Sports Commentary
The NFL has finally reached the tipping point of rookie contract absurdity.
Based purely on potential and his draft position, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long becomes the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman and his six-year, $57.75 million contract (including $30 million in guarantees) trumps the seven-year, $50 million contract (including $20 million in guarantees) signed in 2005 by eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell laments a “system” in which a bust can still break the bank.
“And I think that’s ridiculous,” Goodell said last Friday at a sports symposium at the Chautauqua Institution.
Goodell and his NFL peers have only themselves to blame.
Now they need a solution, and the looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in 2011 compels the league and the NFL Players Association to reassess their labor agreement. The NFL, the country’s most popular sport, would be wise to borrow a page from the NBA’s playbook.
NBA owners have their own issues with player contracts but their system rewards veterans. Rookies are guaranteed salaries for only two seasons, and the club has an option in the third and fourth year. After that, proven players can cash in with eight-figure guaranteed contracts.
Take LeBron James, one of the NBA’s top talents.
In 2003, he signed a contract that guaranteed him $12.96 million over his first three seasons, with a club option of $5.83 million in the fourth. In July 2006, James signed a five-year, $80 million extension. So if Derrick Rose, this year’s top draft pick, is a colossal failure, the Chicago Bulls can cut their losses at $8.33 million.
Contrast that to the NFL, where mistakes are magnified.
The Houston Texans selected David Carr with the top pick in 2002 and signed him to a seven-year, $46.2 million contract that included a $10.9 million signing bonus. He was just 22-53 as a starter, yet Carr collected more than $35 million in five seasons from the Texans.
So how did the NFL get here?
Much of that can be credited to or blamed on -- depending on one’s perspective -- rookie quarterbacks. Given the importance of the position, quarterbacks are often the top pick (eight of the last 11), and they are generally rewarded with more handsome deals than players at other positions. Incentives and escalators are also fairly standard parts of their deals, even if they’re not top-10 picks.
And what happens when a non-quarterback goes No. 1?
Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Tony Romo (9) and Brad Johnson (14) prepare to make passes during NFL football training camp, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, bottom left, drops back to make a pass during drills at an NFL football training camp, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, left, chats with head coach Wade Phillips during an NFL football training camp practice, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Members of the media take photographs and look on as the team goes through its first football training camp practice, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. The Cowboys reported that nearly 4,000 fans showed up to the opening of their NFL camp. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones looks on at drills during the teams NFL football training camp, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush (25) sprints upfield during the afternoon practice session at the NFL football team's training camp in Jackson, Miss., Friday, July 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones reaches out for a pass during drills at the NFL football team's training camp, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens waves to fans after arriving to the practice field during NFL training camp, Friday, July 25, 2008, in Oxnard, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner throws over teammate Matt Leinart's back during the first day of the NFL football team's training camp Friday, July 25, 2008, in Flagstaff, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
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Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks Matt Leinart (7), Kurt Warner (13) Brian St. Pierre (2) and Anthony Morelli (12) take snaps during the first day of their NFL football training camp Friday, July 25, 2008, in Flagstaff, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
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In 1999, the Cleveland Browns selected Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch first overall then signed him to a seven-year, $48 million contract that included a $12.25 million signing bonus. The next year, with the top pick again, the Browns took defensive end Courtney Brown and handed him a six-year, $45 million contract that included a guaranteed bonus of $10.8 million.
But defensive end Mario Williams defied that example in 2006, when he signed a six-year contract with more guaranteed money ($26.5 million compared to $24 million) and overall value ($54 million compared to $49.5 million) than his No. 1 predecessor, quarterback Alex Smith.
Naturally, there’s a domino effect.
The No. 1 player’s contract sets the tone for each one thereafter and also sets the tone for veteran contracts.
Owners and league executives have been complaining for years about this, yet they still ultimately sign players to these contracts.
“It doesn’t surprise me, because league revenue is skyrocketing. These contracts aren’t coming out of thin air,” said agent Mark Bartelstein, the founder of Priority Sports & Entertainment, a management firm that represents both NFL and NBA players. “I promise you these owners would not pay these contracts if they couldn’t afford it. The NFL is a vibrant, vibrant business.”
Contrary to several reports, the NFL does, indeed, have a rookie salary cap. Each team is given a cap number, based on the quality of their selections and the quantity of their picks. But the flaw is that the cap only applies in year one, which leaves the possibility of sweetening deals in later years of the deal.
Despite the NBA’s rookie scale, Bartelstein insisted there are still “things to work out.”
But the fact that rookie holdouts don’t happen reinforce the boundaries that are clear to everyone.
“There is more of a system in place of where you can go financially,” said Bartelstein, whose company represents athletes like forward Antoine Walker and linebacker A.J. Hawk. “In the NFL, you don’t have the limitations.”
In other words, the sky is the limit.
Top NFL rookies deserve multimillion bonuses and contracts. They play a sport popular and profitable at every level. Besides, Fortune 500 companies aren’t limited to what they can do and offer to hire the top college graduates. But the NFL system needs to be re-examined when quarterback Matt Ryan, the third overall pick, signs a contract more lucrative than Tom Brady, a three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowl selection.
Some veterans are grumbling about how out of whack rookie contracts are. But know this: they were rookies once, and they weren’t giving any owner a discount.
Cheerleaders perform during training for the beach volleyball events ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 7, 2008. (Carlos Barria, Reuters)
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Chinese cheerleaders perform at the break of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team against the Russian National Team during the USA Basketball International Challenge exhibition game at the Qizhong Arena on August 3, 2008 in Shanghai, China. (MN Chan, Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders dance during the men's preliminary round beach volleyball match between Russia and Italy at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform before the men's 69kg Group A weightlifting competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Yves Herman (CHINA)
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A man rides a bicycle past tribunes as Chinese cheerleaders wave flags at the rowing venue during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympics Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympic Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground, August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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A cheerleader is thrown up the air while performing during half-time break at the men's pool MB hockey match between Australia and Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform during break of men's field hockey match between Pakistan and Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games on August 11, 2008. Great Britain won 4-2. AFP PHOTO/ AAMIR QURESHI (Photo credit should read /AFP/Getty Images)
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“Once you become a veteran, you want a system that benefits you,” Bartelstein said. “That’s human nature.”
Revamping rookie salaries will be one of the key points of contention between the NFL and NFLPA.
As in any negotiation, there has to be some give-and-take.
But given the trend, the league has to make scaling back rookie contracts one of its central points.
Inflated numbers are most problematic at certain positions -- mostly quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive end and cornerback – but, at the current rate, this will impact every player, on every roster, with veterans constantly pushing for deals on par with rookies.
A work stoppage and failing to find a resolution aren’t realistic options.
All that is at stake is the NFL’s standing atop the domestic sports summit.
Sean Jensen can be reached at nothinbutlovefor@aol.com.
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