The cap floor, rather than rookie deals, should be the focus of the next collective bargaining agreement for the players, Mike Florio of PFT opines. Some, like Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, wants to eliminate the restrictions on rookie deals. However, more money for rookies doesn’t do any good for the players already in the league.
The cap floor is currently at 89%, which allows teams to pocket 11% of the allowed salary cap limit on a four-year average rather than spent it on players. Using the 2017 cap of $167MM, that theoretically means that each team can bank as much as $18.37MM. In any given year, roughly one-third of teams will view themselves as non-contenders, so the possibility for mass frugality is there.
It’s rare that unions will look out for rookies over veterans, so it’s pretty likely that the NFLPA’s focus will be on the salary floor and revenue sharing rather than an overhaul of rookie slotting.
Here’s more from the world of football:
- CFL standout quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is not ready to give up on his NFL dreams, despite the fact that he turned 27 earlier this year, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano writes. The Texas native had only one invite to tryout for an NFL team and that was in 2012 when the Texans came calling. Since then, he has captured the CFL’sMost Outstanding Player Award, a Grey Cup trophy, and Grey Cup MVP award. Last year, he threw for 5,385 yards.
- Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is the focus of a lawsuit between agents Pat Dye Jr. and Jimmy Sexton, as Greg Stephenson of AL.com details. Sexton is accused of stealing away key clients when he left SportsTrust Advisors for CAA in 2011. One of those clients is Jones. If the civil suit continues into the fall, Jones may be asked to give his testimony during the season.
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