NFL Draft - The Impact Of The Collective Bargaining Agreement

The Oakland Raiders took Jamarcus Russell as the first pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. But I contend that were it not for the new collective bargaining agreement established last year, the Raiders may have been compelled to trade out of that position in the first round, and get a less expensive player.

The new CBA contributed as much as $10 million to the salary cap of each NFL team. That's extra money that gives more "wiggle room" for the Raiders, an organization ranked 30 out of the 32 NFL organizations in terms of franchise value.

Last year, "signability" -- the ability to assemble a reasonable contract payment for an NFL rookie -- was a major consideration on the part of Bob McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans. Was this a function of the then-less-expensive CBA? You bet it was. I'll bet the Texans would have taken Reggie Bush with an extra $10 million to spend.

Or, maybe not.