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NFLPA Not Happy With NFL’s Rookie Wage Scale Proposal

A rookie wage scale has been a disputed item in current Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA.  The NFL would like rookie contracts to be based on a wage scale based on the thought that rookies are vastly overpaid and are taking money away from established veterans.  To an extent, the NFLPA seems to be willing to work with the NFL on this matter.  The NFLPA has stated that it will back a proposal that decreases the maximum length of rookie contracts to 4-years in length for players selected in rounds 1-3, and 3-years for players selected in rounds 4-7.  The Association will also agree to put a cap on incentives and escalators in rookie contracts.  However, the NFLPA does not want a slotting system like the NBA employs.  Instead, the Association is promoting a system where rookie contracts are still negotiated on a case-by-case basis.  This would certainly help agents continue to justify their 1-3% off of the rookie contract.

NFLPA Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith, recently sent a memo out to NFLPA Certified Contract Advisors commenting on the terms of the NFL’s counter-proposal.

Agents obviously are not thrilled with the first bullet point in Smith’s memo. No individual negotiations of contracts at all, would again make it very difficult for agents to justify taking any commissions on rookie deals.  Who is going to front the Combine/Pro Day training expenses then?

Smith emphasized that the wage scale would be 5 years for 1st rounders and 4 years for all other drafted players.  These are longer deals than what the NFLPA has proposed, and threatens to prevent many NFL players from ever hitting the free agent market.  Furthermore, minimum salaries would be reduced.  Smith frames this as implementing a veteran scale as opposed to a true rookie scale.

The memo does a good job at distinguishing the NFL’s proposal from the current NBA wage scale.  The NBA scale only applies to first round selections, is fully guaranteed for skill and injury, is still subject to some negotiation (80%-120% of the slot value), and only lasts three years.

Overall, I believe that the memo is extremely effective.  It is not too long or wordy and certainly gets the NFLPA’s point across to anyone who takes the minimal amount of time to read through it.  Job well done by Smith, but nobody truly “wins” until there is some true progress made by each side in coming closer to an agreement.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “NFLPA Not Happy With NFL’s Rookie Wage Scale Proposal”

It will be interesting to see who “wins” this fight, owners or players. It seems like the owners have an uphill battle since they are trying to roll back gains the players already received in the last contract. I’m betting we go to an 18 game schedule (what owners want) but keep most everything else the same (what players want). There’s an informative article about this at http://www.thebestsportsblog.com/nfl-lockout-summary.html

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