never steps foot on an NFL football field, it's a little disheartening to think of," Mawae said. "It makes it tough for a guy who's proven himself to say 'I want that kind of money' when the owners, all they're going to say is, 'Well, you weren't a first-round pick.' "

Jay Feely may be a kicker, but he's a veteran who's also complaining about the new deal.

He said veteran players don't believe rookies should be "paid more than Tom Brady or be paid more than Peyton Manning" on their first contract. "After three or four years if they come in and prove something, then they get that big contract."

Expect to see more comments like these in the next couple of days. With the timing of the Ryan deal coming at the same time that the owners have junked the current collective bargaining agreement, it's possible that his deal could end up being one of the points that led to a potential rookie salary scale.