Chris Cooley speaks out against rookie pay system

[Defensewins]

Commissioner Goddell has already made a new Rookie cap/salary structure a priority:

Rookie salaries out of this league - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

"having unproven rookies with such immense salary power is no way to operate a league; is unfair to veterans"

"No one agrees more than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who wistfully comments on how the NFL needs to copy the NBA’s cost controls."

"the NFL is where the control is with the league. But on this one undeniable issue, Stern has what Goodell only possesses in his dreams."

"The NBA by controlling rookie salaries for at least three seasons, has set up a sort of in-house developmental league. A team has plenty of time to not only analyze ability, but even improve it before making the decision on a major deal."

"The NFL has no such luxury, making the top of the draft the ultimate high stakes crap shoot."

“A salary structure definitely makes sense from a league standpoint and from a team standpoint,” Conley said. “From an athlete perspective, we’ll keep it.”

The NFLPA has vowed to fight any rookie salary structure, but Goodell has already begun framing the debate not as an owners vs. players clash, but a veterans vs. rookies (or future rookies) battle. As owners swim in revenue, Goodell can’t cry poverty. He can argue fairness.

“I think it’s important to veteran players personally,” Goodell said at last month’s league meetings. “As a veteran player, you’ve proven your performance on an NFL field and that should be rewarded.

“When you see players come in (who) have not played in the NFL and it’s unclear as to whether they will be able to play at a certain level in the NFL, I think that’s a fair point.

“It’s not necessarily saving dollars but putting dollars to the players who should get them.”

If Goodell can get this one done, he will have finished a virtual clean sweep against the NFLPA.