Can Rookie Wage Scale End Hold Outs Of Future Draft Picks?

Each year there is a strong emphasis on being drafted not only in the 1st round, but in the top 10. There is nothing wrong with that, but I question player's motivation for wanting to be up there? In the past it used to be to prove you were the best. Now it's mainly to hit that bit pay day. There's nothing wrong with getting money, and getting as much as you can without breaking laws, but this has become a monster in itself. Over the past few years, top picks such as Brady Quinn, Matt Lienart, JaMarcus Russell, and on and on haven't lived up to their contracts, or their potential. Let's pick on Russell first. His lack of playing time in his Rookie year was because he didn't participate in training camp because he was holding out. Matt Lienart wanted to be paid like a #1 pick though he wasn't. Brady Quinn is probably the best QB of the bunch, but he can't get on the field either.

Personally, I'd be very tempted to rest on my laurels if I think I bust my ass through pee wee football, high school, and college and DESERVED to be paid many millions before I ever step on an NFL football field. Most people would. It's like winning the lottery. Is it any wonder that more players not picked in the 1st round end up outshining those picked in the top in recent years? They have incentive to play hard and continue to get better and to master the system they are playing in. Once they prove that they are good enough, they get the big contracts. With a rookie wage scale in place, teams can focus on developing the new players and not worrying about coddling egos that are yet to be earned.

I'm sure most veterans who have been toiling away for years, who are expected to help these new players develop and become better (though they don't have to) aren't happy to be helping teaching someone they know they should earn more money than. How would you feel if you had to train your eventual replacement who's already making tons more money than you? I wonder how the vets feel when they are working hard to get ready for the next year and some prima donna, hotshot wannabe draftee thinks he's already too good for the NFL? Getting $30+ million guaranteed to be a first pick is fantastic for the 1st pick. What about the players already there and established? With very few exceptions, rookies don't make an immediate impact on any team, yet some earn more than half the team they are playing for and won't see any possible action for more than a year. I wonder how a 3rd or 4th round pick who comes in and out plays the prized 1st rounder feels knowing he's making pocket change and risking injury week in and week out to get better while Mr. 1st round holdout is making tons of money but can't get on the field because he doesn't know the system well enough.

I'm sure most NFL owners are in favor of a rookie wage scale because it would save them a lot of money. It's a gamble to give away guaranteed money to an unproven player. One of the main reasons is that you are basically guaranteeing a roster spot to the player based on the amount you would lose if you cut him for whatever reason. Some would say it's a gamble to play through college football also because most will not make it to the professional level. Well, making it to the NFL doesn't mean you automatically have a right to be rewarded without proving you are worth it. I'm also sure many agents are very against the rookie wage scale. It not only cuts into their earnings, it cuts into their potential for acquiring future clients. If you know how much you will earn when you walk into the league, you don't need a hot shot agent who is promising you so much money before you ever step on the field. Basically with a rookie wage scale, there would be many less guaranteed roster spots and more opportunities for late draft picks and undrafted rookie free agents to make a team.

I guess I can't just rant without suggesting a viable solution that could satisfy both sides. For the owners, a rookie wage scale should be in place to make the drafting process less of a gamble. They know exactly how much they are going to risk on each slot that they choose to draft. It would also afford an opportunity for them (well, the people they hire to do the drafting) to take more chances with players who aren't rated as "a sure thing" by drafting them higher.

For the agents and players I suggest that there should be a way to add escalators to the wage scale. There should be potential to earn more than the slotted amount for things like starting immediately, on-field production, and incentives for making the pro-bowl or some other achievements. That could very well motivate these new players to get into camp, learn the system, and try to contribute as soon as possible. The bigger the impact they make, the more they get to deposit into their bank accounts. One other side effect might be players drafted near the top would be wiser with their money because they won't have boat loads of it until they prove they are worth it.

I don't want to throw in how much I think should be offered to each round or pick or position because that would take entirely too much column space and I'm not an accountant or an NFL executive. I'm also sure they wouldn't give me credit or pay me for coming up with a rookie wage scale when they have people working hard to make it happen. I'm not against making money, and making lots of it. But as a fan, I don't think it's very cool to see a player making so much money guaranteed and is not being productive when that money could have been used for the players who have already proved themselves. Imagine how well the early draft picks would play knowing that somewhere on the field there's a late rounder who has an equal shot of taking their roster spot and their incentives.