lolcontracts

an interesting skirmish of words is shaping up between the nfl's commish and the players' union head. lines are forming in the larger battle between the owners and players as the cba is set to expire in 2011 and the salary cap to dissappear in 2010. and the issue of rookie contracts is one likely battleground in the coming negotiations.

last friday, goodell addressed a crowd in western new york on many topics, but received the largest press for his comments on the state of rookie contracts and the possibility of a rookie pay scale. sunday, upshaw responded to goodell while addressing the newest class of rookies at the nfl's annual rookies symposium.

their stances may be predictable enough, but what's going on behind their words? fuhbaw takes a closer look.

goodell: There's something wrong about the system.

upshaw: We're not in the position to try to take money from anyone.

while goodell is talking about the rookie contracts in particular, he is in fact enforcing the owners' overall logic for opting out of the cba. rookie contracts are one of the factors driving up player's contracts, making it harder for team's to balance their contracts within the structure of the salary cap.

upshaw on the other hand is making it very clear that he's going to use the inertia of the status quo in upcoming negotiations. the union is not only set to dig their heels in the ground over their piece of the pie - 60% of overall football revenue under the current cba - but they are also not interested in placing any more restrictions on the open market of the nfl.

goodell: The money should go to people who perform... Now, with the economics where they are, the consequences if you don't evaluate that player, you can lose a significant amount of money... And that money is not going to players that are performing. It's going to a player that never makes it in the NFL.

upshaw: Our job is to make sure you get as much as you're entitled to and not be restricted by anything else. We have never agreed to such a system. I don't see us agreeing to such a system in the future.

here's where it gets interesting. goodell's appeal is aimed at veterans, the largest base of the player's union. the possibility in the coming cba negotiations exists for the owners to offer a slightly larger percentage of overall money to veterans by driving down rookie contracts among other costs. this in turn could rollback some of the overall percentage the players currently receive while at the same time providing more money for veterans.

by contrast, upshaw wants to keep that overall percentage of revenue the players receive intact. the lure of big paydays is the best way for upshaw to keep the players in ranks behind him. in effect, the union head is dividing the players' collective interests while teaming together their individual hope for a large cash in.

ballooning rookie contracts have driven up the value of much better and proven players over time. very good veterans land large contract extensions from their teams. decent to mediocre players hitting the free market pull down disproportionately fat contracts (bernard berrian, anyone?). part of that puzzle of more money, more money is the rookies driving perceived value up. revisit the words of tommie harris on his four year, $40 million contract signed a week and a half ago:

It was the principle of the whole deal. I wanted this deal done because the NFL gave me a price tag. I don’t believe any NFL player deserves the amount of money that we do get. But in the business that we’re in, they give us tags and say, ‘This guy’s worth this, this guy’s worth that.’ We play a game - a kids’ game - and get paid a king’s ransom.

harris in part can thank rookie tackles drafted early whose big bucks before playing a down helped raise his worth. consider the top free agent running back of this year, michael turner. turner signed with atlanta before the draft, a six year, $34.5 million contract with $15 million in guarantees. now consider the contract of the first running back selected in this year's draft, darren mcfadden. never having played a down, mcfadden signed a six year, $60 million contract with $26 million in guarantees.

there's obviously a gap in talent between turner and mcfadden, but there's also a gap in experience and nfl durability. mcfadden's contract can only help a veteran back deserving a large payday when he walks into the gm's office.

goodell: And I think that's ridiculous.

upshaw: I think it's ridiculous that he would make such a comment.

oh good, at least we can all agree on something, both sides consider each other ridiculous. be careful, roger and gene, you don't want to look too ridiculous in the eyes of the ticket buying public.