Pro Football Talk is reporting that the meetings between the NFL and player’s association are now starting to get into financial details.  Specifically, they report by way of SportsBusiness Journal that the concept of a rookie wage scale could very well be on the table now.  The NFL is the best-run league in the United States right now and I think a rookie wage scale would only help the league further.  There are a couple things going on with the current “slotting” system that bug me.

First, the top ten picks in the NFL draft are artificially lowered in market value.  The talent level is obviously high at the top of the draft, but so is the risk because of the amount of money that the picking team will have to pay the player.  This is not to even mention the possibility that the player will hold out and not show up.  This is a disadvantage to everyone involved.  The player ends up behind in his development.  The team that presumably needs that player most is behind in integrating the player into the game plan.  The fans of the bad team that needed the player end up suffering longer as they wait for a hopeful turnaround. [Read more...]