It is hard to dispute that awarding a 21 year old, junior college quarterback with no professional experience a 6-year $78M contract with $41.7M in guaranteed money is a little disproportionate. At $13M/year, this tops all current NFL quarterbacks with the exception of Super Bowl champion Ben Roethslisberger.
But I just cannot agree with you that rebuilding teams need to draft a quarterback with their #1 pick: while starting with the QB position is always a good thing -after all, he is the centerpiece of the offense and, more often than not, the marketing face of the franchise-, quarterback is also the most unpredictable of all positions. So why should teams invest Pro Bowl-type money when they really have no idea what the kid is going to be, no matter how good their college scouting was? If 2005 #1 pick Alex Smith were to hit the free agent market today, I doubt teams would be willing to pay as much for his services. And yet, would you say he does not compare favorably to Matthew Stafford or has less potential? The truth is, if you combine the unpredictability with the astronomic salary, the deal looks like an investment not even Bernard Madoff would dare consider. The Lions have a solid veteran in Daunte Culpepper, whom coaches and teammates have praised for being in the best shape since he’s out of college himself. Guys like Grossman or Leftwich could have brought some value as a back-up (Rex Grossman is still available by the way). And this would still leave room for a late-round rookie to groom, like the Niners decided to do with Nate Davis. Such approach could have allowed Detroit to pick OT Jason Smith, DE Tyson Jackson or LB Aaron Curry instead, thus minimizing both the risk and the contract value but maximizing the immediate impact.
It has also been an easy and popular topic, lately, to ask for some form of rookie salary scale. But trend is not always the way to go. The problem here is that you, along with the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and every NFL owners (not that bad of a group to be associated with, mind you), are blatantly ignoring the “long tail” of the 260-or-so draftees by opposing veterans vs. rookies, when the real issue affects all players regardless. The NFL Draft is the opposite of a free agency: rookies don’t get to chose, their Draft position does it for them. And even though the top picks end up making millions, most rookies come up as real bargains to all NFL teams. Think about what they could command if they were all free agents right out of college, free to secure the best deals for themselves with any team interested in their service and for shorter terms than the usual 5- or 6-year deals they have today. When journeymen manage to sign multi-million contracts, you bet young talented rookies would be able to do the same. Of course, if that were the case, Stafford’s contract would also go off-charts. And because the money that goes to one player does not go to others -neither veterans nor rookies- I do agree that a reasonable ceiling should be enforced, but only if it were to come with a higher floor, both increasing at the same rate the salary cap increases. Owners will always find creative ways to spend less. The rookie salary scale should not serve that purpose but rather aim at fair distribution, not just for veterans but for all players.
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Laura are discussing. 
Guillaume is discussing. 
Chris Heaslip, 
Laura 10:05 am on June 9, 2009 Permalink
But surely it’s the fans’ opinions and thoughts that count and make the players half of what they are! Without the fans, they would be nothing! I think it’s unfair to generalise and dismiss and belittle the younger generation’s views and opinions on the game and players. What would you say if someone told you at 10 years old your own opinion did not count?
Paul Gassee 9:55 am on July 1, 2009 Permalink
Come on Gents! Time to get your s*** in gear…. No posts for the past three weeks….? Let’s get this media entity thriving a little bit, please ;).
Thanks!
As for Pro Bowls, we agree on their worthless status. Nowadays, with players making such huge salaries, the trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii meant very little to them. Once seen as a reward for all the hard work put into a season, the trip to the Oahu started loosing a lot of its value, as its top players could usually afford many such vacations with their families during the off season. A lot of top names started dropping out of the festivities after having been named to the Pro Bowl.
The voting will always include popularity, as a factor in which players make the Pro Bowl. That’s why the Hall of Fame operates in a much different fashion. Pro football writers are asked for their critical evaluation of players. They decide the fate of certain players, not the masses who may have been swayed by a certain player’s popularity. As the gatekeepers of the Hall, I certainly trust the John Claytons and Peter Kings in the world in making the right decisions when come time to decide whether or not players make it through the white pearly gates of pro football….