Aaron Rodgers fires back at NFL’s broken system where a draft pick number matters more than actual talent (Getty Images)
And there are weird things around the contracts where veteran contracts, if you’re on the 53 the first day of the season, your contract’s guaranteed.
On the “Not Just Football” podcast this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback called out one of the NFL ‘s most quietly damaging practices — teams releasing veteran players right before the season opens, only to re-sign them afterward, all to avoid triggering guaranteed contract money. “The older players have been less and less respected as the years have gone on,” Rodgers said. Aaron Rodgers is not holding back anymore. Rodgers did not frame this as a complaint. He framed it as a structural flaw that the league has been glossing over for years while experienced players silently pay the price. “The NFL is not a meritocracy, not purely a meritocracy.
A third-round pick sits on the 53-man roster while a more deserving veteran on the practice squad gets the call to actually play on game day. Because of the round in which they were selected, he pointed out that franchises frequently protect roster spots for draft picks who have not earned them, simply. Because he’s on a rookie contract, or we don’t want to lose him because we drafted him in the fill-in-the-blank round, “So, there are certain guys on the team that didn’t actually earn it; their draft spot earned it. … So, you’re basically saying, ‘This guy’s only on the roster.
They get released, sit in uncertainty for days, and then get a call asking them to return under terms the team now controls more tightly.
“Obviously, draft picks are valued more than others in certain places,” Rodgers said. It is, frankly, a loophole hiding in plain sight. And what makes it worse is that the players most affected by it are precisely those who have given years of service to the league. That is not how a league that talks endlessly about player welfare should operate. The practice squad has improved — Rodgers acknowledged that — and older players can now hold spots there in ways that were not possible when he entered the league. But that is a minor concession against a much broader structural problem. But this guy who’s on the P-squad is a better player. That’s why he’s going to play in the game this week, even though he’s on the P-squad. ‘ That’s always been backwards to me.”