Saturday morning a group of fans won a random lottery for a chance to ask Roger Goodell some questions. Among the questions was one about the pay scale of NFL players and how large the contracts of rookies have gotten.
“I love Sam Bradford, and I hope he’s great, but he probably made somewhere between $40 and $45 million the night before last,” said Goodell. “He has not even hit the field yet and that’s a guaranteed contract. So if Sam Bradford can’t play, what good does that do any other NFL player? As much as I like these young rookies, and I do think they’re terrific, it’s crazy to give someone who hasn’t proven themselves on the NFL field $45 million. I think over these three days, we will give $600 million in guaranteed money to these rookies that you’re hearing their names. $600 million. And if let’s just say half of them don’t make it and the money is equivalent to this, that’s $300 million out the door. It doesn’t go to veterans, it doesn’t go to owners. It goes to somebody who couldn’t play the game. That’s wasting money.”
As the head of the NFL, you can assume Goodell doesn’t like when his owners waste money that could go towards the game. While he never says anything about a salary cap, you’ve got to think that’s one of the ideas floating around his head.
