After about #15, it levels but the early draft picks are sperated by considerable margins.

I hate to point this out, but that graph represents real money. $2 mil contributes to keeping one or two well performing veterans.

Remember, you need to pay 53 people plus coaches, not just one or two people.

But I think this whole system is way out of control and has been for years now. I think I stand with many who agree that there should be a salary cap system put on rookies in the NFL, and then pay them based on how well they play and contribute to the team. The NFL is a business right? Well the business is loosing money on a lot of 1st round failures, and rookies who don’t bring it to the table on Sundays. I believe that no matter who you are in the NFL, you should be paid based on your team commitments. If all rookies came in and got paid a set amount for their first 2-3 years in the league, but then showed that their contributions significantly contributed to the success of a team then, and only THEN, show them the money. Not only will this help the NFL and NFL teams save money in an already jaked up economy, but it will motivate rookies to bring it on game day and REALLY show what their worth. Case in point, can you show me any reason now, looking back over the past three years, why Marcedes Lewis should have gotten more money than MoJo in his initial contract? Mojo has proved that he is a valuable asset not only to the Jaguars, but to the NFL all together. He is a hard working guy and a stellar role model for the youth of America, and clearly earned his pay check. Lewis? Not so much.
I know I’m probably beating a dead horse here, but something has got to change.

You can’t say what he should make when the guys behind him haven’t signed…

Great work putting it all together though… You should update this each time there is a signing around Monroe, see how much it changes the number…

.. with all of you.. Im just providing the numbers.. :)

Good idea to keep updating it. I would be fun (in a “Im on the job and have nothing to do” kind of way) to see if it will hold true.

A second round pick can outplay his contract, go into a hold-out, have his caontract re-negotiated and get moremoney…..

There should be something in place for management to take money away from underperforming 1st round bumbs when they don’t play to their contract. Why is it allowed on one side.

I dont care they get outrageous pay but its money is only flowing ONE way at the moment thats what pisses me of. Maybe their would be so many players complaining if the 1st round salaries were set and capped.

…reading more like 21.8 & 35.5, which is a little closer to reality. I see 20 to 21 mil as being the end number. The system is still broke tho.

The QBs are really on their own scale though. Look at Stafford, Sanchez, and Freeman. They are definitely over the trend for the other players.

The other issue is the comparison to the 2008 draft choices. From what I understand Heyward-Bey was paid over twenty per cent higher than the 2008 #7. I don’t think Jacksonville, and other clubs, think that kind of jump is warrented. Also Crabtree is making a lot of noise that he expects to be paid like a top five pick because that’s where he should have gone. Try that logic sometime on your boss. So the guys around him are sort of on hold because they don’t want to sign, then see somebody make as much or more after them.
I agree, it is pretty stupid for the first ten picks. After that it is pretty normal.

QB’s guarantees are generally outliers in an otherwise logarithmic graph. Basically, there should never be a straight line in any segment of this chart. However, considering the sparse amount of first round signings, this is an excellent effort.