Smart way to fix rookie pay for QBs

It's NFL Scouting Combine time again.

Lock, load and fire on JaMarcus Russell.

He remains the prime example why the NFL wants a rookie salary cap in labor negotiations with the NFL Players Association.

Of the past decade's biggest and most costly draft busts, the former Oakland Raiders quarterback and alleged "purple drank" connoisseur tops the list.

Second place isn't close.

As 2007's top pick, Russell signed a contract that essentially guaranteed almost $40 million in the first four years of the deal.

Money for nothing.

Russell washed out of the league after three seasons. He left with a 7-18 starting record, 65.2 passer rating and a training ethic that could someday land him a celebrity spot on "The Biggest Loser."

But rather than heap further abuse on Russell, consider this:

A. The Raiders didn't provide the environment needed for an early-entry junior to succeed. There was a meddling owner (Al Davis) pushing for him to play prematurely, a head-coaching carousel with Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable, poor locker-room leadership surrounding him, mediocre wide receivers and a shaky offensive line. Even a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would struggle under these circumstances.

B. Had he fulfilled expectations, Russell would be considered a bargain by today's standards.

Such is the hit-or-miss draft nature of the quarterback position. The NFL and NFLPA should consider that when debating how to temper rookie salaries.

Russell and the other 2007 first-round golden child — Brady Quinn — didn't prove worth the initial investment. The same can be said of other high-priced washouts from previous drafts like Ryan Leaf, David Carr and Matt Leinart.

But the top picks who have panned out were well worth it.

Let's use Atlanta's Matt Ryan as an example. As the No. 3 overall selection in 2008, he signed a six-year rookie contract that could yield as much as $72 million. According to rotoworld.com, Ryan's base salaries for the next three seasons are $11.25 million, $11.5 million and $10 million.

If he continues to blossom as one of the NFL's top players, those are modest figures. In comparison, Indianapolis recently placed a one-year, $23 million franchise tag on Manning. He will ultimately land a contract that exceeds the five-year, $78.5 million deal that Brady inked last September.

Eli Manning of the New York Giants signed a seven-year, $106.9 million contract in 2009. Days later, San Diego's Philip Rivers inked a seven-year, $98.25 million deal.

Such is the cost of doing business at the game's most important position.

Ryan, Rivers and the Mannings have shown what can go right when a quarterback fulfills the expectations inherent in being an early pick. Sam Bradford, last year's top overall pick by St. Louis, is on his way there after winning 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Eight of this year's playoff teams were quarterbacked by a first-round pick. The same goes for five of the last six Super Bowl winners.

The only way most clubs land franchise signal-callers is through the draft or by trade. Free-agent options are rarely appealing. Two of this year's biggest names — Alex Smith and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck — may re-sign with their respective squads. Tennessee's Vince Young and Washington's Donovan McNabb will likely be released this offseason but neither is considered the type of player you build a team around.

Kerry Collins? Tarvaris Jackson? Marc Bulger? Meh.

A trade is another possibility. But acquiring a veteran like Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb, Green Bay's Matt Flynn or Denver's Kyle Orton would likely require heavy draft-pick compensation as well as a lucrative contract extension since all three are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2012.

The quarterback dearth may cause needy teams to reach in April's draft. Missouri's Blaine Gabbert and Auburn's Cam Newton are the only first-round locks in a year when seven of the first 10 teams picking (Carolina, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Arizona, San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington) have to at least consider addressing the position. Quarterback-needy teams like Minnesota (No. 12 overall selection) and Miami (No. 15) are likely out of the running for Gabbert or Newton.

When a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, guaranteed money for early picks will be scaled back and reallocated to veteran players. The measure is long overdue.

But on the flip side, those rookies will be signing shorter deals. That means the ability to test the free-agent market will come sooner as well.

The franchise tag could be used to restrict a quarterback from moving, but doing so carries a heavy hit against the salary cap that will be reinstituted when the new CBA is completed. Deals with other pending free-agents may be impossible under those circumstances.

Here's a solution: Treat first-round quarterbacks differently in the new CBA. Allow a longer rookie deal — let's say a five-year maximum rather than four for other players — that also brings a higher salary and more guaranteed money as an offset.

It's a win for both sides — which wasn't the case for the Raiders with Russell.