Post by Rams GM (Frank) on May 12, 2016 10:18:04 GMT -5
The more I look over the current draft, the more issues I see with how rookie contracts are structured. When this league first started, it was initially thought that giving GM's freedom in regards to a contract option of 5 years versus the 3 year + RFA was the way to go. However, I have noticed several problem with the way this is structured. The first being that the rookie contract prices and the RFA tender prices are not inline with each other. While the 3 year + RFA hasn't happened all that often for 1st rounders in this league, the idea that a player that is on a rookie contract of 3M a year, and then can be tendered at a 1st round RFA price of 1.5M makes no sense.
The second problem is that players who are drafted in the second round and later, and essentially tying them up for a 5 year contract on the cheap doesn't seem to be realistic either. Five years in the NFL is an eternity, and if a late round pick pans out, its hard to see a player like Thomas Rawls who was selected in the fourth round only get paid a minimum salary of 600k for 5 years. Kwon Alexander is another great example, of a player who exceeded all expectations and may deserve the higher pay scale via RFA, than to sit on a very cheap rookie contract in the midst of his prime.
Most leagues that I am in have a standard 5 year contract for first rounders, while all other rookies get the 3 years + RFA. This seems to make more sense to me as we move forward as a league.
The second problem is that players who are drafted in the second round and later, and essentially tying them up for a 5 year contract on the cheap doesn't seem to be realistic either. Five years in the NFL is an eternity, and if a late round pick pans out, its hard to see a player like Thomas Rawls who was selected in the fourth round only get paid a minimum salary of 600k for 5 years. Kwon Alexander is another great example, of a player who exceeded all expectations and may deserve the higher pay scale via RFA, than to sit on a very cheap rookie contract in the midst of his prime.
Most leagues that I am in have a standard 5 year contract for first rounders, while all other rookies get the 3 years + RFA. This seems to make more sense to me as we move forward as a league.
