Combine not just about prospects

ByJOHN CLAYTON
February 24, 2015, 12:39 AM

— -- The NFL scouting combine is a full-service resource for information.

A reporter doesn't have to walk more than 100 feet for an opportunity to fill out news stories or get football questions answered. It's a great place to run ideas past sources.

Here are a few things picked up in Indianapolis last week.

Being franchised isn't as bad as it used to be. Before 2011, franchised players felt robbed of $30 million or $40 million in full salary guarantees. Now, however, almost all deals limit the guarantees to the first year of the contract. In 2013, for example, wide receiver Mike Wallace received a five-year, $60 million deal that had $27 million of guarantees. Let's look at Dez Bryant, whom the Dallas Cowboys will probably use its franchise tag on to retain. The franchise tag will guarantee him $13 million this season. A second franchise tag, if applied, would give him $15.6 million in 2016. That puts him in position to ask the Cowboys for $14 million or $15 million a year in a long-term deal. That's not too bad.

The other player advantage is that the cost of franchise tags has gotten high enough in some cases to deter teams from using them, opening the door to free agency more often.

Don't expect many big rule changes in March. The competition committee held its first offseason meeting at Indianapolis and started reviewing the 2014 season. The early word is that there's not a big consensus to add penalties and other plays to the replay challenge system. The league might consider some additions, but it wants to avoid a jump in the number of challenges that would slow down games.

Only about five minutes was spent talking about expanding the playoffs because commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't had a chance to build a consensus among owners. At the moment, there isn't a big consensus for narrowing the goal posts, but the league might try more kicking-game experiments during the preseason.

Expect a boom in free-agent spending. The salary cap, which was $133 million last season, will be no lower than $143 million -- and it's not out of the question it could grow to $145 million. There was a minimum spending level established in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement that forces teams to spend 89 percent of salary caps for the period ranging from 2013 to 2016. The 10 teams currently below minimum spending level will have to be more aggressive in free agency. Oakland and Jacksonville have lots of catching up to do.

From the inbox

Q: With the influx of underclassmen in the draft, does the NFL or NCAA make concessions if those players are not drafted? Can they go back to their college or must they sit out a year?

John in Steelton, Pennsylvania

A: An underclassman who declares his intention to turn pro gets only a couple of days in January to change his mind. Once that deadline passes, the player loses all college eligibility. There are no exceptions.

Q: It sounds like there will be two teams going to L.A. Is it possible the Rams are one of those teams and the Chargers stay in San Diego? I think this is an interesting topic for NFL fans to watch.

Mike in Addison, Illinois

A: The way it looks now, I would say it would be the Chargers and Rams moving to the Los Angeles area. That could put the Raiders in a position to possibly move to St. Louis. The pressure is on the cities of San Diego and Oakland to come up with stadium plans to keep their teams. The city you worry about is St. Louis. What if St. Louis comes up with a good stadium plan and the Rams still move to Inglewood, California? Rams owner Stan Kroenke doesn't appear to be listening to the St. Louis plans. He wants the Los Angeles move to happen.

Q: What do you think about giving each team only two challenges per game, but if the call is overturned the team keeps the challenge, without the current maximum of three challenges per game? Inside of two minutes would still be handled by the booth.

Eric in Kansas

A: There is no way the NFL would give coaches more challenges. The league might add to the list of things that could be challenged, but I can't see it ever increasing the number of challenges. The NFL is always trying to keep the length of the games as close to three hours as possible. More challenges mean longer games, and the league won't go in that direction.

Q: Each of the past five Heisman-winning QBs have been first-round draft picks (Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will probably make seven), and they have shown very little success so far. Before that, since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, only five of 15 Heisman-winning QBs were first-round picks. I highly doubt this is just a coincidence. Are teams selecting QBs solely on college production and not actual NFL talent?

Bill in St. Louis

A: Teams are selecting quarterbacks based on their athletic skills and how they project as players in the NFL. The Heisman Trophy means nothing to NFL teams. Some Heisman winners either go low in the draft or go undrafted. That award is for college success. The failure of some Heisman Trophy winners who are quarterbacks just shows how tough it is for all quarterbacks to make a successful transition into the NFL.

Q: Should the Chicago Bears try to trade Jay Cutler for Robert Griffin III? I think a change of organizations will benefit them both. It would fit the Bears' trend of getting younger, and I think RG III could get back to his rookie of the year form under a coach like John Fox.

Jack in Sauk Village, Illinois

A: That would be a bad trade for the Bears. Griffin has so many fundamentals to fix, the Bears' offense would be worse. The Redskins' offense would be significantly better with Cutler. Unless RG III improves, it would be a one-sided trade in favor of the Redskins. You are right about one thing, though. Both quarterbacks probably need a change of scenery. The Bears might move Cutler because $10 million of next year's salary is guaranteed if he's on the roster March 12.

Q: As a Dallas fan, I'm concerned with the Cowboys overpaying to retain Jay Cutler for DeMarco Murray. I think everyone can agree that the running back position has become devalued in the past years, which means the value of top-tier running backs is now less than the price of the franchise tag for a running back. How long will it take for the franchise tag price to adjust?

Mike in New York

A: That is a great question. The franchise tag includes the five-year average of the top annual cap number at each position. You take those figures and determine what percentage of the cap it is. Because of the five-year aspect of things, it probably would take three or four years to see a significant drop.