The most important part of any new CBA - a rookie slotting system

[dmek25]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

If the salary cap stays as it is - - determined by a percentage of the league's gross revenues - - then any money not spent on rookie draft picks MUST be spent on other players.

Well, if it is not spent on the rookies, then it would have to go to players who are NOT rookies, no? Remember, there is a salary cap AND a salary floor in the CBA...

im not sure on this. is there a minimum that must be spent? if so, then the trickle down thing would work

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by dmek25

im not sure on this. is there a minimum that must be spent? if so, then the trickle down thing would work

That is what the CBA says and that is something the NFLPA will push hard for. They will want the floor to be as high as possible and they will want to push for all bonus monies not to count against the floor. Obviously, the teams will try to negotiate those points down. That is what collective bargaining is all about...

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by dmek25

unless you can guarantee that the money saved from this would go to veterans, it will never happen. the one thing the union never wants to see is salaries cut

Or, to the retired players' medical expenses. That's another big issue.

[CRedskinsRule]

Remember the college players going into the draft aren't represented by the players unions, so they really have no say about what happens.

[over the mountain]

I know Upshaw was against any cap on 1st round draft picks b/c with them getting huge contracts, it sets a high bar for comparative shopping for FAs.

so if a cornerback picked 6th overall gets 5 yr/40 mil, a FA corner back can then point to that contract as a comparative basis reason for why he should get 5 yr/50 mil.

but i think it has to be done. the comparison to a top 5 pick to someone picked 20th overall is astounding. unless you are picking a bonafide stud qb in the top 5, no player is worth that money imo. not jake long, suh nobody.

[over the mountain]

yeah an easy to manipulate floor. didnt the bucs last year have 2 guys with performance option clauses in their K that would have given them like 10 mil each if they blocked 20 punts in the reg season or something outragous like that to meet the floor requirement?

[sportscurmudgeon]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

yeah an easy to manipulate floor. didnt the bucs last year have 2 guys with performance option clauses in their K that would have given them like 10 mil each if they blocked 20 punts in the reg season or something outragous like that to meet the floor requirement?

Never heard anything like that - - and if there were a team that might do that it would more likely be the Cards than the Bucs.

If there is any outrageous manipulation of the floor, the NFLPA can take it to an arbitrator who has absolute final say on the matter. Clubs will be careful not to be the ones to lose an arbitration decision that could spoil things for the other clubs. That is called "pissing in the soup"; other clubs will not like that even a little bit...

[over the mountain]

A person familiar with the finances of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers says that last season, the team signed two free-agents, running back Noah Herron and defensive end Patrick Chukwurah, for contracts that totalled $25 million. Under the rules of the salary cap, the Buccaneers were charged that full amount for the players. But to actually earn that money, each player had to, among other things, block six punts apiece—an exceedingly difficult prospect. In the end, neither player ended up taking a single snap. Mr. Herron was paid $157,000 and Mr. Chukwurah $71,000, although the team's salary-cap number reflected the full value of their contracts. Tampa Bay, which ranked among the lowest teams in spending last season, has lost all six of its games. Tampa Bay and NFL officials declined to comment.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

A person familiar with the finances of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers says that last season, the team signed two free-agents, running back Noah Herron and defensive end Patrick Chukwurah, for contracts that totalled $25 million. Under the rules of the salary cap, the Buccaneers were charged that full amount for the players. But to actually earn that money, each player had to, among other things, block six punts apiece—an exceedingly difficult prospect. In the end, neither player ended up taking a single snap. Mr. Herron was paid $157,000 and Mr. Chukwurah $71,000, although the team's salary-cap number reflected the full value of their contracts. Tampa Bay, which ranked among the lowest teams in spending last season, has lost all six of its games. Tampa Bay and NFL officials declined to comment.

If a player blocks 6 punts in a season, he deserves $25,000,000 and a unicorn.

[SirClintonPortis]

I dunno, I'm not familiar with the details, but couldn't they somehow make it so that the club pays the rookie 1st rounders in the first year a guaranteed a relatively modest amount and those that decide to keep the rookie player will then have to fetch the megabucks? Just a thought, but I know there's at least one avenue of abuse.

[GusFrerotte]

Why all the hubub? The league minimum is more than enough for any of these clowns. Why slot anything, it is the owners' money and if they are paying at least the agreed upon minimum wage then it is a fair deal.