NFL Rookie Contracts Are Outrageous
Last week, the Atlanta Falcons new quarterback Matt Ryan, who the team selected No. 3 overall in this year’s draft, signed a six-year, $72 million contract with $34.75 million guaranteed. That equals out to an average of $12 million a year at maximum value.
NFL Players Association president Kevin Mawae isn’t a fan of big the outrageous rookie contracts. During an interview on “The Herd” on ESPN Radio, the six-time Pro Bowl center discussed the contracts that rookies receive.
“As a guy who has been in the league for 14 now going on 15 years and being around other veteran guys, for a young guy to get paid that kind of money and never steps foot on an NFL football field, it’s a little disheartening to think of. It makes it tough for a guy who’s proven himself to say ‘I want that kind of money’ when the owners, all they’re going to say is, ‘Well, you weren’t a first-round pick.’ And I know there is sentiment around the league amongst the players like, ‘Let’s do something to control these salaries and control these signing bonuses’ and things like that, and I know that’s something that the owners are talking about and I’m sure that’s going to play into this round of negotiations for this collective bargaining agreement.”
giantsfootballblog.com
5/23/08
