I actually just wrapped up an article for Steppin' Out magazine where I have established a four month residency as weekly sport's columnist.
However I'm not done there with the draft. Given the extremely rare occurrence of two natives of my relatively small circulation area of Pascack Valley, NJ - Boston College's B.J. Raji and USC's Brian Cushing - I'm also working on profiles of them for the Pascack Press. That can wait until tomorrow though.
Here is my freshly crafted steppin' out article. Goodnight!
Before he ever throws a pass in the NFL, the Jets’ new quarterback Mark Sanchez will receive the kind of payday few will see in a lifetime.
The Jets pulled a draft day shocker when they traded up 12 spots to snag Sanchez fifth overall. But while the QB, who opted out of his senior year at USC, could net a ballpark figure of $30 million guaranteed, he still won’t come close to fellow first round quarterback and number one overall pick Matthew Stafford, who experts are speculating could pull $40 million guaranteed and usurp the $70 million figure for the potential value of his long term rookie contract.
It is an escalating trend in the NFL for first round draft picks to command absurd contracts and signing bonuses, but it’s a practice that might soon be approaching its end. Almost a sure and certain shift in policy is coming as the 2009 draft will be the last governed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and players’ union.
The CBA was negotiated in 1993 and extended several times, however this summer the owners voted unanimously to opt out of the agreement. They sighted inherent flaws in the massive legal document; specifically the current system allows rookies to secure higher paying contracts than proven veterans. Additionally, the agreement prohibits teams from recouping bonuses paid to players who breach their contracts or refuse to perform, as recently demonstrated in court when an incarcerated Michael Vick won a court decision to keep his bonuses.
One comparison that exemplifies the rookie/veteran contract disparity: two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger receives about $1 million more annually than JaMarcus Russel, the Oakland Raiders first round bust from the 2007 draft. Roethlisberger signed an eight year $102 million contract less than a year after Russel got a six year $61 million deal as a LSU quarterback with no NFL experience.
The owners and NFL alike will surely look to fix the out-of-control rookie contract situation that routinely puts perpetually bad franchises like the Detroit Lions in salary cap purgatory having to shell out these bonuses to top draft picks. In fact, changes could be so far reaching that the NFL could have a salary-cap free season, allowing for teams like the Dallas Cowboys to behave like the Yankees of football and purchase the best team money could buy. The way the situation unfolds will certainly be interesting.
But in the final year of the current CBA, a whole crop of local players will take advantage of the current system. Seven of the 32 players selected in the first round come from New Jersey. Here is a quick rundown of the local talent. Westwood high school grad and defensive lineman B.J. Raji was selected ninth overall by the Packers. Former Middle Town South running back Knowshon Moreno of Bedford was selected 12th by the Broncos. The Saints selected Piscataway product, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins 14th overall. Then Former Bergen Catholic turned USC linebacker, Park Ridge native Brian Cushing went 15th to the Houston Texans. Donald Brown, who played at Red Bank Catholic, was selected 27th as a running back out of UCONN. Finally, Rutgers’ wide receiver and former Bayonne High School star Kenny Britt went 30th to the Tennesse Titans.
No comments:
Post a Comment