In other words, a player declares for the draft. There's no bidding war the way there is with many other high-earning jobs across capitalist America. Money saved by the owners.
Veterans became free agents sooner in this equation, but that doesn't come close to countering the other advantages the owners have when it comes to the draft. "While the changes with respect to rookie compensation have certainly resulted in substantial savings to team owners, a reduction in years to free agency is to the benefit of players ," said Trask,"and should be factored in when assessing the overall financial impact of these collectively bargained changes. That said, the cost savings resulting from the agreed upon change in rookie salaries is of tremendous value to team owners.
The first pick in last year's draft, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, received a four-year deal worth about $34.7 million with a signing bonus of about $22.6 million. The No. 1 pick before that, the Bengals' Joe Burrow, got a four-year contract worth $37.1 million with a signing bonus of $23.9 million.
mikefreemanNFL Mike... Does this mean that my Swamp Dogs team in our 'Who gives a shit' fantasy league won't be doing a draft this year? Damn.. I just traded up to 6 this year