Tyrann Mathieu Says NFL Players Should Have Guaranteed Contracts

Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu advocated for NFL players to have their contracts fully guaranteed after NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Saturday that Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is likely done for the 2017 season with a neck injury. 

This isn't the first time a player has called for guaranteed deals. 

The issue has surfaced at the start of NBA free agency each of the past two years, when players across the NFL tweeted about the big-money deals being signed in the aftermath of the Association's cap spike.       

"

These NBA contracts 襤 make me feel like I got pennies 

— Takkarist McKinley (@Takk) July 1, 2017"

"We definitely get jealous with that," Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. told the Associated Press in September (via USA Today). "In the NBA, a lot of bench players are getting like star money."

The issue for NFL players is that with a hard salary cap—meaning teams must stay under it at all times—and 53-man rosters, guaranteed deals haven't been realistic. (Conversely, Major League Baseball employs a luxury-tax system, while the NBA uses a hybrid system that features a soft cap and luxury tax.) 

If guaranteed deals ever become commonplace in the NFL, players would likely have to be amenable to shorter terms. 

As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote, "The best players routinely get full guarantees for two or three years at the most. If, as a practical matter, the NFL were ever to commit to fully-guaranteed contracts on an across-the-board basis, few contracts would be longer than two or three years in duration."

Given players' apparent frustration with the current system, it won't be surprising if they bring the issue to the table when the collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021 as the NFL and NFL Players Association grapple with another potential work stoppage.