There are plenty of young sports stars breaking the bank with their salaries these days. New York Giants second-year running back Cam Skattebo isn’t one of them.
Skattebo, who burst on the scene last year as a rookie with his smashmouth, demonstrative style, will be one of the game’s biggest bargains the next few seasons.
The fact of the matter is that Skattebo was a fourth-round pick, a Day 3 pick, and they don’t get paid like players who get selected in the first two nights of the draft.
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By the time Saturday comes at the draft, there’s not a lot of meat left on the bone, so to speak, to share with the late round picks.
Skattebo was the 105th player selected last year and was signed to a standard rookie four-year deal. His slotted amount was $5.273 million over four years with a $1,073,040 signing bonus (which is fully guaranteed).
His average annual salary over the life of the contract is listed at $1,318,260. For the value he’s already given to the Giants, that figure is a little low.
Granted, Skattebo comes with great risk. He’s already suffered a serious ankle injury that cost him half a season, and his style of play could put him at more risk in the future.
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It’s really not up to the NFL to play these players more than they are required to. These rates were all collectively bargained by the union and the owners. Anyone familiar with CBAs knows that the current union members always leave less for the next generation. It’s just business.
Think of all the players who were drafted and didn’t pan out. Teams had to play them regardless of their performances. Players like Skattebo, who outperform their contracts, are becoming rare.
It’s good to see Skattebo cashing in on his celebrity, though. Hopefully, he can resume his career and continue to have success to the point where the Giants tear up his rookie deal and give him a raise.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ Cam Skattebo is one of NFL’s biggest bargain players