If NFL players want to land fully guaranteed contracts, they’d need to be willing to accept short-term deals, argue Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Teams likely wouldn’t be willing to hand out full guarantees over a five- or six-year term, so two- or three-year pacts would probably become the norm. New Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is Exhibit A, as he received $84.5MM fully guaranteed on a three-year deal this offseason. Taking shorter contracts wouldn’t necessarily be a negative for players — the last years of long-term deals often turn into de facto team options, giving teams almost all the leverage. On the subject of guaranteed accords, Bills linebacker and NFLPA stalwart Lorenzo Alexander says they’re “something players are always going to fight for,” per SiriusXM Radio, while Rams running back Todd Gurley suggested to TMZ Sports that a lockout will be required before fully guaranteed deals are dispersed.
- Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley is suing the woman who accused him of rape in advance of the 2017 draft, per TMZ Sports. Conley, an Ohio State product, was still drafted in the first round last year even with those allegations hanging over his head, and prosecutors ultimately decided not to press charges (and Conley has vehemently denied his accuser’s story). Still, Conley believes the claims not only caused him to drop in the draft — he was viewed as an early first-round selection but ultimately went 24th overall — but broke up endorsement opportunities. On the field, Conley’s rookie year was a lost campaign, as he played in only two games before a shin issue landed him on injured reserve.
- A number of head coaches will be on the hot seat almost as soon as the 2018 campaign gets underway, and John McClain of the Houston Chronicle ran down the list of coaches who could be fired. Hue Jackson seems like an obvious candidate after posting only a single victory over two seasons with the Browns, while Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter was thought to be on the chopping block following the 2017 campaign. Pro Football Rumors recently examined a similar topic, asking readers which coach will be handed his walking papers first. Your early favorite? Jackson.
- In case you missed it, only 14 of 256 2018 NFL draft choices remain unsigned. We’ve got the entire list here.
I always wondered if NFL players prefer the long term nature of an NFL contract, why not just do a 2 or 3 year deal with guaranteed money? If you get injured in year 3 of 6, the team can still release you in year 4 with minimal cap damage… Julio Jones would be a prime example. Dude should be able to make $17MM a year, but instead locked himself into a long term contract.
If there really is a case for that woman to answer for, I hope Conley gets the justice he is due. Accusations like those are a permanent scar on a person regardless of whether they are found guilty or not – and those who throw unfounded accusations around should be buried to the level of damage equivalent to the nature of their accusation.
agreed