SbB: 4% of NFL Players Have Careers Over 3 Years

Why it’s so important to get PAID with your first contract and how unfair rookie contracts are:

Over the past 20 years, 15,018 players played in the NFL, but only 631 (4%) played three or more years. The average career length is 3.7 seasons, but players do not receive benefits unless they put in four years, both stats according to the NFL.

Filed under: franchise tag, retired players, rookie salary cap, SportsbyBrooks

Wednesday’s Team Owners’ Meeting

The owners are sitting down for a business meeting tomorrow and ProFootballTalk got the scoop that the agenda includes a refresher on the rule changes that will accompany an uncapped year in 2010:

The uncapped year had been sold for years as a boon for the players.  In reality, it could be a bust.  With no salary cap there also will be no salary floor, allowing cash-conscious teams to paste together a roster limited only by the minimum salaries applicable to the various levels of experience.

Also, players will need six years of service to become unrestricted free agents, and teams will be able to use one franchise tag and one transition tag or two transition tags to limit the options of unrestricted free agents.

Perhaps most importantly, the rules limit the ability of teams finishing in the final eight to sign players from other teams.

Florio’s got more through the link.

Filed under: franchise tag, salary cap, Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk