Players are cheap:
Sign rookies that weren't drafted to long cheap contracts. Then go to the player edit screen and increase their stats.
To reduce the start off salary stats for a franchise, cut your expensive players. Take note of stats, and then reduce them to 50. Start a franchise and sign them to long, cheap contracts. Go to edit and change them back. If you don't edit them, they may get signed before by another team before you get a chance to.
Submission: Gerard Petersen (gpete13@worldnet.att.net)