Colts President Bill Polian blasted the NFL’s rookie compensation system recently, noting that it doesn’t make sense for Rams No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford to be guaranteed $50 million before stepping on the field.
On Wednesday morning, former Colts coach Tony Dungy pointed out something that could have Polian concerned: Peyton Manning’s contract with the Colts expires after this season, and Manning surely deserves more guaranteed money than Bradford. Dungy thinks Manning and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady deserve $20 million or $30 million more guaranteed than Bradford.
“Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have to make 70 or 80 — I mean, they
have to,” Dungy said on Mike and Mike in the Morning.
Dungy then pointed out the same problem with the system that Polian pointed out: “I don’t know how you fix that other than a rookie wage scale.”
In Dungy’s view, the owners and the union need to step up and stop the insanity.
“I don’t know how Sam Bradford can come in and make more money than those two guys,” Dungy said. “There’s something wrong with the system when that happens. So the next collective-bargaining agreement, whatever else they argue about, somehow, that can’t happen.”
Dungy is right, of course. Even if the owners in Indianapolis and New England would probably prefer not to hear one of the NFL’s most respected voices talking about guarantees of $80 million.