NFL Says Lions Can Pass on #1 Pick

[SkinsFan28]

I just want to clarify a few things:

1. Only the top 5-7 picks get the "huge money".

2. Everywhere else in the draft, it can be clearly shown that lots of Rookies actually get UNDERPAID compared to performance. One of the reasons draft picks are so highly valued is because they equate to cheap labor.

3. There is already a rookie cap. The "problem" is that teams and agents circumvent this cap by using roster bonuses in sucessive years as well as adding "fake" seasons at the end of the contract.

4. Some of the inflation in contracts can best be described by the evolution of the term "signing bonus" to "guarenteed money". I just don't get this... they used to report a signing bonus, which is money that a player gets upfront. "Guarenteed money" is sometimes not... guarenteed. Yea, it's weird. And then there's "log" bonuses; I don't even know what those are.

Look at the difference in contract structure of the Darren McFadden deal with the Marion Barber deal (an approximate comparison)-- McFadden first.

6/5/2008: Signed a six-year, $60 million contract. The deal contains $26 million guaranteed, including a $6.4 million "log" bonus. 2009: $3,281,250 (+ $5 million roster bonus), 2010: $3,937,500, 2011: $4,593,750, 2012: $5.25 million, 2013: $660,000, 2014: Free Agent

5/20/2008: Signed a seven-year, $45 million contract. The deal contains $16 million guaranteed, including a $12 million signing bonus. 2009: $620,000, 2010: $3.86 million, 2011: $4.25 million, 2012: $5.75 million, 2013: $6.25 million, 2014: $7 million, 2015: Free Agent

I can tell you exactly how much Barber has made (12 million+620K in his first season) and how much he'll make in each sucessive season.

McFadden? I have no idea how much he's mad and how much he will make. Absoultely no idea.

Forgetting everything else, your comparison proves completely why there should be a better (since you say there is one) rookie wage cap.
IF we can agree that a)decent to good Running backs are are fairly available in most drafts, b) Running backs have by far one of the shortest tenure in the NFL, then it seems to me. Every rookie running back should get a 2 yr rookie deal with some reasonable cap based on draft position. After those two years, he would be eligible for a new contract- preference to the drafting team.
From your comparison alone, McFadden-NEVER PLAYING A DOWN, would make more over the life of his contract, then a PROVEN LEAGUE TESTED Barber. Every Running back would have incentive to get that First Payday after 2 years, and those who couldn't cut it wouldn't get it. This seems so simple to me. Also, you would think that after two years of training those first paydays would be better then they are now.
Maybe they could factor average career span per position when developing the rookie salary as well.

 

[malone1970]

I think the Lions should trade the pick to Cleveland for Brady Quinn. But thats just my opinion

 

[DFWJC]

I think the Lions should trade the pick to Cleveland for Brady Quinn. But thats just my opinion

You mean Brady Quinn plus the 36th pick...right?