Are NFL Owners colluding against NFL Players fully guaranteed contracts?

It has been quite some time since an NFL Owner gave suspended quarterback Deshawn Watson the largest fully guaranteed NFL contract in history. The Cleveland Browns negotiated a contract that put the entire NFL Owners on notice, but not in a good way.

In March of this year, Deshawn Watson was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns where he signed a 5-year $230 million contract. However, Watson was coming off of a terrible case against him that involved sexual misconduct with message therapist.

Although Watson was acquitted of any wrong doings, the NFL still suspended Watson for most of the 2022 season. Even with that being done, the actions of the Browns set in motions that ultimately affects the entire league.

With multiple high profile NFL quarterback contracts coming up, it would be foolish of any owner to believe none of those star quarterbacks saw the deal being made.

One of those star quarterbacks was Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

NFL Owners

The NFL Players Association has filed a grievance against the NFL Owners. The claim is that the owners are colluding to prevent fully guaranteed contracts. It has becoming common knowledge that the NFL does not give fully guaranteed contracts.

Although there have been players that has signed such a contract, none have been as large as Watsons’

Raven’s owner Steve Bisciotti spoke on the Watson contract in shock and disbelief. Saying ” I don’t know if he should have been the first guy to receive a fully guaranteed contract.” Obviously, that move by the Browns put Bisciotti in a difficult situation with Jackson.

Unfortunately, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson could not come to an agreement after Jackson requested a similar fully guaranteed contract. Lamar Jackson is an NFL MVP with an unblemished image. Lamar decided to bet on himself in 2022 by playing on the final year of his rookie deal without a long-term contract in place.

Jackson’s performance this year could very well lead the Ravens into the playoffs. Surprisingly, if Jackson can finish this season health, the Ravens may have to put out more money than previously talked about.

Conversely, the NFLPA believe that the NFL Owners are working to prevent such a deal.