Duke Ihenacho Discusses NFL Contracts in the Players' Tribune

Washington Redskins safety Duke Ihenacho had a eureka moment during the offseason as he watched NBA free agents land monster guaranteed contracts. The situation caused him to start thinking more about why NFL players don't benefit from the same type of commitment.  

Ihenacho, who's out for the season after suffering a wrist injury in the Redskins' season opener, took some of his extra time to produce a piece for the Players' Tribune. He discussed the moment things really started to click in for him:

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At the bottom of the screen, the ticker said it all. This guy's getting $80 million. That guy's getting $70 million. So-and-so agreed to $60 million. But these weren't necessarily A-list players in the NBA. These were second-tier guys, and they were getting paid. And since almost all NBA contracts are guaranteed, they'll probably see every dollar.

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The 26-year-old defender states he made around $1.5 million through his first three seasons, split between Washington and the Denver Broncos. He's slated to make $660,000 this season before becoming a restricted free agent, according to Spotrac.

He admitted that's a lot of money for the average fan watching him play on Sundays. But he also explained that whatever money he makes during his career is supposed to help support himself and his family once he leaves the sport.

Since NFL contracts aren't fully guaranteed, teams can simply release a player to rid themselves of a contract, only being on the hook for the guaranteed portion. That's why the latter number is always the most important one when deals are announced.

The other key factor Ihenacho highlighted in his Players' Tribune essay was injuries. He talked about how the average NFL career lasts just 3.5 years, and as he enters that stage of his career, he's concerned he could become part of the statistic:

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You don't hear a lot of the stories about guys getting injured and forced out of the league in their first couple of years before they've even gotten the chance to see the field. If it happened to a starting quarterback or a fantasy star, it'd be all over ESPN. But when it happens to a young player making the league minimum — just trying to grab a roster spot and keep his NFL dream alive — it flies under the radar. And believe me, it happens more than you know. I’ve seen it happen to friends of mine, and I could have been one of them.

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He believes players that put so much on the line deserve more financial security. One of the dangers the defensive back mentioned is head injuries.

A recent study from researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University showed 96 percent of NFL players they studied had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as noted by Jason M. Breslow of PBS. How the league handles the issue will be a major concern moving forward.

Ihenacho understands there are logistics to work out—NBA rosters are much smaller than those in the NFL—but he thinks the players deserve a bigger piece of the pie. He says it's a topic players frequently discuss behind the scenes.

In the big picture, guaranteed contracts are another issue the players and the owners could be heading to a showdown on when the next CBA talks take place. NFL Players Association President Eric Winston already stated the players will stand tall on the role of Commissioner Roger Goodell in discipline matters when the sides return to the table in 2020, if not sooner, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

All told, it's always difficult for players to discuss money issues when the average fans showing up to support them aren't making nearly as much. But Ihenacho certainly makes a compelling case.