Of Course Not, Why Would You Ask?

A few days ago I attempted to refute the notion that the newly expanded salary cap meant teams would no longer have to worry about watching the books as closely.  It's a basic economic principle that when money supply increases, prices go up.  (Thank you, Milton.)

In the NFL's case, the fact that the vast majority of players are -- at any given time -- already under contract  means that prices/salaries will be "sticky."  They won't go up right away, but over time it will happen.

Here's your "over time":

January 17, 2008
The Giants and defensive end Justin Tuck have agreed to terms on a five-year, $30-million contract extension through the 2013 season that includes $16 million in guaranteed money, according to two people with knowledge of the contract details.

November 6, 2006
Defensive end Trent Cole signed a five-year contract extension on Monday that could keep him with the Philadelphia Eagles through 2013.  Cole's deal is worth $26.5 million with escalators that could make it worth $30 million, ESPN.com's John Claytons reports. Included in that figure is $12 million of guaranteed money.

Cole got a quicker start to his career than Tuck did, but if you look at their profiles (Cole / Tuck) you'll see two guys who are virtually identical.

One year, $4 million.  Much more to come.