40 million?!? Pashaw! Let's add a couple zeroes, shall we?

Is it just me, or has this NFL season (still in its infancy, I know) produced more money-grubbing babies than I've ever seen in the past? Certainly, we're all used to the free agent veterans "shopping around" (there are less polite terms but, for the sake of the general public, I'll refrain) for the best deals in the league. But what is up this year with all of the rookie holdouts? Eli Manning got a $45-54 million package and it seems that Rivers wants the same thing. The Packers finally got their first round pick into camp this morning and Roy Williams is finally headed to camp, but there are still a number of rookies holdouts around the league.

Granted, the salaries these players are paid are obscene to begin with, but what gets me is the fact that these players are totally untested, unproven commodities. The Giants just paid $45 million for a "chance" at a great quarterback. Ever heard of people like Tony Mandarich? Not all of these guys pan out.

On the flip side, I barely batted an eyelash when Payton Manning inked his $99 million contract that will average over $14 million a year. I just find it hard to swallow that these kids are holding out for this much money when no one even knows if they'll be able to play.