Paying the Practice Squad

[MoLewisrocks]

NE has been among the league leaders in paying select PS players well above minimum. We are once again with 2 OLinemen (Austin and Kopa) being paid a premium largely to disuade them from jumping ship if opportunity knocks. 8 other PS members Mac lists on other teams are making above minimum salaries. 10 out of 256.

I think it's criminal what the union negotiates for these guys. Most of whom spent an entire camp absorbing abuse somewhere at per diem and few of whom got a double digit signing bonus. Many of whom hail from outside the area and all of whom have to secure temporary living quarters. They should routinely get the weekly equivalent of half the regular salary minimum for players on the 53 as the mininum or their scheduled minimum (currently $5700) weekly pay should be guaranteed (even incrementally, say 2 weeks for every week on a PS roster or in full after 8 weeks with offset language if they move on to another teams PS) perhaps with the stipulation if they are waived and not resigned by their club or another there is no or limited dead cap implication on what amounts to severance for services rendered.

The Patriots are one NFL team that consistently goes above and beyond the minimum practice squad rate of $5,700 per week. In recent seasons, the Pats have paid their entire practice squad weekly rates above the minimum salary at certain points.

That trend continues in 2012 as the NFL Players Association base salary information shows that Patriots offensive linemen Thomas Austin and Matt Kopa are both earning $8,820 per week, which over a 17-week season would amount to a $149,940 salary.

New England Patriots have top-paid NFL practice squad - NFL.com

 

[patchick]

Here's what I don't get. Assuming that that way PS players are factored into the salary cap is the the same as for active players, then the rule of 51 should mean that every PS player is cost-free in cap dollars. How can it be that the Patriots are the only team to see the competitive advantage in compensating them well?

 

[jason423]

Here's what I don't get. Assuming that that way PS players are factored into the salary cap is the the same as for active players, then the rule of 51 should mean that every PS player is cost-free in cap dollars. How can it be that the Patriots are the only team to see the competitive advantage in compensating them well?

Rule of 51 ended Wednesday. All players count towards the cap including practice squad. Thats why very few teams overpay for the players beyond the minimum.

 

[patchick]

Rule of 51 ended Wednesday. All players count towards the cap including practice squad. Thats why very few teams overpay for the players beyond the minimum.

Ahh, thank you! That clears up a lot of minor cap mysteries rattling around the back of my head.

Even so...an extra $1,000 to every single player on the PS for a whole 17-game season would total just $136,000. My guess is that's an efficient use of cap dollars, given that it could upgrade an entire 8-man squad.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I'm less concerned with efficient use of cap $$ or upgrading talent than basic fairness. That said, the NFLPA is never amenable to anything that decreases the size/share of the pot available to it's primary constituency. The owners could care less how the pot is divided as long as the pot remains the same. Guys who make PS's are just pawns caught in the middle and faced with the choice of taking what is available while continuing to absorb the cumulative damage they've been absorbing since HS for next to nothing beyond a degree if they managed to graduate or walking away from the game without giving themselves a last remaining outside shot at achieving the dream of making a 53 and at least a six or possibly seven figure income for a time.

I have similar concerns for minimum salary or end of roster players. Their floor hasn't kept pace with elite players ceilings, and yet without them the elite players seldom provide sufficient value to offset that gap. It is after all the ultimate team game. The league based performance pool is something of an offset, but the fact that elite players making top tier money are still factored into that made it less significant than it could have been. The pool is currently set at $3.46M per team and can rise at the same rate as the cap. However that isn't guaranteed since the NFLPA has retained the right to freeze it...because god forbid they need that future cap money for elite players...