The Jets have a new 50 million dollar man and hes never taken a snap in the NFL.This past week Mark Sanchez, the former USC star signed his big time contract in rare and timely fashion. You can tell the Jets want Sanchez as their opening day-starter and they did what it took to make sure a long and pointless hold-out did not derail the season. It is good to see the Jets are stepping up to the plate but it shows some very big flaws in the system.
The NFL needs to step in and cap rookie salaries... fast. No wonder drafting, especially QBs, is the most nerve racking process in the NFL. Basically you are staking the future of your organization on a college kid. You are sinking millions of dollars into speculation. Think about the Ryan Leafs and Kyle Bollers. Its not just QBs but really any top-10 draft pick now-a-days (see Charles Rogers). Teams are expected to make a huge financial commitment to a player who nobody really knows how they will turn out. Ryan Leaf set the Chargers back 7 years to the point where they one of the worst franchises in sport. The 49ers aren't doing so hot after drafting Alex Smith.
I'm not saying these guys should not be compensated for their work but it needs to be restricted. The #1 draft pick may be the most overvalued assets in sport. The Jets are staking millions of dollars and the future of their team on the right arm of a kid. The Lions are doing the same. If it works out great. You have an absolute stud and a face of the franchise but if it fails be prepared to wait out the storm.
Now personally I love Mark Sanchez. Coming into the draft I thought he was the best QB in the draft. Sure Stafford had the howitzer arm but Sanchez has the athleticism that is so important for a QB. He can make plays with his feet, not running, but mobility. You don't need to be Michael Vick back there to be effective with your feet. Look at Roethlisberger, he buys time with his legs and it is a huge asset to his team. Sanchez brings that to the Jets, who have never really had this type of athlete at the QB position. Should be interesting; for the sake of the future of our franchise let's hope it all pans out.
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You say that by sinking so much money into players right out of college, teams are taking an increasinly large risk in the future of their teams. But aren't players also taking a huge risk? Yes, the Super Chargers lost 7 years but they're still running and are actually pretty good. A profession athlete, especially a football player, has to make the most of the little time he has to make money that needs to last for the rest of his life (the exception is true super stars who keep making endorsement money), so I really don't think it's ridiculous that a team needs to put out that money to get a good player. Plus, if they do turn out to be very good, the team more the recoups its money.
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