NFL notes from NFL.com

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With Smith deal done, business is picking up

By Pat Kirwan

NFL.com Senior Analyst

(July 26, 2005) -- The deal the 49ers gave Alex Smith is the best rookie contract in the history of the NFL, but that's not really a surprise. The first pick in the NFL draft usually does get the best deal for a player in the history of the league. But I wonder how many veterans sat back and wondered why a young man who could not return to college and with no other professional football league anywhere to be seen competing for his services can get a contract on par with Tom Brady or even close to Peyton Manning?

I really like Alex Smith, and from the opportunities I have had to talk with him, I believe he will be a very good player in this league. But when an unproven rookie gets a deal with $24 million guaranteed, which is close to 50 percent of the total package, no wonder some veterans believe they're worth more than the contract they signed. There was a time not too long ago that a deal with 35 percent of it guaranteed was considered a good deal for any player.

I'm not trying to tell the veterans how to do their business, but if I were a player, I would be fighting for some form of a rookie wage structure in return for better veteran benefits.

As for the rookies drafted in the first round right below Smith, good luck trying to work off the Smith contract as rationale for your deal. Smith is a quarterback and gets more for his position. He is also going to a team trying to make a statement that the glory days are right around the corner, and the club was aggressive. As one general manager said to me, "Ben Roethlisberger signed on Aug. 4 last year (10 days later than Smith) and it didn't hurt his rookie season. I would have waited a little longer, especially if I knew how high I would go."

What's up with PUP?

I get a lot of questions about PUP this time of year. PUP stands for physically unable to perform. If a player is placed in this category this week, he keeps his salary and has all the way to the sixth week of the season to come off the list and be activated to play.

Look for every team to place a player or two on the PUP list sometime this week. It doesn't mean the player has to stay on the PUP list for any specific time, but he doesn't count against the roster until you bring him off the list.

For example, the Chiefs expect to put linebackers Scott Fujita and Shawn Barber on the PUP list. Fujita will come off the list some time in mid-August and Barber may need to stay on until September.

TRANSITION TAG talk

A few years ago, the transition tag for a good veteran was a popular way for a club to protect their interest in a player. It costs less cap space than the franchise tag, which was the main reason the transition tag was popular. But along came a few creative minds who put deals together for a player given someone's transition tag and the team could not match the contract offer. Consequently, the team lost an excellent player and received no compensation. This year, only one NFL player received a transition tag: Packers tight end Bubba Franks.

Alex Smith gets $24 million guaranteed -the owners of some sports franchises have no willpower