NFL contracts won’t change without significant action
In the National Football League, the overall value of a contract typically means nothing. It’s all about the guaranteed money. Teams often give out deals that look massive on the surface, think five years and $50 million. In reality, maybe $20 million of that money is guaranteed, meaning once that cash is paid out (perhaps over the first two or three years), a team can release the player without penalty, and the athlete is left holding the bag.
On Wednesday, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman talked to ESPN at the ESPYs in Los Angeles, saying that the NFL contract situation won’t change without the players going on strike. Per ESPN:
“Oh, 100 percent,” Sherman said. “If we want as the NFL, as a union, to get anything done, players have to be willing to strike. That’s the thing that guys need to 100 percent realize.
“You’re going to have to miss games, you’re going to have to lose some money if you’re willing to make the point, because that’s how MLB and NBA got it done. They missed games, they struck, they flexed every bit of power they had, and it was awesome. It worked out for them.”
Sherman, 29, is absolutely correct. The Stanford product understands the business side of the game, having gone from a cheap mid-round pick on a rookie to a rich veteran who received a four-year, $56 million deal in 2015. Next year, Sherman is owed $13.2 million and will likely be released if the two sides can’t reach a team-friendly extension, because the Seahawks can save $11 million by doing so. This despite Sherman being one of the best players in football.
The NFL is always going to give out contracts with large portions non-guaranteed until the players hold out, and are willing to stay away from the facilities until the owners cave. Considering the amount of money the owners would be forced to pay on fully-guaranteed contracts, it would likely take at least half of a season for them to cave, and more likely a full campaign.
In that scenario, players would need to save up a considerable war chest to help keep guys afloat, especially those with small salaries and big eyes who, believe it or not, live paycheck to paycheck. It sounds fairly simple, but there is a reason the longest strike in NFL history lasted seven games back in 1982.
Due to injuries and the risk that comes with them, owners don’t want to be on the hook for a full contract in the same way MLB, NBA and NHL owners are. It’s not right, but it’s reality, and like Sherman says, it won’t change until a stance is taken.