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An area of interest with the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement that will greatly satisfy Bengals fans is the implementation of a new rookie wage scale. This means that the Bengals will no longer be held up with their first round draft picks during migraine-inducing negotiations. Cincinnati's previous seven first round draft picks have missed at least one practice, five of whom missed six days worth of Training Camp practices or more. Andre Smith missed 30 days in 2009, Justin Smith signing one day before the first regular season game in 2001, it's all over the map.
| Year | Player | Pick | Length of Hold Out |
| 2010 | Jermaine Gresham | 21st | Held out 5 days. |
| 2009 | Andre Smith | 6th | Held out 30 days |
| 2008 | Keith Rivers | 9th | Held out 10 days |
| 2007 | Leon Hall | 18th | Missed a practice on the first day of Training Camp |
| 2006 | Johnathan Joseph | 24th | Signed first day of camp. |
| 2005 | David Pollack | 17th | Held out 19 days |
| 2004 | Chris Perry | 26th | Held out 11 days |
| 2003 | Carson Palmer | 1st | Signed two days before the NFL Draft. |
| 2002 | Levi Jones | 10th | Signed first day of camp |
| 2001 | Justin Smith | 4th | Signed one day before first regular season game. |
Thankfully, this era of holdouts with first round picks can finally come to an end.
According to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora (via PFT), NFLPA reps were "told in a presentation" on Wednesday that first overall draft pick, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, would make $22 million during the first four seasons on his contract. Because the CBA allows the fifth season to be a team option, that increases the salary that season to one of the top paid players in the league at that position, Newton could make upwards to $36 million over five seasons with that fifth year being worth $14 million.
To put the deal in perspective, Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with the Rams last year. He got $50 million guaranteed.
So at this point you can bet that Bengals fourth overall pick won't be making more than $22 million over the first four seasons.
Comparatively speaking, Andrew Smith, the Bengals sixth overall pick in 2009, signed a six-year deal worth $42 million, $21 million guaranteed with an option after four seasons. Green would likely see significantly less than that.
Most importantly, Green won't likely be a holdout. How does that sound?