Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: NBA's Spending Spree Has NFL Players' Attention

NFL players have been doing a lot of thinking about their NBA counterparts...and they're not happy, a 40-yard dud, and Canton may need to get a bigger stage this year. All that and more in this week's 10-Point Stance.

1. More money, more problems

Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins asked a simple question, and it's one, I can tell you, a lot of NFL players are asking:

NFL players will say, Yes, absolutely. What kind of stupid question is that?

In truth, Hopkins' tweet was less a question than a statement. There isn't a player in the NFL who doesn't think they deserve the same as their NBA counterparts.

It's not being petty. It's being real.

The money in NBA free agency continues to climb, and NFL players say that's a good thing. This, of course, has those same NFL players examining their league's own pay structure and how it seems woefully inadequate given the physical punishment of their game.

NFL players want more guaranteed money (like NBA and MLB players), and with the collective bargaining agreement expiring after the 2020 season, the issue is sure to become a key negotiating point.

NFL players aren't poor, but their overall salaries, compared to pro basketball and baseball players, are a joke.

Consider some of NBA deals agreed to this summer alone: Kevin Durant ($164 million contract with the Nets), Kyrie Irving ($141 million with the Nets), Kemba Walker ($141 million with the Celtics), Klay Thompson ($190 million extension with the Warriors), Tobias Harris ($180 million extension with the 76ers). Not to mention the biggest free-agent catch of them all, Kawhi Leonard, has yet to sign.

Most importantly, as it relates to the NFL, all of those NBA deals are guaranteed. In the NFL, for the most part, only signing bonuses are.

NFL players definitely notice the disparity. Yes, the highest-paid NFL player right now (in terms of total cash)—Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at $45 million for the 2019 season—will make $2 million more than the highest-annual-salaried NBA player in Stephen Curry at $43 million. The issue arrises with total contract value and those guarantees. Russell Westbrook's total contract value is $207 million, the biggest in the NBA at the time of this writing. That's almost $60 million more than his NFL equivalent in Matt Ryan.

And the difference between baseball and football might even be worse.

Lions linebacker Devon Kennard was able to laugh about the situation, as he did at this tweet (and it is funny). Some players, however, aren't quite so calm.

2. The coming CBA fight

Players aren't merely expressing their unhappiness over the pay-guarantee gap between the NFL and NBA; they have made it clear, I've heard, that they want the union to fight for more guaranteed money in the next CBA.

No, not all players feel this way. And yes, there is great danger in fighting for guaranteed deals in the NFL, as it would likely lead to a strike that could last a season or longer.

But players have been watching the contracts grow in the NBA and MLB and had no recourse.

They will in two years, and if you think players are miffed now, just wait.

3. Race for relevancy

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The 49ers' Marquise Goodwin won the inaugural 40 Yards of Gold tournament. If you paid to watch it live in person, good for you, since you were one of the few who did.

It's a good idea, but it still seems like a lot of people just aren't interested in watching dudes run 40 yards...

...at least for now. There's still a chance that if more big-name players run in the event, it could gain in popularity. But truth be told, teams don't want their players participating because they might get hurt.

And that doesn't touch on the more existential question: Will people pay significant money for such a short event? So far, the answer is no. But that, like so much with the future of this race, could change.

4. Cleveland's dynamic duo?

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

We haven't heard much from Browns receiver Jarvis Landry this offseason, but recently, pictures of Landry and quarterback Baker Mayfield working out popped up on Landry's Instagram.

There are people in the league who believe Mayfield and Landry could end up being one of the top two or three QB-WR duos in football next season. The fact that they're working out together in the offseason could go a long way toward making that belief a reality.

5. Don't sleep on Cam

It may have been easy to forget after his injury-filled 2018 season, but Cam Newton still is one of the NFL's best all-around athletes. Here's a reminder for anyone who may need it. And please note as you watch this that Newton is 6'5" and almost 250 pounds.

6. Could McCaffrey make history?

Only two players ever have totaled 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a season: Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk.

Craig did it in 1985 and Faulk in 1999. That's how rare it is.

Craig, who tallied 13,100 combined yards as a runner and receiver in his 11 NFL seasons, thinks there may be a new candidate to join his single-season club with Faulk: Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.

"He will definitely get the 1,000-1,000," Craig told ESPN's David Newton and Mike Triplett. "It's in his DNA to make that happen. He's got the tools. He's built for it. His day will come."

As Newton and Triplett note, another guy who could do it is the Saints' Alvin Kamara.

With the increased use of backs in the passing game, Craig and Faulk shouldn't have to wait long for someone, or more, to expand the membership of their exclusive group.

7. Comfort zone

One last thing on the Panthers. While Cam Newton's better health and new throwing motion have raised expectations for the team, there remain some pockets of skepticism that Newton will keep his new mechanics once he enters the thick of the season.

It's not a matter of discipline, caution several league assistant coaches, but comfort. They think Newton will fall back on what's made him unique when things get tight, and they don't blame him. Those unique traits are what has made him so tough to stop in the first place.

8. Beckham's army

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

While many in the media seem to be on the lookout for signs that Odell Beckham Jr. is going to poison the Browns locker room, more than a few Giants players have stated publicly that he wasn't a problem in New York, and he likely won't be in Cleveland.

Giants safety Michael Thomas is the latest to come to his former teammate's defense, telling SiriusXM NFL Radio during an interview on The End Zone that Beckham was a "great teammate." 

Hopefully, that narrative can now be put to rest and we can let him actually interact with his new teammates before assuming what effect he does or does not have on them. 

9. New pass interference rules could get tricky

If you haven't been following the latest with the new pass interference rules, this conversation on SiriusXM NFL Radio with former referee John Parry will help.

The bottom line is that the newly established ability of coaches to challenge non-calls—a change I support—still presents plenty of potential snags. Of particular concern is how the new challenges could slow down the game and replay clock stoppages could create an advantage for the offense.

It's complicated and there will be growing pains, but it was still the right thing for the league to do.

10. That's a lot of Hall of Famers

Focus On Sport/Getty Images

The Pro Football Hall of Fame normally admits just eight members every year. It's a brutal, tight process. This year, though, the Hall may be a bit more inclusive in celebration of the NFL's 100th anniversary season.

In a satellite radio interview, the Hall's president, David Baker, said as many as 20 candidates may be inducted this year. The expansion would only be for the one year, but it would potentially end a logjam of candidates who have deserved to get in but haven't for a host of reasons.

One name to watch for if this happens is former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. He created the Dallas dynasty that spawned Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith—all Hall of Famers.

He deserves to get in, and this might be the time, as it may be for a lot of deserving figures.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:@mikefreemanNFL.

---

ESPN's Mina Kimes joins Adam Lefkoe on The Lefkoe Show to take an early look at the NFL season to come, from sleeper Super Bowl contenders, why the Bears might disappoint and who is the most underrated QB in the league right now.