Another reality we've noticed in pondering the contract recently signed by Bears fourth-round linebacker Jamar Williams is that his bonus money is actually lower than the bonus paid to the player taken in the same slot in 2005.

Last year, center Eric Ghiaciuc of the Bengals was the 120th overall selection.  He received a $425,000 signing bonus.

This year, Williams was the 120th overall choice.  Williams got a $415,000 signing bonus.

Naysayers might say that it's not fair to compare Williams' deal to Ghiaciuc's, since Ghiacuic was the 18th pick in round four last year and Williams was the 23rd pick in round four this year.  (The difference is due to five additional third-round compensatory picks in 2005.)  Though we think that comparing picks based on overall slot is as apples to apples as it gets, Williams' bonus also compares unfavorably to last year's 23rd pick in round four, center Jason Brown of the Baltimore Ravens.

Brown received a $309,500 signing bonus on a three-year deal, which equate to an annual proration of $103,167.  Williams' annual proration on a four-year deal is $103,750.

And although Williams will make up some of the difference via a rookie minimum salary that bumped from $230,000 to $275,000, the $40,000 increases in the minimums pushed up the current salaries of last year's draft picks, too.

Bottom line?  The NFLPA's decision to allow only a five-percent increase in the 2006 rookie pool is going to screw the mid-to-low round picks, pushing down the value of the deals and increasing the gulf between the windfall paid to the guys taken at the top of the draft and the guys who have to scratch and claw for a major payday that might never come.