http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3545830

Gene Upshaw has passed away

Bless his soul and peace and love for his family.

may he R.I.P.

i know this is touchy because he just passed away, but does anyone wonder if when the next person takes over, they will be open to the idea of rookie salaries? just wondering. no disrespect to upshaw though. he was a great person.

A great man for the game - on and off the field.

RIP

great man, its a sad that he is no longer with us.

quote:

Originally posted by pthompson20:
may he R.I.P.

i know this is touchy because he just passed away, but does anyone wonder if when the next person takes over, they will be open to the idea of rookie salaries? just wondering. no disrespect to upshaw though. he was a great person.

i hope they dont want to structure rookie salaries.

quote:

i hope they dont want to structure rookie salaries.

why?

To see the success of Gene Upshaw is to compare the success of the NFL to MLB or NBA. Gene Upshaw deserves special recognition at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

why wouldn't you want a rookie salary structure? there is no reason a rookie should be making 60 million dollars and 30 of it garnuteed(sp?). thats ridiculous. they have never stepped foot on a pro football field and there already making that much money. players that have proven themseleves should bet getting that money not no rookie. but thats JMHO.

but to gene upshaw may you rest in peace. you were easly one of the most influental people in the NFL.

why

quote:

why wouldn't you want a rookie salary structure? there is no reason a rookie should be making 60 million dollars and 30 of it garnuteed(sp?). thats ridiculous. they have never stepped foot on a pro football field and there already making that much money

well after one year they arent rookies anymore they are veterns. so is the rookie that is asked to become a starter, key contributer, future of the franchise, or star of the offense/defense supposed to make a small salary his first year, and probaly the next several too? that doesnt sound right to me.

quote:

players that have proven themseleves should bet getting that money not no rookie. but thats JMHO.

and what makes you think that by lowering the salaries of rookies that veterns will go up? and its not like every rookie is paid top dollar from the get go, its the ones that are the top players and are probaly going to asked to play a major role from the start.

lowering the rookie salary also, in my mind, gives the all pro vetern less room to bargin. he can say hey i have proven myself show me the money.

there are several teams under the salary cap by a significant margin right now, and i dont seem them shoveling money out to veterns.

in my view structing any contracts would not be fair to any of the players NFLPA. if the owner is will to pay top dollar for a rookie they should be allowed to, they should just know that other all-pro type player will be asking for a raise. chances are that top pick is going to be the all-pro guy, or atleast asked to be.

quote:

Originally posted by Grapple:
A great man for the game - on and off the field.

RIP

No offense, but he was a bad man for the game off the field. Many NFL veterans don't have healthcare and disfigurement benefits because of him. He was notorious for the treatment of NFL players once they retired. However, I never would wish for him to die so terribly of course and I feel for his family.