- Once the guaranteed money in an NFL contract is paid to a player, the team can cut the player BEFORE the length of the contract is completed. Obviously there are cap implications if a team cuts a player before the contract is completed but many teams still do it. In fact, here are a couple of former Cowboys marquee players who were cut before their contract years were complete:
- Dez Bryant- in 2015, he signed a 5 year, $70 million dollar contract. He was cut in after 3 years of that deal and his guaranteed money was paid. In other words, the Cowboys didn’t pay him for 5 years. Fans don’t seem to understand this.
- DeMarco Murray- signed a 5 year contract with the e-girls in 2015, was traded in 2016 to the titans and eventually finished his career in 2018 before his contract was complete.
- There are several other star NFL players who were cut before their contract length was honored. Like Richard Sherman when he was in Sea, Navarro Bowman in SF also signed a multi-year contract and yet was cut before it was finished.
- NFL teams also have financial “outs“ when it comes to a player getting hurt or underperforming their contract, while not having any responsibility to increase a player’s pay when a player overperforms their deal.
- The NFL is the ONLY major pro sports league that does not guarantee their players contracts.
- The NBA, NHL and MLB all have guaranteed contract for their players.
So…usually the only recourse a player has once their guaranteed money is paid is to hold out, which not only means they don’t get paid — but strongly shifts public opinion against them as the player is branded “greedy” or “not helping the team” by ownership that simply doesn’t want to pay more than is on the dotted line.
Why is Zack Martin holding out? No other pro spot, no other sports job allows for employment contracts to be torn up without paying the agreed amount and length of a contract. It’s ridiculous that owners keep requiring players in the NFL to compete without security.
Don’t fall for the verbal tricks from NFL owners. Don’t buy into their sob stories. They don’t honor the contracts they sign with players, so why criticize a player for holding out for their own protection? These billionaire owners will not be honoring their commitments and will still be raking in billions. Why fault a player for protecting themselves?
