Shutdown Corner

They are when compared to other professional athletes in the United States, anyway.

It’s not exactly breaking news that the highest-paid players in the NBA, MLB and professional golf make more than the highest-paid NFL’ers. In fact, Joe Dumars spent his entire Wednesday making the point that you don’t have to be a great player in the NBA to get big-time money.

And Sports Illustrated’s Fortunate 50 really hammers that point home. Of the top 50 highest-paid American athletes, only one NFL player cracks the top 25. Peyton Manning(notes) at number 10.

After that, we don’t see another NFL guy until Tom Brady(notes) at 28. You can find him right behind Barry freakin’ Zito and Ray freakin’ Allen.

So why, when compared to Phil Mickelson, Alex Rodriguez, and Kevin Garnett, do most NFL players look like filthy hobos, carrying all their earthly possessions around in a bandana tied to the end of a stick? Here are a few theories:

1) Endorsement opportunities are limited. I think it’s a factor that players’ faces have to be covered for most of the three or four hours they spend on television every week. You’ve also got the NFL doing everything they can to limit personal expression through celebrations, things players can wear, etc. Plus, basketball players can sell people basketball shoes, and golfers can sell people all kinds of golf equipment. Best of luck to an NFL guy trying to sell cleats or mouthpieces.

2) Salary cap/big rosters. The salary cap limits what players can be paid, but of course, that’s not unique to the NFL. The fact that they have to pay 53 guys and about a dozen coaches is unique, though. They’ve got to spread the money around a little further.

3) Contract structure. There’s some weirdness allowed in the way NFL money is handed out. If a guy’s going to make $50 million over 5 years, he might get $25 million of that in the first year, so he’ll be appearing in lists like this one in that first year, and left out of it for the next four. That’s why guys like Texans defensive lineman Antonio Smith and Rams center Jason Brown(notes) are able to crack the top 50. They both just signed big free agent deals that are heavy up front.

It’s kind of a shame. I think NFL players, generally speaking, take more of a beating than most other athletes in the major professional sports. Yet, they have the hardest time getting paid. Here’s hoping that your kids grow up to be 6’10” power forwards, and not 6’0” running backs.

Gracias, The Huddle.

• New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has an idea for a movie called "The Xbox Kid," about a young boy in New Orleans who can actually control NFL games by playing games (Madenn, I suppose) on his refurbished Xbox. According to Mike Triplett of the Saints Beat blog at the Times-Picayune, it's actually being shopped around Hollywood by the Creative Artists Agency. If this thing gets made before the "Arrested Development" movie, I'm going to lose all faith in mankind.

• Michael Vick(notes) is doing nice things for kids at a local church. His minister's a big believer in the reformed Michael Vick.

• Stop me if you heard this before, but the 49ers say they plan to get Vernon Davis more involved in the offense. Sorry, Vernon, but I'm going to wait a bit before I start moving you up my fantasy draft board.

• The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian League can no longer hide their secret lust for Vince Young(notes). They listed him on their "secret negotiation list," which means ... actually, I have no idea what it means. But it sounds extremely Canadian and secretive, and I'm sure Young is flattered.

• Peyton Manning(notes) will be happy to know that former assistant coaches Tom Moore and Howard Mudd will be returning to the team as consultants on Aug. 1.

• Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News writes about how Tiki Barber was once the hottest prospect in television, and now, no one really even notices him.

• Among the slightly familiar names trying out for the UFL: WR Travis Taylor(notes), WR David Boston(notes), TE Jermaine Wiggins(notes), QB Quinn Gray(notes), WR Reche Caldwell(notes), RB LaBrandon Toefield(notes) and WR/DB Bobby Sippio(notes).

• Jeff Fisher's son almost caught a rather large fish.

• Here's a Rodney Harrison(notes) quote via Peter King in today's Monday Morning Quarterback:

"This is football in the National Football League. I hit a guy with my forearm in his throat or his chest area, and they're trying to fine me. It's football! [...] Football now is turning into a soft, pansy sport. This is not volleyball! This is not tennis! This is some of the biggest, fastest, strongest men in the world. I think it's absolutely ridiculous."

Did Rodney Harrison seriously just complain that he's not allowed to forearm a man in the throat? Why would a forearm to the throat ever be necessary on a football field? What does the NFL have to do before it's not a pansy sport, allow throat forearms and defensive backs to carry switchblades?

• With every day that passes, it looks more and more like Julius Peppers(notes) will have to find happiness as a Carolina Panther.

•  Dan Le Batard had a great article in today's Miami Herald about the retired version of Jimmy Johnson, who sort of hated being a football coach.

• The Miami Dolphins call it the Wildcat. The version that the Cowboys have been practicing is called the Razorback. When I run an NFL team, I'm going to run the same thing and call it The Jaunty Unicorn.