With two big-name college players whose seasons already are over making it known that they plan to crash the April 2010 instant millionaire party known as the NFL draft, it remains to be seen how many of the guys still playing in 2009 -- and who could still continue to play for one or two more seasons -- will make the cash grab sooner rather than later.
As Keith Arnold of NBC's Inside The Irish recently pointed out, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has acknowledged that quarterback Jimmy Clausen and receiver Golden Tate have a tough decision to make, since both will be eligible to bolt from South Bend.
(And, yes, I'm pushing the NBC Notre Dame blog today because I'm on the halftime show of the Notre Dame game. We all know it. So why not admit it?)
The problem, as we've recently explained at SportingNews.com, is that a flood of underclassmen will make it harder for any of them to get paid, since there are only so many big-money slots at the top of the draft.
The safer play for the players, then, might be to let everyone else rush for the cash, and to wait until 2011, when the pool will be less crowded.
Then again, if there's a work stoppage or an NBA-style rookie wage scale by then, there also might be something floating in the pool other than a Baby Ruth.
That's why we continue to believe that the NFL and the union should find a way to get these players to realize that they don't need to rush for the exits. The best solution? The league should agree to keep the current rookie compensation system in place, and the union should make an equivalent concession in some other area of the negotiations.
It might be much easier said than done, however. Since paying rookies represents a significant aspect of the system for paying all players, and given that the league seems poised to revolutionize the current salary-cap approach, one can't be done without the other.
Decision day looms for underclassmen
Posted by Mike Florio on November 7, 2009 9:09 AM ET
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17 Comments 
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Why the hell should they keep the rookie pay the way it is ? If anything they need a cap in place so they don't keep getting burned paying big bucks to guys who end up being turds.
Sure is convenient that an NBC-affiliated blog is now pushing for Notre Dame's two stars to stay in school.
I think the players and owners should all agree that a slotted rookie pay system like the NBA is in the best interest of all. It would prevent unproven players who have never accomplished anything in the League from getting paid ridiculous money. While it seems that the current draft system helps promote parity by giving the worst teams a shot at the best college players, it really does the opposite because the perennial bottom-feeders have to tie so much of their salary cap money in the first or second overall pick, thereby limiting their ability to be a player in free agency. Also, by implementing a pay slotting sytem, money would be freed up to increase the contracts of players that have actually accomplished something on the field.
There's another thing that we all know but you still won't admit:
Remember when you used to make fun of all the commentators? You stopped doing that because you...want...to...become...one.
Who cares is there is a rush for the exits in 2010? It would be a blip before the normalcy that would occur with a rookie wage scale. And finally picks 1 - 20 would have value once again.
Seriously. Does Jimmy Clausen even get drafted?
Who's going to invest a high pick on an underclass QB... ?
At least $anchize won something in his one year as college QB.
None of these other guys that come out early pan out. Chad Henne has 40+ starts in college and is ready to play at the next level.
Stay in school.
That's a stupid position to take. Can you clarify the "we" part? Everyone at PFT wants guys like Brady Quinn, JaMarcus Russell, and Jimmy Clausen to get paid too much?
Much ado about nothing. Sooner or later you're gonna have to deal with a really good draft class.
Regardless of whether there's a change in the collective bargaining agreement there is a point when the guaranteed money will reach a level no owner is willing to pay.
The typical average annual percentage increase for each slot cannot continue to grow like it has - at some point most or all owners are going to pull a Cincy and offer less.
And by the way, when did the financial wealth of a bunch of strangers become something that any of us should care about?
Yea so they can get hurt like Sam Bradford and lose millions because some NFL scout labels them...
Im glad your not my financial advisor....
I am fascinated by the posters on this site. Many of them have nothing to add to the discussion and merely bitch about articles or personally attack Florio. If it is such a biased site and Florio is such a tool of the MSM, QUIT VISITING THE SITE!!! If it is so bad that you must complain incessantly....LEAVE!
While I don't agree with every article, I enjoy the info and opinion.
Better declare NOW because under the new agreement, I promise that rookie salaries will be capped. Players not to worry, that'll mean more cake for vets. And I truly believe that's the way it should be. Jamarcus is the prime example why. Declare now before the new agreement gets in place IF you're a Round 1 prospect, otherwise, I don't think it will matter.
"The league should agree to keep the current rookie compensation system in place"
Stupidest comment ever.
http://sports.espn.go.com/videohub/video/video?id=4368421
There has to be a rookie pay scale /slotted system. 4 distinct advantages (at least)
1-No really big bucks until worth is proven.
2-As anarkissed says bottom feeding teams will be on more level playing field so parity will mean something again.
3-Should totally eliminate holdouts.
4-More of them stay in school longer without the draw of the huge bucks.
As stated in the post I have a feeling the 2010 draft class will be pretty large.
I agree with the general sense that it is in the interest of both the NFL and the NCAA to get this worked out, so that players aren't making rash decisions one way or the other. The more rash (read: bad) decisions made, the more the NCAA is losing quality players who should be playing games on Saturdays, and the more the NFL is gaining players who, quite frankly, aren't ready to perform on Sundays.
HOWEVER, I completely disagree with the suggestion at the end that the solution to this is to keep the rookie pay scale as it is and then ask for another concession somewhere else.
Basically the logic seems to me to be: we have one thing that is broken (i.e. current rookie pay), so rather than FIX what is broken, instead let's keep the broken thing in place and then break something else in the "other direction" in order to even it out.
Two wrongs don't make a right. The better course of action is to fix what is broken. And that means doing something to address rookie pay.
Is clusen event that good?? does he have a beast of an arm?? dont know if this is all JC hype or what.. but he hasnt been that impressive... or is it all about pushing Notre Dame back into the spotlight for ratings purposes??
I am shocked *you* (Florio, not "we") think that a year or two of disruption to a few player's salaries is worth not fixing the way rookies get paid. STUNNED.
I agree with all the reasons footballrulz listed, and would love to see you post arguments against those benefits.
Someone call Notre Dame and tell them that no one looks at them like in the movie Rudy anymore. They are a run of the mill team that can't even beat a team everyone knows will run 95% of the time. Claussen isn't even as good as Brady Quinn.