NFLPA Memo Reacts To Rookie Wage Scale Proposed By NFL

NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith said in a memo to union player leaders that the rookie wage scale proposed by the NFL owners in CBA negotiations amounts to "a veteran wage scale," because it would impact players with three to five years of experience, "the core of our membership." The NFL made this proposal to the players in late January in response to a proposal by the NFLPA in which it offered concessions, including limits on the amount of money in incentives and salary escalators in the rookie contracts.

The NFLPA had proposed a maximum length of four years for players drafted in rounds 1-3 of the NFL Draft and a maximum limit of three years for players drafted in rounds 4-7, according to union memos obtained by SportsBusiness Journal. But the league proposed that contracts be five years for first-round picks and four years for all other draft picks.

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