Highest paid NFL class ever?

[oudivesherpa]

Is OU 2010 NFL class, the highest paid ever ? If all the max contracts are paid, this year's OU NFL Rookies could earn more than $200M. Has there ever been a school that financially has done as well as this year's OU's NFL class? I know High School prospects are not interested in money, but OU's NFL class has had to almost double any other school's one years projected earnings. :D

[meoveryouxinfinity]

Is OU 2010 NFL class, the highest paid ever ?
With the #1, #3, #4, and #21 picks in the NFL draft, probably/definitely.

If all the max contracts are paid,
Will not happen. Not even close.

this year's OU NFL Rookies could earn more than $200M. Has there ever been a school that financially has done as well as this year's OU's NFL class?
Again, probably not and it probably won't happen again for a long time.

I know High School prospects are not interested in money,
Unless they go to USC...

but OU's NFL class has had to almost double any other school's one years projected earnings. :D
Certainly, it's gotta be close..

[badger]

There's always the chance that one of Miami's pro teams beat this year, even back in the 90s, but probably not.

The best part is that this will likely be the end-all for rookie contacts being maxed out, so OU will retain the record for all eternity... kind of like the 47 win streak :D

[meoveryouxinfinity]

Sam Bradford 6-year, $78M deal with $50M guaranteed, max value of $86 million

Gerald McCoy 5-year, $63M deal with $35M guaranteed

Trent Williams 6-year, $60M deal with $36.75M guaranteed

[badger]

"guaranteed money" is kind of a recent phenomenon, where it is all NFL players and agents care about, because of the post-contract year cuts. Basically, in the late 90s and 00s, players would really, really have awesome seasons known as their "contract years," thus forcing teams to give them huge contracts after one huge season... the franchise player tag was usually a non-factor, as the average of the five-highest contracts at that position was never good enough.

Then, after the "contract year" player got his contract, he dogged the next season (or got injured, or just got older), where he was paid more but performed less, then the team would cut him and the rest of his huge, non-guaranteed contract.

Agents and players were furious. The most notorious case of rebelling against non-guaranteed contracts was Drew Rosenhaus and T.O. sitting out after the Super Bowl, asking that the existing contract improve after a good, non "contract year" season. A few other clients of Rosenhaus (like the Packers' WR Javon Walker) also tried to Drew their existing contracts up. It didn't work.

So, now the "guaranteed money" demands are regular requests for new contracts. And it's annoying. I hope it's part of the new deal that all contract money is guaranteed so that there's no more of this crap.