Published July 22, 2011 - 8:43am
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There is a tentative deal in the NFL (players still need to ratify). A major part of the deal is dealing with rookie contracts and compensation. Of course, most fans and veteran players have been vocal about the large paydays going to the top drafted picks each year in the NFL. The new deal aims to address some of this.
Here are a few elements of the tentative entry-level compensation system:
- All drafted players sign four year contracts
- All undrafted free agents sign three year contracts
- Maximum total compensation per draft class
- Strong anti-holdout rules
- Limited contract terms
- Teams can extend a contract to a fifth year for first-round draftees based on agreed-upon tender amounts
- Creation of a new fund that go towards current and retired player benefits and veteran player performance – to be funded by the savings created from the new rookie pay system.
As SDS writer Skip Oliva states, “it’s a whole bunch of price controls.” In theory, agents might be less important since the rookie pay is more regulated and the potential pay day is less. However, there is still plenty of money to be made both in salary and endorsements. Agents may increase their competition for college players based on what endorsement deals and “extra” benefits they can line up for their potential clients.
If it means less going towards rookies, does this put more pressure on college football to pay athletes?
