If South Korean scientists can find a way to make beagles glow in the dark, perhaps the NFL can find a way to reign in the outrageous rookie salaries.

Matthew Stafford will get $41 million no matter what he does for the Detroit Lions.

He can go 0-for-50 with 40 interceptions. Or worse, he could be the second coming of J.P. Losman and he will still have $41 million in his wallet.

That’s just wrong.

Whatever happened to earning your dough? Rookies in the NFL, at least the ones taken near the top of the draft, are set for life no matter what they accomplish (or don’t accomplish).

That eliminates a major source of motivation: making a living.

Sure. Sure. There is the pride thing. There is the competitor in each of them. You don’t become a high draft pick in the premiere sports league in the United States without having something driving you.

But with that much cabbage in the bank, it makes it pretty easy to take a play or two off, no?

What’s worse is the disconnect with Joe Fan, who has roughly $40.9 million less in the bank now than Stafford.

In Detroit, make that $41 million less in the bank than Stafford.

It’s going to be a major battle to get it change — the NFLPA isn’t going to agree to a rookie cap without a fight.

But it is needed — badly.