Rookie Salaries in the NFL, How Ridiculous will they Get?

Just yesterday Sam Bradford, Rookie Quarterback for the St. Louis Rams and the number one overall pick in this past year's NFL Draft signed a 6 year 78 million dollar deal with a chance for it to be worth as much as 86 million. That’s way too much to be paying any player let alone a guy who missed his last college season with a shoulder injury and who also has never thrown a pass in the League. The worst part though isn't just the amount he is going to be paid over the short span but that 50 million of that is guaranteed. Sam Bradford now can have a career ending injury 2 games in and be set for life and what can the team do about it? Nothing! Look at WR Dez Bryant, the number 24 overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys. He signed a 5 year deal worth 11.8 million dollars, 8.3 mil of that guaranteed and now just a couple of days into camp he is out 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury.


I think everyone knows who the financial burden for these huge contracts fall on. The Fans of Course! What type of penny pinching owner would even think about digging into their own pickets to fuel a championship contender? Not any that I know. Ticket prices have increased at an extremely fast pace and player salaries have done the same. I don't know anybody that needs to be making 14 million a year. If I had their talent I actually wouldn't want that, so my team could go and spend the extra cap space to bring in players to make the team a championship caliber team. What needs to happen in the next CBA is a set salary for rookies at each draft spot.


In no way should an unproven QB such as Bradford or even last years number one pick, Matt Stafford ( 5 year, 72 mil 41.7 guaranteed) be making as much, or more in a lot of cases as some of the better signal callers in the NFL. Joe Flacco, QB for the Ravens took his team to the playoffs in both of his first two seasons while becoming one of the best in the game. His salary, 5 years 11.9 million dollars seems like nothing when you compare it to what these kids are going to make. You never see him complaining though because he is a class act and he knows that he is getting paid more than fairly to play a game.


The NFL and commish Goodell needs to come up with a set system for rookie pay days because before long we will see a 100 million dollar rookie turn into a bust and send a franchise into disaster status for years to come because of one bad investment.


-A