Draft Day and Labor Talks Share a Focus: Rookie Contracts

That was what happened to Dak Prescott, the quarterback who was disappointed when he was taken in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He signed a rookie deal worth about $4 million, far less than the $28 million contract signed by Jared Goff, the Rams’ quarterback, who was chosen first over all that year.

But if the Rams exercise their fifth-year option on Goff, Prescott will end up getting a bigger second payday earlier. The Cowboys may also extend Prescott’s rookie contract before it expires, according to several reports.

“Prescott is in a better position,” said Mike Tannenbaum, a longtime front-office executive with the Jets, the Miami Dolphins and other teams. “He received less money upfront and he might be disappointed on draft day that he didn’t get drafted in the first round. But he comes up for negotiations sooner.”

Of course, no single issue is decided in a vacuum, so any concessions the owners ask of the players are likely to be met by concessions the players ask of the owners.

The reality, though, is that many players are cut or traded before their rookie contracts expire, according to statistics compiled by the website Over the Cap. Of the 256 players drafted in 2015, 146 players, or 57 percent, did not finish their rookie contracts. Another 18 players had their rookie contracts extended, while teams exercised their fifth-year option on 15 players.

These numbers suggest that players ought to push for contracts that include a larger percentage of guaranteed money. But securing more guaranteed money for rookies could end up reducing the amount remaining to pay veterans, something the union also must consider.

“The tension that exists for the players association, does it focus on existing members, does it focus on incoming members or on former members of the association?” said Amy Trask, the former chief executive of the Raiders. “They have to be very aware of the law of unintended consequences.”