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I'd like to start this blog by stating a few simple facts, which I'll return to throughout this argument. The average annual salary for a professional basketball player is $5.25 million. The average salary for a professional baseball player is $3 million. In 2006, the average annual salary for an NFL player was $1.4 million.

Keep that in mind as you read the following.

With Brady Quinn's recent hold out, the topic of whether the NFL should institute a rookie salary cap more closely resembling that of the NBA became a hot topic of discussion. The Quinn case was unique. While Quinn felt he should have been drafted higher (22nd overall by the Browns), Cleveland wanted to sign him to a lower starting salary based on his actual draft position. Quinn, who again felt his draft position did not represent his actual worth, knew he very likely would be starting for the Browns and held out for a higher salary. Both parties eventually settled on a $20.2 million, five year contract, loaded with incentives.

Rookie hold outs among high-profile NFL draft picks are common when neither a player nor the team that selects him is unable to agree upon a starting salary. For example, Oakland's top draft pick JaMarcus Russell remains unsigned. For several young future NFLers, expectations placed upon them are extremely high, almost unreasonable. For example, Quinn and Russell are eventually expected to become saviors for their respective franchises, both of which have fielded awful teams recently. These expectations are unrealistic and with below average offensive lines, rookie quarterbacks that get playing time can expect to spend much it on their backside.

I think we can all agree that the NFL is without question the most physically and mentally grueling of the three major sports. While the average lifespan in the United States is 75 years, the average lifespan for the professional football player is only 55! The average career length of a professional football player is only 3.5 years, and the post-career injuries for NFLers as compared to baseball and football are unquestionably more severe. Yet fans continue to complain when the likes of Quinn and their agents try to battle for every last cent they can get their hands on.

The NBA no longer has an issue with rookie hold-outs. In 1994, top draft pick Glenn Robinson threatened to hold out until he was offered a $100 million contract. He eventually signed for $68 million. That following year, the NBA instituted a rookie salary cap which

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