NFL Owners Reportedly Wanted NBA-Like Max Contracts in New CBA

New details about CBA negotiations between the NFL and NFL Players Association have been revealed, including one idea that would have led to a position-specific salary cap. 

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, team owners were "so concerned" about the growing rate for quarterbacks that they attempted to include a player salary cap similar to the NBA's supermax contracts. 

Fowler noted the proposal "died pretty quickly" because the players weren't going for it after owners broached the idea early in negotiations. 

Per Spotrac, there are currently 17 players in the NFL with contracts worth at least $100 million in total value. From that group, nine players are quarterbacks, three play defensive end, two play linebacker, two play defensive tackle and one plays wide receiver. 

In terms of total money guaranteed at signing, the top four players and 11 of the top 19 players are quarterbacks.

"Everyone could see this storm coming," agent Ryan Tollner, who did megadeals for Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, told Fowler. "More and more money coming into the league and the quarterback salaries were only going to go up."

Goff received an NFL-record $110 million guaranteed in his four-year extension with the Los Angeles Rams signed last September. 

Fowler noted teams have spent $901.7 million to sign quarterbacks since April 2019, including recent free-agent deals for Ryan Tannehill with the Tennessee Titans (four years, $118 million), Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Drew Brees with the New Orleans Saints (both for two years, $50 million). 

Under NBA rules, players can sign supermax deals that allow teams to re-sign their own players for up to 35 percent of the salary cap with an eight percent escalation in each subsequent year.